Faceminer is a creepy yet topical game about data harvesting

Not creepy in the horror sense

Wristwork has revealed their upcoming game about hungrily harvesting data called Faceminer. This is the sort of thing that makes me feel more uncomfortable than actual horror does.

Faceminer is set against the “techno-optimism” of the ‘90s. It puts you in front of a ‘90s-era operating system and has you go to work harvesting people’s biometric data. From there, you have to keep up with regulatory and technological demands as you navigate a corrupt bureaucratic system and continually upgrade your equipment. Buy and sell people’s personal data, just like a real tech company!

Against the backdrop of white-knuckled multi-tasking, Faceminer sets itself up as a narrative game. You sift through emails and get to know other data scrapers in the business.

Even just with the trailers and information given, Faceminer looks like an evocative reflection of the disgustingly internet-driven world we live in. Information is a commodity, but it’s most valuable in large quantities. Everyone wants it, and everyone is taking it without asking to use or re-sell. It’s the true price of “free” information. You can’t be anonymous and access this data at the same time. I’ve learned to accept this as part of the society we live in, but I still hate it.

Anywho, we’ll see if Faceminer is a fun game or just an insightful one when it gets released, uh, hm… Soon. Eventually?

Zoey Handley

Staff Writer – Zoey is a gaming gadabout. She got her start blogging with the community in 2018 and hit the front page soon after. Normally found exploring indie experiments and retro libraries, she does her best to remain chronically uncool.

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