# Human Resource Machine

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/human-resource-machine/

5 people recommended Human Resource Machine in Hacker News comments, 1 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 12 months, in 5 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** People recommend this fun puzzle game for teaching programming ideas, though critics note it lacks functions and subroutines.

Summary written by Claude from 4 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Fun programming puzzle game (2 comments in the sample): "The fun programming games are Human Resource Machine and 7 Billion Humans." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46708768)) "I loved Human Resource Machine" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50159075))
- Good for teaching programming (1 comment in the sample): "An intro-level course that takes students through games like TIS-100 and Human Resource Machine might have a lot of pedagogical value." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46901473))

## What people warn about

- Lacks functions and subroutines (1 comment in the sample): "unlike farmer, these games reaaaaly lack the ability to make functions/subroutines" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49126412))

## Other programming games people recommend

- [EmuDevz](https://hackerapproved.com/p/emudevz/): 18 recommend, 0 mixed, 1 criticize
- [Elevator Saga](https://hackerapproved.com/p/elevator-saga/): 14 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize
- [TIS-100](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tis-100/): 11 recommend, 4 mixed, 1 criticize
- [Exapunks by Zachtronics](https://hackerapproved.com/p/exapunks/): 10 recommend, 2 mixed, 3 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Human Resource Machine", https://hackerapproved.com/p/human-resource-machine/ (5 recommend, 1 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.