Climb your way up the corporate ladder in this video game using only emojis
❤️☀️⛱️ A Charlotte tech developer who helped create the widely popular Pokémon GO app has released the first game from his new start-up company.
In Chief Emoji Officer, which debuted Friday, players work their way up the company ladder from new hire to CEO using nothing but emojis. It’s a narrative adventure game that blends humor and social commentary in an all-too-real critique of the modern day tech landscape.
“A lot of it is satire of the corporate world, much coming from my own personal experiences,” said developer Bo Boghosian, who moved to Charlotte from Silicon Valley in 2018 to be closer to family, including a familiar name in the Charlotte food scene — his sister, Kristen Wile of Unpretentious Palate.
Boghosian spent 14 years in San Francisco, immersed in the tech world where he saw “all of the ups and downs” of Corporate America. He started at Google and eventually became engineering lead on Niantic’s Peridot and a key developer on Pokemon GO, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Niantic’s Real World Platform.
Last fall, Boghosian and his former Niantic colleague Alexia Mandeville teamed up to launch Bodeville, a self-funded game studio created with a focus on narrative games and short-form indie experiences.
“We wanted to work for ourselves and focus on our vision to bring a little more fun into the world,” Boghosian said. “Our goal is to create beautiful worlds, stories and characters, and to always be fair to players.”
Boghosian believes they’ve done just that with Chief Emoji Officer. Here’s what you can expect:
Target audience: Chief Emoji Officer’s target audience is adults who have spent at least some time in Corporate America. While it’s fairly wholesome, there may be a few small innuendos unsuitable for children.
How to play: Players start as a new hire at the fictional Redify, a startup on a mission “to change the world with love and to monetize it in the most positive way.” Players need to interact with various co-workers and respond to messages to navigate corporate politics – but only using common emojis.
“It’s a game where you have to progress and make good choices, but half of it’s funny,” Boghosian said. “We wanted to hit on both of those points when developing.”
Those choices impact the story, how people perceive you and whether or not you’re promoted.
The game is a story that unravels as players go through six chapters of a tech job. Along the way, players will meet unique characters like Karen, a downer, and Joey, whose positivity can be a little much at times.
How long is it?: The game can be played in about an hour. Of course, if you get fired and start over it may take a bit longer. Replays will unlock new characters, emojis and channels.
Where to find it: PC, Mac, Android and iOS
Cost: $2.99 flat fee, no in-game purchases
View a trailer of Chief Emoji Officer here.
This story was originally published April 7, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
