Can you make it as an Uber driver? A new game simulates work in the gig economy

"A new game aims to simulate a struggle many gig workers face: Picking which jobs to take in order to make enough money to pay the bills. "Cherry Picker," a game developed by ride-hailing pay analysis app GigU, will launch in a free browser version on Wednesday, the company told Business Insider. GigU makes an app that helps Uber drivers determine whether the rides they're offered will be profitable for them. The premise of the game is simple: Each day - one round in the game - the game's main character,Charles, has to turn a profit of $200 as a ride-hailing driver to cover his bills."

"The game is meant to show people how challenging making money as a gig worker can be. Perhaps, it'llget riders to empathize with their next Uber or Lyftdriver, Pedro Inada, co-CEO of GigU, told Business Insider. "It's very important that the riders know what the day in the life of a driver is," Inada said."

"GigU launched its paid app for drivers in the US in May. It's one of a few third-party apps that says it helps gig workers parse ride and delivery offers to determine which are the best use of their time. Uber has said that such apps violate its terms of service. Lyft has gone further, suggesting that it could deactivate the accounts of gig workers found to be using the apps. In the game, players are shown a series of ride-hailing trips, including total pay, the distance of the trip, how far they'd have to drive to pick up the passenger, and how long the gig would take to complete."

GigU created Cherry Picker to simulate the job-selection challenges faced by ride-hailing drivers. Each game round represents a day in which the player, as driver Charles, must earn a $200 profit to cover bills. The game presents individual trip details such as pay, trip distance, pickup distance, and completion time. A tutorial sets operating costs at $0.75 per mile and limits drivers to eight hours of driving per day. The simulation aims to foster empathy from riders by illustrating operational constraints. GigU also offers a paid app to help drivers evaluate ride profitability amid platform restrictions.

Read at Business Insider