The IndieBeat: Neo Cab tackles the gig economy’s human toll

When I’m sitting in traffic, it seems like every other car around me has a Lyft or Uber sticker … or sometimes both. And back when I lived in Brooklyn, the subway was papered with advertisements for on-demand freelance services like TaskRabbit and Fiverr. This makes it easy to think that the gig economy is everywhere, employing short-term or temporary contractors. Chance Agency’s upcoming PC game Neo Cab examines this issue, particularly the emotional labor that many freelancers have to take on. It’s the studio’s debut title, and it’s due out in 2019 for PC.

Nearly 7 percent of the workforce were independent contractors in 2017, and up to 10.7 percent participated in the gig economy in some way, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Though that sounds like a low percentage, it’s millions of people — 10.6 million people were classified as independent contractors in May 2017. Neo Cab’s protagonist, Lina, represents how many of these freelancers have to balance self-care with earning a living.