‣ Company: Snoozy Kazoo
‣ Founder: Yukon Wainczak
‣ Mission: To create short, queer, silly games with an edge
‣ App launched: 2021 (Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion), 2024 (Turnip Boy Robs a Bank)
‣ Team size: 5
‣ Go-to emoji: 😈
It’s a rite of passage: Grow up, earn some money, and panic when you prep your first tax returns.
That feeling of unpreparedness planted the seeds for Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, from Yukon Wainczak’s indie studio, Snoozy Kazoo.
“The basis for the game was ‘I don’t understand how taxes work.’ It was just me venting,” Wainczak says. “Turns out a lot of people share this sentiment.”
We caught up with Wainczak to talk about the rascally rutabaga’s origins, the fleeting nature of memes, and why queer representation is so important in games.
How did you land on a turnip as your tax-dodging hero?
I went to the grocery store with my mom, and I looked through the vegetable section thinking, “What is the stupidest vegetable here?” I saw turnips, and I was like, “Done!”
You started coding your own games at age 11. Where did that creative spark come from?
I got a hand-me-down Game Boy Color, and I fell in love with the medium and how I could connect and feel something through this machine that’s circuits and batteries and pixels. I wanted to create that experience for others.
Your games are full of internet in-jokes and memes. Do you worry that the references will soon feel dated?
Our number one piece of feedback is from people who are upset the games aren’t timeless. But we view that as a strength—it’s a snapshot of our current culture. It helps us stand out. We get so many comments from people saying, “Why are you naming your new game Rizz Dungeon? That’s gonna get so stale.” But it’s a legitimate word now. Culture has defined it!
I’m here and I’m not giving up, and you shouldn’t either.—Yukon Wainczak
As a studio led by women and LGBTQ+ creators, how have you prioritized inclusive representation in your games?
One of Snoozy’s first goals was representation through normalization—we want to have gay, trans, and non-binary people in our games. But the whole conversation about politics in games is just silly. No matter what someone’s views are, they’re going to come out in the work.
Do you feel pressure being a trans woman in the gaming industry?
It definitely wears me down, but the interactions I have with supportive people make it all worth it. We exist. We’re not going anywhere. And if I can help push the normalization of that and inspire one person, that would be amazing.
And just to be clear, you’ve personally never committed tax evasion, right?
I have never committed tax evasion. And if the IRS is listening, I will pay my taxes. And if I mess it up, just let me know and I will pay the difference.