Keep Me Occupied: the unofficial video game of the Occupy movement

Keep Me Occupied is a simple co-op arcade game designed to show off the value of working together, built specifically for the Occupy Oakland protests.

March 19, 2012 3:00 PM3Hundreds of participants of the Occupy Oakland movement gathered for their “Move-In Day,” an event that proposed to transform an abandoned building into a social center and makeshift headquarters for the Occupy movement. They would have to bring furniture, office equipment, food, lighting, etc. But Anna Anthropy, Alex Kerfoot, and Mars Jokela had another idea: the movement needed a video game.That’s what led to the creation of Keep Me Occupied, a co-op arcade game designed to show off the value of working together.The game is relatively simple. Two players must try to go as high as they can within a sixty second timeframe. There are gates along the way which can only be opened through cooperation. After sixty seconds, each player leaves a ghost behind to occupy the last gate touched, holding it open for future players. “So every player who plays, no matter how unskilled, contributes to the collective success of all players.”You can try Keep Me Occupied for yourself. It’s a free download for Windows and Mac OS X.

The OAK-U-TRON 201X

While the game is entirely playable with two people, the concept works best when played en masse. That’s where the OAK-U-TRON 201X comes in. The custom-built arcade cabinet immediately drew the attention of the Occupy protesters as it was being walked toward the Walk-In venue. Given its cumbersome size, the journey of moving the arcade cabinet reflected the message of the game: it took the help of dozens of random strangers to eventually get the cabinet moved to its destination. Along the way, people would be able to play the game–showing the value of real-life and virtual cooperation.Photo Credit: John DeSavage