Find a real street seller and study how they survive a day. Get the numbers,
the pressures, and the hardest choice they face. The best writeups
become real sellers, spots, and decisions inside the game.
Your name (the researcher)
Date
Area / neighbourhood
⚠ Before you start — the rules
Ask permission first. "能拍一下您的摊子吗?" If they say no, that's fine — write it up from what you saw instead.
Photograph the cart, not the person. No faces, no ID, no licence plates — just the goods and the setup.
Be respectful. Some sellers are nervous about cameras. Don't linger, don't film secretly, don't ask them to admit anything.
Go in a pair or group, in daylight, in a public place.
Real names and faces never go in the game — a real seller becomes a made-up character. The game credits you.
🛒 What they sell
What do they sell?
Sold by the… (each / bowl / cup / kg)
Price they charge (¥)
Roughly what one costs them to make (¥)
How much can they carry / fit on the cart?
📍 Where they pitch
Where do they set up? (subway exit / market street / school gate / office area…)
How busy is it, and when? (packed / steady / quiet)
Do they pay for the spot? (¥ / no)
🚨 The pressure — 城管 & competition
Do 城管 move them on? How often?
Ever fined or had goods taken? Roughly how much?
Their biggest difficulty right now (weather, a rival cart, rent, long hours, family, debt…)
🎯 The dilemma — this is the game
Because of that pressure, what real choice do they face?
Two or three things they could do — and what each one would cost or gain (money, energy, family time):
1
2
3
💬 In their words
A short quote or story from the seller
I photographed the cart and I asked permission first (attach it to this sheet)
A field kit for Involution 内卷 — a classroom game made with
StudioLoom.