Recordshop Tycoon: The Industry In A Flash Game

I’m going to apologize for doing this to you. If you want to continue having a productive day and not get completely distracted by what I’m about to tell you—then don’t read this post. Remember, I warned you nicely. There’s a new online Flash game called Recordshop Tycoon and it’s addictive as hell.

In the game, you start and run a series of record stores. You build your store, add a register, and some shelving space—stock up on the right genres—and then you open for business. Little Sim-like people file in the doors, looking at your wares, and if you don’t carry what they are looking for, they get disappointed and leave. It’s a numbers game. You keep tweaking the stock and marketing, in an attempt to optimize the number of albums you sell—almost like real-life.

The goal is to move from your hole-in-the-wall-shop to a mega-retailer. It’s a simple game, but it will kill time. While it would be great if there was a way to actually lose the game or if you could be put out of business by online file-sharing, industry players will have to stray from reality, set up shop, and pretend that none of those technological and cultural shifts are occurring.