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Psychotropic stealth ’em up We Happy Few launches very soon. Until then, isn’t it time you tried Joy?

As a British person in the United States, it’s very disconcerting to see pharmaceutical advertising on television. Shielded by the NHS, nobody has to try and persuade us that their drug is the one we should be splashing the money on, because it doesn’t cost any money.

Not meaning to sound smug here, but we need to be proud of the NHS before Brexit – AKA the Thunderdome – hits.

Speaking of big pharma and disturbing alternate futures for the United Kingdom, We Happy Few launches in a fortnight. The core mechanic of the game is built around Joy, a drug that the residents of Wellington Wells use to keep themselves outwardly happy, and also, to forget the very bad thing that they really mustn’t speak of. If you don’t take your Joy, you’re a downer, and the Wellies – as they’re known – will beat the tar out of you, and force you to take it.

You can take joy to blend in, but take too much and? Well, this pharmaceutical commercial for Joy should give you an idea. Sound on, folks.

If that doesn’t capture the disturbing nature of big pharma commercials – and We Happy Few – then we don’t know what will.

There’s also a web URL at the end of the video for an alternate reality pharmaceutical company called Haworth Labs. If you visit the site, it displays a disclaimer for Joy, before bouncing you to the We Happy Few site proper after a few seconds. Here’s the content of the disclaimer:

Joy is not meant for children under the age of 3 months. A 4-month-old is fine. Do not take Joy if remembering things accurately is important to your career. Joy may interact unpredictably with certain other medications, foods, beverages, and mental states such as: aspirin, applesauce, essence-based sparkling water, and puzzlement. Stop taking Joy and talk to your doctor immediately if you find yourself questioning the authority of the State. In a small minority of cases, Joy has been associated with an increased risk of deliberate lung puncturing, self-administered tooth extraction, extreme life-choice regret, friendship re-examination, and marital ennui. Death is a common side-effect of regular Joy usage, but in our book, a small price to pay. Do not forget to refill your Joy prescription regularly as running out of Joy can trigger uncomfortable feelings, and uncomfortable feelings are to be avoided at all costs. If you do run out of Joy and find yourself questioning the accepted narrative, be sure to repeat to yourself a comforting rhyme or story from your childhood. If you can’t think of a comfortable rhyme or story from your childhood, just repeat to yourself the following verses, set to the tune of “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory of The Coming of The Lord”: Oh Uncle Jack is working to provide for everyone, he’s captured all the darkness and replaced it all with sun. His broadcasts are the best, his taste in music is unmet, Our Uncle Jack Is Fun. Ask your Doctor if Joy is right for you. Ha ha – Of course it is! Side effects may include skipping, giggling, memory loss, giddiness, confusion, jaunty whistling, catatonia, yellowed fingernails, a hearty spring in your step, homicidal urges, sing-song speech patterns, sudden death, or a cessation of bowel movements. Stop taking Joy if you experience any of these negative symptoms. Then start taking it again as soon as possible.

We’ll stick to meth, thanks.


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