The premise of Sweatshop, in case you can't glean it from the title, is that you're a sweatshop manager who needs to get his workers to deliver products in a timely and efficient (read: cheap) manner. You'll do this by placing different worker-types across an assembly line and, as the products come out of one end, they'll put them together before they get to the other end. Essentially, you need to place the correct workers in the right spot to maximize efficiency.
It wouldn't be so bad if that was it, but it's not. In between each level, you'll get a little education about various working conditions in different parts of the world; then, by the fourth level, things start to get a little emotionally grueling.
On top of just getting workers in the right spots, you'll also have to make the choice of whether to care for them or simply fire them and hire new ones. The caring comes in the form of upgrades, providing water and other amenities, but it's almost always cheaper to simply fire and replace them with new people. It's here the cutesy visuals really shine -- the giant eyes can really push out tears in a meaningful way and, unless you're utterly ruthless, you'll think twice before firing someone.
But the motivation of someone who plays videogames is not to just win -- it's to win by more than someone else. It's a constant battle between your own empathy and the desire to succeed that makes Sweatshop so interesting. Yes, these are just digital game people, but how would you act in the real world? What would you do if you were the manager? Would you have the balls to put your own neck on the cutting line in order to make your workers' conditions better, or would you just tell them to shut up?
Find out for yourself by playing Sweatshop. We guarantee it won't be as easy as it sounds.
