Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2013/01/31/canadian_tax_fired_computer_game/

Customer service rep fired for writing game that mocks callers

Canadian tax office has sense of humor failure

By Iain Thomson in San Francisco

Posted in Personal Tech, 31st January 2013 20:42 GMT

David Gallant, a worker at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and gaming hobbyist, has been fired for lampooning dealings with customers during his day job in a game called I Get This Call Every Day.

"Because I've become nothing more than a numb meat popsicle I've decided to make a game about my day job," he said on his website. "I'm hoping the proceeds of this game will get me a few steps closer to less day job and more game making."

Gallant, a self-taught user of ActionScript, Flixel, and Unity, built the game using very basic graphics and a sense of humor. It puts the player in the role of a customer service agent answering an endless series of inane customer calls. If the player is terse or crabby, or handles the call incorrectly, then they lose.

While the makers of Call of Duty are hardly likely to be shaking in their shoes at the competition, it's a cute idea and Gallant was selling the game at $2 a pop. But when the Toronto Star did a feature on it, his employers suffered a massive sense of humor failure about the situation.

"The Minister considers this type of conduct offensive and completely unacceptable," said a spokesman for the Canadian National Revenue Minister Gail Shea. "The Minister has asked the Commissioner to investigate and take any and all necessary corrective action. The Minister has asked the CRA to investigate urgently to ensure no confidential taxpayer information was compromised."

The Commissioner didn't waste any time, and within 24 hours Gallant reported via Twitter that he was in search of a new employer after being fired. On the plus side, however, it seems his games business has received a boost from the whole affair.

It seems more than a little harsh to fire an employee for showing a sense of humor and initiative, and the workplace has already inspired many creative endeavors. El Reg wishes Mr. Gallant much luck in his new career, and suspect he'll be a lot happier than in his last job. ®