Time is Big Mac

Mobile Game

Created with Simon Barthmuss

Visual Journalism Course, Matteo Moretti

Unibz, Bolzano, Italy

Time is Big Mac

While performing identical tasks around the world, McDonald’s employees hold very different life-standards. This gap highlights the growth of wealthy countries and the stagnation of poor ones.

'Time is Big Mac' tells a story of the impact of globalized economics on individuals through a mobile game. Adopting the famous 'Big Mac index' by the 'Economist' that measures the purchasing-power around the world and crossing that data with the wage McDonald's pays their employees in different countries.

By using gamification and contrasting the complex topic with a playful design, we aspire to create ashareable experience that will raise awareness in a larger audience.

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We found large differences in the wage rates received by workers doing the same work and using the same skills in the rich and poor countries.

A real wage rate is a nominal wage rate divided by the price of a good and is a transparent measure of how much of the good an hour of work buys. It is an important indicator of the living standards, and the productivity of workers.

We calculated the real wage rate, using the price of Big-Macs as the comparable price of a good, and the nominal hourly wage of McDonald’s employees, in some of the fastest and slowest earning countries. We have chosen to present a country per continent.

This gap highlights the growth of wealthy countries and the stagnation of poor ones.

Please mind this gap.

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