How Two Point Museum Inspired Me to Become a More Effective Boss

In the latest offering from Two Point Studios, Two Point Museum, you’re drawn into an engaging world of museum management that’s hard to put down, thanks to its steady stream of rewards. Sending out your archaeological team to acquire more exhibits is not just an adventure; it rewards you with a gratis loot box brimming with ancient treasures. These include exhibit-enhancing gems and decorative items, which you can unlock by delving into research on duplicate finds.

On your journey to elevate your museum’s status, you’ll encounter quests that come with multiple objectives. Initially, these quests may prompt you to get familiar with new game features or fine-tune the guest experience. The diverse settings keep things exciting: from a museum housed in a ghost-filled mansion to a celestial museum requiring the precise arrangement of alien artifacts to reveal their secrets. Yet, the most complex hurdle in reaching that coveted five-star rating was balancing the payroll for my staff.

The challenge presented was to hit a “75% pay satisfaction” mark across all employees—a metric I had somewhat overlooked. Sure, there were occasional grumbles about pay, which were temporarily fixed with a quick salary boost. But when it came to the whole staff, how was I going to fund this?

Despite its vibrant and quirky facade, Two Point Museum is at heart a business simulation, and this specific task really underscored that, compelling me to focus on my employees’ welfare. My museum’s finances were a patchwork of grants, donations, and gift shop revenues, and I knew I had to bolster these streams, plus find additional ones.

In search of inspiration, I took a page out of real-life museums and revamped my gift shop layout so that visitors had no choice but to wander through it on their way to the dinosaur exhibit—voilà, increased foot traffic and sales. Then, strategically placing a sponsored poster in a high-traffic area like near the restrooms helped boost advertising revenue without disrupting the aesthetic of my exhibits. On further examination of my museum’s rating, linked directly to the grants received each month, I realized enhancing my employee’s skills could actually improve our rating and boost funding. While it did raise their salary expectations, the benefits far outweighed the costs. Investing in employees truly makes the wheels of business turn smoother!

Gradually, I managed to bump up salaries—a simple task using the employee management window. With a click, wage disputes disappeared by agreeing to pay raises, lifting salaries above the threat threshold. For a more streamlined approach, the game offers a handy “1% raise” button you can tap when finances allow. (Wouldn’t it be nice to see something like that in real life?)

Although the process of tightening the budget and incrementally raising wages was initially daunting, the rising happiness among the staff began to positively affect the museum itself. This beneficial cycle funded the pay increases, and before long, the mission was accomplished. The museum’s popularity soared. What a delightful concept it turned out to be!