It’s an intern-eat-intern world out there. Everyone starts at the bottom of the totem pole, and sometimes there’s not a lot of room, so when you land a gig (non-paying or otherwise) you learn to not look a gift horse in the mouth. But you may eventually grow to resent the incessant requests for coffee runs, free ideas for client pitches and general bitch work. When that day comes, be prepared to relieve your frustrations with the Intern videogame, by Ottawa agency McMillan.

“We didn’t want our interns here at McMillan to feel unprepared or unappreciated, so we created an 8-bit videogame that featured them as playable characters,” the shop says of why it decided to create the game, essentially exchanging free physical labour for virtual work experience. In the game, players are challenged to (1) overcome the distractions of free booze and cute agency pets, (2) search for and collect creative ideas for a client presentation, and (3) become a rising star in the ad biz. If only real life were that simple (and pixelated).

From Stimulant. You just read about a “Passion Project,” a weird and wonderful thing keeping creatives busy when they’re not hard at work in the agency world. Have your own side project like the one above? Then email Jen Horn with your passion for the chance to be featured.