Recession Briefing 7.22

What you need to know today to survive and thrive in the recession.

An iPhone app that feeds into recession rage? The idea in the “Squash the $treet” video game is to squash as many “shady bankers, creepy fraudsters and corrupt CEOs” as you can — for cash. (CNBC)

Who is behind the Recession 101 ad campaign? It has to be someone who would profit from people getting their minds off the recession. (New York/Daily Intel)

The poor economy is taking a toll even on the dead, with an increasing number of bodies in Los Angeles County going unclaimed by families who cannot afford to bury or cremate their loved ones. (Los Angeles Times)

Laid-Off Workers’ Call of Duty

Curious as to what the legions of laid off workers around the country are doing with all their free time? Playing video games, apparently.

A new study released this week by the Nielsen Company, shows that video game enthusiasts have spent more hours playing since the recession began than ever before. They’re trying to cut back on gaming expenses by renting titles or buying used rather than spending $60 or more for a new game.

So what does all this mean? Well for starters, it looks like the recession hasn’t lessened the amount of playing time gamers are spending in front of their consoles, as some gaming executives had previously worried. More than that, thought, it shows that people don’t mind spending on video games even when their budgets are tight—and may oftentimes be spending even more than they were previously—so long as they feel like they’re getting a good value for their money…