I Sent 10 Game Boys to Recruiters: My 2025 Results
Tired of my resume ending up in a black hole, I sent 10 custom Game Boys to recruiters at my dream companies. Here's the full story, cost breakdown, and results.
Ethan Hayes
Creative Technologist and UX Designer passionate about building memorable, human-centered experiences.
The year is 2025. You’ve just polished your resume for the tenth time this week. You open LinkedIn, find a perfect-fit role at your dream company, and hit “Easy Apply.” You feel a flicker of hope. Then… silence. Your application has been swallowed by the digital abyss, another casualty of the applicant tracking system (ATS) that guards the gates of modern recruiting.
I was there. Hundreds of applications, a handful of automated rejection emails, and a growing sense of dread. The game felt rigged. So, I decided to stop playing their game and invite them to play mine—literally.
I conceived a project I called “Operation Nostalgia.” The plan was simple, yet absurd: I would find, refurbish, and customize ten Nintendo Game Boys and mail them to specific, high-level recruiters and hiring managers at companies I admired. Inside each one? An interactive resume disguised as a game. Here’s the full story of how it went down.
The Why: Escaping the Black Hole
Let's be honest: the traditional job application process is broken for creatives and technologists. It’s designed for keywords, not for character, creativity, or genuine passion. My PDF resume could list “problem-solving” and “attention to detail,” but it could never show it. I needed a way to demonstrate my skills before I even got in the room.
This wasn't just a stunt. It was a strategic move to bypass the digital gatekeepers and land directly on the desk of a decision-maker. The goal was to create a moment—a unique, tactile experience that would be impossible to ignore. In a world of ephemeral emails and soulless applications, I wanted to create an artifact. Something real, something memorable, something that said, “I don’t just think outside the box; I’ll build a new box and mail it to you.”
The Master Plan: Operation Nostalgia
Executing this required a multi-step plan that felt more like a product launch than a job application. I broke it down into sourcing, customization, and packaging.
Sourcing the Hardware
First, I needed the consoles. I spent a few weeks scouring eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and local retro game shops for original Game Boy DMGs (the chunky gray bricks from 1989). I specifically looked for units that were functional but cosmetically beat-up. This kept costs down and gave me a guilt-free canvas for complete refurbishment.
The Magic is in the Details
This is where the project truly came to life. Each Game Boy was completely disassembled and rebuilt with a specific company in mind.
- Custom Shells: I ordered brand-new shells and buttons in each company's primary brand colors. A Spotify recruiter received a green and black Game Boy; a Netflix contact got a red and black one.
- Branded Screen Lens: The standard screen lens was replaced with a custom glass one that read, “Press Start to View My Portfolio.”
- The “Game” Cartridge: This was the heart of the project. I bought flashable cartridges and programmed a simple, custom-made “game” using GB Studio. It wasn't a complex RPG, but an interactive resume. The start screen featured my name and the title “UX Designer & Creative Technologist.”
The game itself was a simple platformer. The player character, a pixelated version of me, had to jump and collect icons representing my skills: a React logo, a Figma icon, a Python snake. After collecting them all, the final screen appeared with my contact information, a link to my full portfolio (as a QR code), and a message: “Ready for the next level? Let’s talk.”
The Unboxing Experience
The final touch was the packaging. Each Game Boy was placed in a custom-designed box with a die-cut foam insert. The exterior of the box was minimalist, featuring only the company’s logo and the recipient’s name. Inside, alongside the console, was a short, personalized letter.
“Hi [Recruiter Name],
Your company creates incredible experiences, and I wanted to give you a small one in return. Standard resumes can be a bit… two-dimensional. I hope this gives you a better sense of who I am and what I can do. The real game starts when we work together.”
I also included a fresh pack of AA batteries, cheekily re-branded with a custom sticker that said, “Powering Your Next Hire.”
The Investment: A Pricey Gamble?
This project was not cheap. It was a calculated risk and a serious investment in my career. Here’s a rough breakdown of the cost per unit:
| Item | Average Cost Per Unit | Total for 10 Units |
|---|---|---|
| Game Boy (Used) | ~$50 | $500 |
| Custom Shell, Buttons & Lens | ~$25 | $250 |
| Flash Cartridge | ~$15 | $150 |
| Custom Box & Packaging | ~$12 | $120 |
| Tracked Shipping | ~$15 | $150 |
| TOTAL | ~$117 | ~$1,170 |
Seeing over $1,100 on the table was daunting. But I reframed it. How much is a coding bootcamp? Or a master's degree? In that context, this was a targeted, high-impact investment in getting my foot in the door.
The Results: Did It Actually Work?
The two weeks after I shipped the packages were nerve-wracking. Then, the first email landed. And then another. The results blew away my expectations.
- Packages Sent: 10
- Responses Received: 8 (That's an 80% response rate!)
- Initial Interviews/Calls: 5
- Second-Round Interviews: 3
- Job Offers: 2
The responses weren’t just polite “thank you” notes. They were enthusiastic and shocked. One recruiting director at a major tech firm wrote:
“Ethan, my entire team stopped what they were doing to come see this. In 15 years, this is hands-down the most creative and impressive application I have ever received. We have to talk.”
Another hiring manager from a gaming company left me a voicemail saying he’d completed my “game” and was “ready for the next level.” Even the two people who didn't respond directly viewed my LinkedIn profile within a day of the package being delivered. The campaign had a 100% impression rate. More importantly, of the five initial calls, not a single one started with “Tell me about yourself.” They all started with, “Okay, you have to tell me how you did this.” I had successfully changed the entire frame of the conversation.
Lessons from Leveling Up My Job Search
After accepting an incredible offer from one of the target companies, I had time to reflect on the experiment. It wasn't just about the Game Boy; it was about the strategy behind it.
- High-Effort Beats High-Volume: Ten hyper-personalized, high-effort applications yielded more results than the 300+ online applications I had sent previously. Quality truly crushes quantity.
- Show, Don't Just Tell: The project demonstrated creativity, project management, technical skills, and attention to detail far more effectively than any bullet point on a resume ever could.
- Create a Human Connection: In an age of automation, creating a moment of genuine surprise and delight for another human is a superpower. It builds a bridge and makes you memorable.
- The Gimmick is a Trojan Horse: The Game Boy got my foot in the door, but I still had to have the skills and experience to back it up. The “gimmick” must be a vehicle for your substance, not a substitute for it.
Would I recommend everyone go out and mail vintage electronics to recruiters? Absolutely not. Your project has to be authentic to you, your skills, and your industry. But I wholeheartedly recommend finding your Game Boy project. Find a way to cut through the noise, create an unforgettable experience, and prove your value instead of just listing it.
What's the most creative way you've seen someone land a job? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.