Over the past few weeks, the news about the makers of the EpiPen forcing prices of the life-saving drug to skyrocket has become a national discussion about ethical behavior in the medical and pharmaceutical industry. What’s worse is that this isn’t the first time that this sort of behavior in the realm of pharmaceuticals, as Martin Shkreli can’t seem to stay out of the news. The price of the EpiPen has jumped up over 500% since 2007, and people are upset.
That’s where this flash-based game, EpiPen Tycoon, comes in. The game is actually quite simple, really: You play as Mylar CEO Heather Bresch and you control the price of the EpiPen. Everything about this game is simple, from the design to what you actually do, which isn’t much. There is an up and a down button, a pause button, and every once in a while something will appear in the item box, like a coupon to distribute for 2% off or other such insulting offers to the public. The more you charge the more money you make, the bigger the office building you get and, most importantly, you keep those investors happy. Even if people die.
Perhaps it does oversimplify the issue, but it also pushes a rather strong message on the topic. The only way to lose if if you stop raising the price of the drug. Ironically enough, the game is free to play. Go figure. Simple? Yes. Effective? Looks that way.
(Via Kotaku)