The Advergame That Paid Real Wages
When IKEA launched The Co-Worker in mid-2024 alongside Swedish developer studio The Gang, the headlines focused on one gimmick: IKEA hired ten real adults in the UK and Ireland at an actual hourly wage to log on and work shifts inside Roblox. The press stunt worked, driving thousands of curious players through the virtual sliding doors.
Underneath the marketing, the game plays like an entry-level tycoon or roleplay sim. Players pick a department, clean up after messy AI shoppers, haul flat-pack boxes, and climb the corporate ladder toward titles like Interior Design Manager.
The Real Play Value
If your kid spends hours in Bloxburg or Restaurant Tycoon, the rhythm here will feel immediately familiar. Decorating the showroom spaces gives kids a quick spatial exercise in color matching and furniture placement. It lacks the deep, open-ended building mechanics of actual sandbox games, but it works as lightweight roleplay.
The real attraction is the irony. For kids, working an adult shift at a Swedish furniture warehouse carries the exact brand of surreal comedy that makes Roblox meme culture tick.
The Ground Rules
Because this lives on Roblox, keep standard platform rules front of mind:
- Chat settings matter more than game mechanics. The game itself has zero violence, but unmoderated server chat is still public server chat.
- It runs out of steam quickly. Unlike games with endless progression loops, the novelty here fades after a session or two.
- Name the advertising. Point out that the whole experience is designed to sell brand goodwill and Swedish meatballs, which gives kids an easy lesson in spotting sponsored environments.
