McDonald’s Video Game was released in 2006 as a flash game for the web. Target for a wide range of users, it allowed a player to make decisions in order to create the most successful McDonald’s business.
As the Systems chapter of the Rules of Play book states, a system can be viewed as “a group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements forming a complex whole.” By that definition, this game can be viewed as one large system that a player must interact with. From a high level, it displays all the main components needed to successfully operate a McDonald’s restaurant — from the farms to the restaurants to the corporate headquarters, all pieces must work together if the company wants to make money. The mechanics that a player is responsible of acting differ based on what part of the company they are currently in. For instance, if they are in the fields, they can decide what to do with the farm land. If they are in the restaurant, they can hire more or less cashiers and food preparers, and so on. However, one thing that I noticed is that no action is more or less important than others. One leak in the farm, restaurant, or corporate office can cause the player to fail. Just like the human body as a system, one major leak can cause the entire system to fail. For instance, if a person is completely healthy but has one organ that no longer fucntions, their entire life could be at risk. The same goes for any system like the McDonald’s Video Game and in a business in general — a weak link can cause the entire unit to crumble.
Additionally, each smaller part of the game served as its own small system in its own. After completing the reading, I’ve realized that many things can be viewed as a system. For instance, the restaurant stage serves as a system in itself. A player needs to manage both the number of cashiers and the amount of output of burgers and make sure that those work together smoothly. Otherwise, there would be inefficiencies and cause the business to fail. Too few cashiers would mean not enough customers are being served, while too many would be a waste of wages. Too few burgers would mean slower business, while too many would lead to waste and employees just being paid to stand around. The system here works together and combines to create a larger system as one.
I had a ton of fun playing this game. I remember playing it when I was much younger and struggling majorly. Now, having an understanding that everything works together, I was able to be more successful in running my own McDonald’s corporation. Younger audiences, like me in the past, will likely struggle with this game as there are so many moving pieces. Sure, the mechanics are simple, but the strategy requires an understanding of how everything connects with each other, an intuition than an immature player will not have naturally. Overall, the game serves as a great example for what a system is and how different pieces of a business are intertwined.
