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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Robert Booth Social affairs correspondent

From furious to farcical: UK popular culture tackles the home rental crisis

London's first ever Sims ‘estate agent’, opened by Electronic Arts for the launch of The Sims 4 expansion For Rent.
London's first ever Sims ‘estate agent’, opened by Electronic Arts for the launch of The Sims 4 expansion For Rent. Photograph: Doug Peters/PA

When invasive mould is the new way to die in one of the world’s most popular video games, you know the housing crisis has hit the cultural mainstream.

The new For Rent version of the Sims game allows players to role play as tenants at the mercy of killer mushrooms. Fungus sprouts from damp bathrooms, carpets and eventually the avatars’ heads, leading to a horror movie-style death. It is just one example of rent forming the backdrop to popular art and culture, a phenomenon that may spread wider in 2024.

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