My opinion of Data Dealer.

Anyone who has been a loyal reader of my blog for some time will know that this will not be an ordinary post. Far from it, as a matter of fact.

But I very recently discovered an online game that first gathered my attention because of the fact that it turns the tables and allows you to think a little bit like the kind of people who I fight against when I blog. Not that you can really get into the mindset of said person when you are biased against that side, but this game gives you a decent chance to try without causing harm.

The game: Data Dealer
The objective: To become someone who steals data from consumers via the use of hackers and fake websites designed to gather information.

In this game, you start out collecting data from ventures such as a sweepstakes, an online dating website, and a loyalty program. Data collected can be in the form of first and last names, zip codes, medical information, etc. You also have access to informants who work in low paying jobs and need extra money. These informants tend to have access to useful information such as tanning booth sessions, debts, income, and other useful information.

You then sell this information to companies that pay high dollar for information on consumers who they may offer a service or product to. And as you collect more information from your ventures and your informants, companies pay more for the data that you now have more of. This cycle goes on and on.

But you also have to be cautious, because if you gather too much attention, you can find privacy supporters or government officials after you. You stave this risk off by being careful when and at what point you use informants to gather data.

You can also stave the risk off by buying certain upgrades to your ventures. Some upgrades such as a TV ad will reduce the risk you take when you invest in a venture. Of course, this also spreads word around about your venture, which leads to more users of the service that venture is offering. This in turn, leads to more data collected from more people.

As the only game available is a demo, I really cannot offer more information except from my personal opinion.

My personal opinion is that this game may be fraught with satire, but the message that it sends is exceptionally clear.

And while it may be akin to PRISM, it nonetheless is quite fun and addictive.

You can find out more information and play the demo here

Thank You for reading, I invite users to comment with any questions or comments.