Lobster Life Simulator started as a joke. "What if there was a life simulator, but you're a lobster, and AI is taking over the world?" We laughed about it for a week. Then we actually built it.
Turns out, making a game about a lobster dealing with career anxiety, AI disruption, and life choices is... surprisingly relatable? Who knew.
Everyone's worried about AI. Will it take my job? Should I learn to code? Is the future going to be amazing or terrible? These are real questions that real people are asking right now.
But talking about it seriously is exhausting. There are a million think pieces and hot takes already. We didn't want to add another one.
So we made it about a lobster. Same themes, same questions, but wrapped in enough absurdity to make it fun instead of anxiety-inducing. You're still making choices about education, career, and how to deal with AI - but you're a crustacean. It takes the edge off.
Lobster Life is a text-based choice game. You read a situation, pick from 2-4 options, and see the consequences. Your choices affect your stats (Money, Brain, Fame, Luck) and determine which of the 8 endings you reach.
One playthrough takes 20-30 minutes. But there's way more content than you'll see in one run. Different choices open different paths, different events, different endings. We designed it to be replayed.
Without spoiling too much:
None of these are "good" or "bad." They're just different paths with different tradeoffs. The game doesn't judge your choices - it just shows you where they lead.
Two reasons:
1. Better writing. When you don't have to worry about graphics, animation, and 3D models, all the effort goes into the writing. And for a game about choices and consequences, writing is everything.
2. Accessibility. Text games run on literally anything. Old phone, school Chromebook, ancient laptop, screen reader. If it can display text, it can run Lobster Life. No GPU required, no fast internet needed, no storage space consumed.
We spent more time on the writing than anything else. Every choice has consequences that make sense. Every path feels different. The humor is dry and self-aware without being try-hard.
We also tried to make the AI commentary nuanced. It's not "AI bad" or "AI good." It's "AI is complicated and different people will be affected differently." Because that's the truth.
Lobsters are fascinating creatures. They can live for 100+ years. They keep growing their whole lives. They have blue blood. They can regenerate lost limbs. They're basically the most interesting animal nobody thinks about.
Also, if we made it about a human, it would be too on-the-nose. Too preachy. The lobster adds just enough distance to keep it fun.
Plus, "Lobster Life Simulator" is a way better name than "Human Career Anxiety Simulator."
More content, more paths, more endings. We're also thinking about a sequel set in a different era. Lobster Life: Industrial Revolution? Lobster Life: Space Age? We'll see.
We also built a few other browser games you might enjoy:
Each game is a separate project with its own team and focus. We link them here for players who want to try something different.
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