An Amazon worker says he is considering quitting his job, but he doesn’t want to leave behind his virtual pets.
TikToker Leo Gonzalez (@leonar.npc) recently posted a video sharing his dilemma. In the video, he is seen selecting his virtual pet on a computer screen inside an Amazon warehouse. The game, called Tamazilla, is Amazon’s take on the popular pet product game “Tamagotchi.”
“When you want to quit Amazon but you don’t want to abandon your virtual pets,” the video’s on-screen text reads.
@leonar.npc My Amazon pets are the only thing I’ll miss from working here. #amazon #amazonfinds #amazonemployee #amazonpicker #amazonfullfillmentcenter ♬ Minion_lovers – Matthew 🎸
Last year, Amazon expanded a 2019 gamification program that encourages its warehouse employees to work harder, according to the Verge. The program is called FC Games, and it includes as many as six arcade-style mini-games that can be played only by completing warehouse tasks in the workplace. The rewards earned by playing the workstation games can be turned in for virtual pets, including penguins and dinosaurs, but it’s not clear whether these pets have any value or if they can be changed for anything.
“My Amazon pets are the only thing I’ll miss from working here,” Gonzalez wrote in the video’s caption. In a comment under the video, he adds that he has about 50 pets through the program.
As of Tuesday, Gonzalez’s TikTok garnered about 429,000 views on the app. Some viewers said the gaming program demonstrates a prioritization of capitalism at the company.
“IM SORRY WHAT STAGE OF CAPITALISM IS THIS?” one viewer commented.
“That’s so dystopian,” a second viewer commented with a laughing emoji.
A third wrote, “actual dystopian workplace.”
Several viewers compared the video to an episode of Black Mirror, a 2011 TV series about a dystopian future.
One viewer said Amazon would rather create a gaming system than improve working conditions. “Amazon will give their workers a virtual pet before they give them a restroom break,” one user wrote.
In reply to the comment, Gonzalez added, “Or a raise.”
Other viewers remarked that they would be OK playing the game, but Gonzalez was quick to pinpoint it’s not as happy-go-lucky as it seems.
“Nah nothing helps the amazon struggle,” he wrote in a comment. “Nah no games can distract you from the pain,” he said in another.
The Daily Dot reached out to Amazon via email and to the creator via TikTok comment.
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