Last week, the indie social game Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies made quite a stir on Steam. In it, players take on the roles of managers and office workers trying to get work done while tracking down the slackers who are trying to drive productivity to the bottom and bankrupt the company.
It seems basic, but there is something extraordinary about it: since its release on August 30, 1,292 reviews have been published on Steam, 95% of which are positive.
During each round, the manager has the simplest task: making sure the professionals are doing their jobs while also weeding out the slackers and dealing with the office disasters that occur—like trash bin fires. Meanwhile, the professionals are tasked with keeping the office running and chasing the slackers who aren’t working—the trick is that they’re mostly assigned to work tasks, but even a productive employee sometimes needs to take a coffee break or employ the restroom.
This is where the slackers come in. They only have unproductive tasks on their to-do list and their day consists of playing bomb disposal, drawing in Paint, taking coffee breaks, taking a dump, smoking, setting fires, etc. These slackers win when most of the work is slacked off and they don’t get thrown out of meetings.
Dale and Dawsome updated yesterday with a fourth office map for the game, as well as ultrawide support. The developers promise regular updates post-launch in the future “to keep the game fresh and exciting.”
You can find Dale & Dawson Stationery on Steam for 8 dollars.
