If you still haven’t filed your taxes (tax day is April 18th!), MSCHF’s free dating simulator that’s launching soon might be able to help. The art collective’s latest stunt is Tax Heaven 3000, a “visual novel dating game that actually prepares your 2022 US federal tax return,” according to the game’s Steam page.
MSCHF made a free dating simulator that can prepare your federal taxes
MSCHF made a free dating simulator that can prepare your federal taxes
The game’s description, which seems to be written from the point of view of the game’s anime waifu, Iris, is largely a rant against the infuriatingly complex tax filing process in the US, and Tax Heaven 3000 seems like it could make the process easier. When I used to use TurboTax, the experience was largely just answering a series of questions about my finances. Preparing taxes could be a lot more fun in the context of a dating sim, which is usually also about answering a series of questions.
MSCHF says that Tax Heaven 3000 is “suitable for single filers without dependents,” so depending on your situation, it may not be a fit for what you need. It strongly cautions that “if you prepare your taxes in the game, you prepare your taxes in real life,” so if you do actually prepare your taxes using the game, make sure you’re using your real financial information. And you’ll still have to find a way to do your state taxes. The game only prepares your federal taxes, MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg tells The Verge.
And just to be clear: we haven’t tried Tax Heaven 3000, so we can’t vouch for the quality of the game or its ability to prepare your taxes. Use at your own risk.
You can learn more about Tax Heaven 3000 on its Steam page and dedicated website. On the website, you’ll be able to buy the game’s collector’s edition, which comes with a software box, disk, and naturally, an Iris body pillow. The game and collector’s edition will be available on April 4th, Greenberg says. (Depending on when you read this, the Steam page may say March 30th, which MSCHF is working to update.)