Too Broke To Eat? Virtual Meat!

This is a fun story, but it really speaks to the state of the global economy. Video games come in just about every size and shape, to cater to [literally] every demographic possible. There are educating games on Nintendo systems that help toddlers learn how to read and speak (and learn different languages), there are action adventure games for older teens and young adults on every system available – there are even brain-sharpening games on handheld devices marketed to seniors. But what about virtual meat?

Imagine yourself at your laptop, with the keyboard covered with a paper “napkin” accompanied by rice and teriyaki sauce. There’s no beef or chicken to accompany your teriyaki and rice, but your webcam picks up on your chopsticks’ movement and displays a piece of meat on your screen as you dip it into the sauce and rice. You bring the rice to your lips and close your eyes, feasting on your imaginary beef and real rice.

The concept sounds incredibly strange at first, but a student in Japan actually created the “game” for students who were too poor to afford beef with their meals, sticking only to rice and sauce. The game has caught on in the country and is very popular among college students, particularly when dining for two – each laptop can be placed back to back, and each person can eat their imaginary beef with the rest of their meal, having fun and enjoying the irony of the whole thing at the same time.

All college students in any country have a hard time making ends meet, but students in Japan have been hit particularly hard. College graduates in Japan are facing the toughest job market the country has ever seen since World War II, making fun (and free) forms of entertainment priceless. While large corporations in Japan (and the rest of the world) have begun to see an upswing in the state of things, most small companies are still struggling, especially in the United States. Young people are desperate to find anything to make a buck in this economy, even if it means sinking to positions worthy of high school graduates, such as entry level service-and-hospitality-industry jobs.

What has the economy meant for you? Are you holding a job in school, or have you had a tough time finding a career post-graduation? Personally I have been holding down an assistant job for a while but have been unable to find a job in my industry of study since graduation in August. Things will come back, but for many, the road to recovery simply can’t come soon enough.

Report this article