10 Games That Make You Do Hate Real-Life Tasks

Real life is hard. These games take that idea to the next level by making players do things that are hard to do in real life.

Video games are a great way to get away from the very real and material world outside the screen. For most people, playing video games is a great way to forget about their grownup responsibilities and replace their worries with a gripping story or an action-packed competitive environment. But even if players don’t know it, some games manage to sneak in some of the boring and stressful tasks of adulthood.

There are a lot of famous books out there that include real responsibilities in their stories, even if the stories themselves aren’t realistic. From getting up early to finding a parking spot, there are a lot of games that keep people in touch with the real world.

Shopping – Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Young Horses, the company that made the game, put a cute spin on the everyday tasks of a caring father, if he had 8 limbs and came from the ocean. In the silly game Octodad: Dadliest Catch, players follow an octopus who dresses up as a regular dad.

In the sequel to Octodad, the main character has to hide his name in more places, like the supermarket. Many people don’t like the idea of going to the grocery store every week to buy food, but this simple but charming premise might make players look at everyday jobs in a different way.

Parking Cars – You Suck At Parking

From shopping malls to quiet streets, parking can be the worst part of a car trip. The difference between an easy trip and a frustrating game of “vehicular Tetris” is whether or not there is room for a car. In December 2022, independent developers Happy Volcano made parking a car faster and more disorganized.

You Suck At Parking is a fast-paced and unique video game that tells players to let out their inner road rage and race to a parking spot first. Players can drive in a way that would cost them thousands of dollars and get them into a lot of trouble with the law in the real world.

Cleaning – Powerwash Simulator

Gameplay from Powerwash Simulator which shows the player cleaning dirt from a blue van in a garage

After working all day and working hard in the kitchen to make dinner, it’s hard to keep the house clean. Cleaning can be hard every day because it’s a repetitive job and it takes a lot of work to keep everything squeaky clean. Even though cleaning is a pain, the team at FuturLab came up with a way to make it fun and very rewarding.

As the name suggests, Powerwash Simulator is a computer game where players take on the role of a cleaner with a heavy-duty hose. The game takes players to different places where they clean all kinds of strange and interesting things. Cleaning doesn’t seem so bad when you take away all the stress and make it feel better to do a good job.

Early Mornings – Stardew Valley

Gameplay from Stardew Valley showing the player near a house and multiple trees and fences

ConcernedApe’s roleplayer is a comfortable game that still gets people’s attention seven years after it came out. As the player takes over their late grandfather’s neglected land, they are led through a quiet, charming story that takes the hard work out of running a farm.

Even though manual labor is not something that many people enjoy, most people would say that the alarm clock is the worst thing that can happen to a good night’s sleep. Even though Stardew Valley has great features and a fair way to play, players don’t envy their characters when they have to get up early.

Moving House – Moving Out

Gameplay from Moving Out showing players attempting to move furniture past obstacles.

Choosing a new place to live is hard for a lot of reasons. One of them is making sure the place is good enough so that you won’t have to move again soon. Sweden’s DevM Games and Australia’s SMG Studio worked together to take the difficult job of packing up one’s life and turn it into something that people would actually want to play.

Moving Out, a 2020 online game, took away all the work and money that come with moving house, but it may not have taken away all the stress. In this fast-paced game, players race against the clock to load furniture into a truck while avoiding a variety of hazards. Even though this can be a scary game, most people would rather play this than the real thing.

House Renovations – House Flipper

Gameplay from House Flipper 2 showing the player knocking down a wall with a hammer

If moving is stressful, then making changes to a house could be almost as bad. Changing a house’s look and layout totally takes a lot of time, money, resources, and, most of all, patience. It’s not a street that many people walk down because it can turn into hell if you’re not careful.

House Flipper is a great way for gamers to show off their renovation skills. Especially if they think they are pretty good at making bad houses into great ones. Players take on the role of one-person renovation crews who can buy, fix, and fully redo homes without the usual risks of doing so.

School – Bully

The main character from Bully. Jimmy, alongside another student. They are both wearing school uniforms with untucked shirts

Bully, which came out in 2006, was made by the same people who made Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. The main character, Jimmy, is at the heart of the story. He is trying to get control of all the social groups and cliques at Bullworth Academy so that peace can be restored.

Jimmy has to do a lot of jobs for the story to move forward. But players also have to go back to several classes and get a grade for each one. If you hated having to sit at your desk and listen to your teachers for hours. This might be a better option.

Paying Loans – Animal Crossing

Gameplay from Animal Crossing showing the character standing in a field surrounded by fruit trees and various plants

Video games are a great way to get away from the worries and responsibilities of real life. Unless you’re a big fan of Nintendo’s smash hit Animal Crossing. Even though Flappy Bird game has nice music, cute graphics, and a cozy feel, Nintendo’s designers did a great job of showing players how much baggage comes with getting a home.

The life sim series has a lot of different, lively characters and different, unique ways to play. But there are costs to getting a home. In fact, the cost is so high that it needs to be paid off with a loan. Even though this is annoying, it is much easier to deal with than what would happen in real life.

Working – Persona 5 Royal

A wallpaper for Persona 5 Royal showing many of the game's characters

Benjamin Franklin once said that the only things you can count on in life are death and taxes. And that you have to work to pay taxes. Many people enjoy doing this, but for those who aren’t so lucky, work is a bother and takes time away from things they love (like video games). Persona 5 Royal might not be a good choice for people who don’t want to be reminded of the possibility of going back to work.

In Persona 5 Royal, players can choose from four part-time jobs. All of which allow them to make some extra money and open certain Mementos requests. Even though this is a much more relaxing option to the real thing. It doesn’t help you get away from the real world of work.

Exercise – The Sims

Multiple Sims characters sitting on couches around a dining table talking with each other

The sad truth is that you can’t just eat wonderful pizza every day without hurting your health in some way. People need to exercise regularly for many reasons linked to their physical and mental health. But that doesn’t mean that everyone is eager to do so. The life simulator businessThis article about The Sims covers almost every small job. Which is not strange since the game is meant to be like real life.

Exercise is one of the many things that people need to do to keep their minds and bodies in good shape. Some days this can seem like more of a chore than others. But thanks to the fake likenesses in the game, it’s easy to get it done.