While the average consumer likely funded their latest gaming hardware via credit card or cash, one New Yorker chose a far more industrious route. By leveraging the Citi Bike rewards ecosystem, Chris Person successfully converted physical labor into digital currency to secure Nintendo’s next-generation hardware.
Chris Person, a writer for Aftermath, recently concluded an arduous seven-month quest to amass enough Citi Bike points to cover the $449.99 price tag of the “Switch 2.” As Person detailed, his purchase was made possible through “Bike Angels,” a voluntary incentive program designed to crowdsource the rebalancing of the city’s bike-share fleet.
The mechanics of the program are rooted in logistics: Citi Bike rewards users who relocate bicycles from overstuffed docks to those nearing depletion. To ensure the system remains viable for all commuters, Bike Angels distributes points for these strategic trips. Savvy participants often utilize multipliers—earning double points for delivering to high-need stations and triple points for maintaining a streak of successful deliveries. In this economy, 1,000 points equates to a $150 gift card.
Despite a significant mid-journey setback involving a broken foot, Person eventually reached the 3,000-point threshold required for his payout. He approached the endeavor with a distinctly digital mindset, “farming” points and optimizing routes with the precision of a professional gamer. Person admitted to being unable to resist the “grotesque urge” to ruin a leisurely bike ride through the lens of min-maxing efficiency.
However, the experiment serves as more than just a human-interest story; it highlights the increasingly porous boundaries between volunteering, gig work, and play. Person’s journey explores how modern labor is being redesigned to feel like a game, often obscuring the professional nature of the task. For a deeper look at his findings—including how some groups exploited the system to such an extent that it drew the attention of the New York Times—you can read the full account at Aftermath.
Though the effort required was monumental, the actual payoff has been ironically quiet. Since completing the grind, Person mentioned on Bluesky that he has only actually powered up the console a few times.
Source: Polygon
