For years, video games served as an escape in the most extreme sense. Players left their boring lives to become fighter pilots, barbarians and a certain mustachioed plumber. They didn’t want to work in a warehouse, cook or wait tables.
Then, publishers began releasing games based on real jobs. In Shenmue for Dreamcast, people took a break from pummeling thugs to operate a forklift. Later, they ran a bakery in Cake Mania and served up all sorts of dishes in Cooking Mama. All of a sudden, it was cool to have a second job, albeit a virtual one.
On that note, the following downloadable games let you experience another profession without having to go on interviews or pass a drug test. And we left out sports games featuring professional athletes because that would be too easy.
John Artest (RunDLC)
Alex S. from Link-Cable writes: "During the heyday of the Nintendo DS and Wii, one of my favorite go to game series when throwing a party was the WarioWare set of games. These wacky, fast-paced mini-game collections were the perfect way to, not only have some hearty laughs with friends but to show off the more unique and underutilized side of Nintendo hardware. However, it’s been quiet on the WarioWare front for the better part of a decade now with the last ‘main’ game in the series released when the Wii launch in 2006 leading to the series becoming just one among many of seemingly forgotten Nintendo franchises and leads me to ask… what happened to WarioWare?"
Diner Dash is the brand-new free version of the famous time management simulator for the iPhone, iPad, and Android platforms. As with the old PC versions, you play as Flo The waitress, and your job is to serve all of your customers as quickly as possible and get them out of there as satisfied as possible.
Brittany Vincent of Modojo writes:
"Glu Mobile has totally revamped the classic Diner Dash, and it's time to jump in headfirst to serve as many hungry customers as you can! It's a whole new ballgame this time around, with different combos and a frantic new setup. It's the original Diner Dash you know and love, with plenty of new tricks sprinkled in here and there to make a tasty new dish. Get on board with our tips and tricks and step your game up for the newest entry in the Diner Dash franchise!"
