Cart Life
A grayscale pixel-art simulation of street vendor life.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Cart Life, a simulation game for Microsoft Windows, was created by Richard Hofmeier with Adventure Game Studio and first appeared in 2010. It launched on Steam in April 2013, but Hofmeier later pulled it from the platform after making the full source code freely available. Critics responded favorably, highlighting the game's believable characters, though some pointed out technical glitches. At the 2013 Independent Games Festival, it took home the Seumas McNally Grand Prize and the Excellence in Narrative award.
Players control one of three street vendors—Vinny (bagels), Andrus (newspapers), or Melanie (coffee)—balancing their business tasks with personal needs like eating, drinking, and sleeping. Each character faces distinct challenges; for instance, Melanie is a single mother struggling to spend time with her daughter while working low wages and seeking custody. The game uses a grayscale pixel-grid with minimal detail, a design choice Hofmeier made not for nostalgia but to let players fill in emotional cues themselves.
Hofmeier, an illustrator making his first game, drew from his own work-life experiences and games like *Little Computer People* and *River City Ransom*, as well as Han Hoogerbrugge's *Modern Living*. He developed *Cart Life* in his spare time using Adventure Game Studio while holding a series of low-paying jobs, originally planning a 30-day project that stretched to three years. He aimed for a game without scores, points, or action, initially envisioning it as a comedy. During development, he consulted street vendors and experimented with elements later cut, including a fourth character and extra locations. At the 2013 Independent Games Festival, he spray-painted his own booth to promote Porpentine's *Howling Dogs*, feeling *Cart Life* had overstayed its welcome.
In December 2013, Hofmeier declared support finished, removed the game from Steam, and released the source code and game for free under a public-domain-like license on his website, which later went offline due to traffic; the files were mirrored on GitHub. The game later saw a comeback: an iPad version, developed by Elliott McAllister with a new playable character named Andrus, was approved for the App Store on December 10, 2021, requiring iPadOS 11.0 or later. *Cart Life* also returned to Steam on March 20, 2023, published by AdHoc Studio, with a planned 2023 release.
- release_year
- 2010
Lore & Background
Richard Hofmeier's inspiration for Cart Life came from aspects of his own work-life experiences, as well as from playing other games like Little Computer People and River City Ransom. He drew inspiration from Han Hoogerbrugge's Modern Living, saying that he thought about it 'almost every day' while developing Cart Life. Hofmeier credits his partner with supporting him throughout the game development. Cart Life is Hofmeier's first game, drawing upon his experience as an illustrator. He developed the game in his spare time using Adventure Game Studio while working what he describes as a 'bunch of bad jobs'. He initially planned to finish the development in 30 days but he worked on development for three years. He wanted to make a game which had no high scores, points, or action, and originally envisaged it as a comedy.
Reader's Guide
Cart Life's significance lies in its minimalist, grayscale pixel-art design, which Hofmeier chose not for nostalgia but to allow players to fill in details with their own thoughts and experiences. The game's focus on the mundane struggles of three street vendors—Vinny (bagels), Andrus (newspapers), and Melanie (coffee)—and their personal lives, including health, family, and finances, was praised for its relatable characters and empathetic portrayal. However, technical issues and bugs were common criticisms. The game won multiple awards at the 2013 Independent Games Festival, including the Seumas McNally Grand Prize. After being removed from Steam in 2014, Hofmeier released the source code for free under a public domain-like license. The game saw a revival in late 2021 with an iPad version developed by Elliott McAllister, and a planned return to Steam in 2023 by AdHoc Studio, but that project was announced dead in June 2024.
Did You Know?
- Cart Life was developed using Adventure Game Studio and was Hofmeier's first game.
- At the 2013 Independent Games Festival, Hofmeier spray-painted his own booth to display Porpentine's game Howling Dogs instead.
- The game was removed from Steam in March 2014 when Hofmeier released the full source code for free.
- A version for iPad, developed by Elliott McAllister, was approved for sale on the App Store on December 10, 2021.
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