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<<cacheaudio "maintheme" "emdlopez.github.io/maintheme.mp3">> <<set $energy to 10>> <<set $happiness to 8>> <<set $money to -10>> <<set $bossunhappy to 0>> <<set $day to 0>>

In hindsight, it was almost inevitable. The punishing pace of the workday left everyone exhausted and vulnerable to making mistakes. It didn't help that workplace safety standards were mediocre at best. All it took was one misstep, and now you're seriously injured in a [[workplace accident.->endaccident]]

You have finally paid off your debts. It took much longer than you expected - your children have grown up, your body is worn-out, and you are weary of working in a foreign country far away from your family. You could [[go home now,->endpaiddebt]] or [[keep working.->2]] <<set $money to 1>>

What have you been spending your money on? Despite your hard work, you have doubled your debt. Your initial loan was already more money than you'd seen before in your life. Now with double the amount of debt, it is nearly impossible to return home to reunite with your family. You must stay here and work as much as you can for as long as you can, in a vain attempt at digging yourself [[out of this hole.->endneverreturn]]

Taking care of your emotional wellbeing as a migrant worker is important. Although making money is the primary goal, you cannot work without taking your mental health into consideration. You are happy upon your return home, but your unpaid debt still lingers. It will take many years working in your home country to repay that debt. <h2>Or would you like to <<click "try again?">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>></h2> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

You needed a huge loan just to work abroad in the first place. Now you'll never be able to pay it back. It was always a risk - usury, illness, unscrupulous employers... all these challenges can derail the best laid plans. You resign yourself to working abroad for as long as they'll have you. Or would you like to <<click "try again?">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

The mental distress you feel is so overwhelming you can no longer bring yourself to get out of bed and start working. Being without your family for so long has left you depressed. Being in a foreign country with few legal rights doesn't help either. The money's not worth it. You're going [[home.->endmentalhealth]]

You needed a huge loan just to work abroad in the first place. You're actually surprised you managed to pay it back. Still, the promised high wages from working abroad never quite materialized. You repaid your debt and you're ready to go home, no richer than you were when you left. Or would you like to <<click "try again?">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

Taking care of your physical wellbeing as a migrant worker is important. Although making money is the primary goal, you cannot work without your health. At the same time, the backbreaking nature of the job means there is a heightened risk of injury. Your injury has left you unable to continue working abroad, and your options for work back home are severely limited too. Unfortunately for you, there are few avenues for legal recourse. You will have to learn to live with it. Or would you like to <<click "try again?">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

@@color:black;letter-spacing:5px;font-size:1.5em;ABOUT THIS GAME@@ This game was created in an attempt to share my fieldwork experiences as a QEScholar with others. Many times during my fieldwork I found it difficult to reconcile the fact that the vast gulf between my life and the lives of the migrants I worked with is the result of geographic and historical vagaries. My own family exists thanks to the labour migration that brought my grandmother and father to Canada. It only took the space of a generation to move my family so far away from those experiences that the experiences of the Nepali, Indonesian, Bangladeshi, Burmese, and Pakistani migrant workers seemed so ungraspable and alien to me. This game represents an attempt to make sense of my brief four months in Malaysia. While writing this game, Chandra Talpade Mohanty's work "Under Western Eyes" was on my mind. While my game is not about "third world women", I am concerned that this game obscures the heterogeneities of migrant workers' lived experiences in the Global South. Mohanty tries to direct our attention to the "textual strategies used by writers which codify Others as non-Western and hence themselves as (implicitly) Western".<sup>1</sup> My aim in writing this game was to avoid portraying a universal composite of the migrant worker. I don't want my game to imply that this is the single story of the migrant worker. Indeed, I focused on migrant labour in the construction sector because there is so much variation between sectors. This game does not speak to the specific challenges faced by domestic workers, restaurant staff, security guards, etc. I hope I was instead able to use textual strategies to blur the distinction between the periphery (Global South) and the center (the West). Through gamification, I attempted to subvert the typical representation of migrant workers as victims. Through the format of a game, the player as a migrant worker still has autonomy and control over decision-making. At the same time, I hope the game was able to give some sense of the confines of the exploitative system migrant workers must work within. Different choices have different impacts on the player's money, happiness, and energy levels, but the player cannot see what their levels are, adding to the uncertainty and frustration, although the player can see the passing days. Of course, a day in the game is not the equialent of a day in the life of a migrant worker; in order to make the game playable, it was necessary to condense what would be years of working. All of the in-game events are based on reports from migrant workers and interviews with union employees, and the game is purposefully monotonous punctuated with agitation to reflect my fieldwork observations. This game's initial form was much closer to narrative fiction, but ultimately I was uncomfortable ascribing emotions to a narrator when I myself have never experienced such things as a Western grad student. Instead, I hope the gamification leaves enough room for the player's own feelings about their changing circumstances within the game. I also hope that the lack of an unabashedly "happy ending" does not lead the player to assume that migrant workers' lives are unhappy. There are multiple possible endings in this game - I think they reflect the differents paths a life can take, and they are not all "unhappy" endings. This game is imperfect, as is its creator. I'm sure this clumsy game will not be able to communicate everything I wish it could, but I hope it will at least lead to a moment of thoughtfulness. Thank you to UVic's Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (http://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/capi/) and the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program (http://www.queenelizabethscholars.ca/) for their support. Elena Lopez University of Victoria emdlopez@uvic.ca <<click "Back">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>> @@color:black;font-size:0.8em;1. Chandra Talpade Mohanty, "Under Western Eyes," in <i>Theories of Race and Racism: A Reader</i>, eds. Les Back & John Solomos (New York: Routledge, 2009), 372. Credits: Soporific Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/@@

It has taken far longer than you planned, but you're finally done working abroad. All your years sending money home has led your family to be [[economically stable.->endmademoney]]

Thanks to your work abroad, your children were able to go to school and your partner has a comfortable house to live in. However, the years of absence have taken a toll on your relationships. Your children treat you like a distant relative. It will take time to adapt to the new reality of you being home. Your children are thankful for their education - but it's hard not to resent an absentee parent. Hopefully with time, your family will accept you again. <h2>Or would you like to <<click "try again?">><<script>>UISystem.restart()<</script>><</click>></h2> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

@@color:black;letter-spacing:5px;font-size:1.5em;CONSTRUCT YOUR LIFE ABROAD@@ As a migrant worker, you have taken on debt in order to come to this country to work. You paid a recruitment agency in your home country a huge sum of money, because here you have the opportunity to make more money than you ever could working back home. However, it is not a easy road. You need to make enough money to pay off your debt, and send remittances to your family back home. You need to work hard, but not so hard that you lose all energy and become weak. You also need to take care of your psychological and emotional well-being. The choices you make will affect all of these aspects in different ways. Be mindful - some choices could have unforeseen side effects! However, some things are out of your control, like being stopped and arrested by the immigration police - so tread lightly. You have signed a contract to work on a construction site. The hours can be long, and the work can be dangerous, but it provides the opportunity to support your family back home and send your children to school. <h2>[[2<-Get to work!]]</h2> <<audio maintheme volume 0.5 loop play>> <center>@@font-size:0.75em;[[ABOUT THIS GAME->aboutthisgame]]@@</center>

<<set $day to $day + 1>> Day $day <<if $day is 7>>It's your day off! [[Go visit downtown.->7.weekend]] <<elseif $day is 14>>It's your day off! [[Go visit downtown.->7.weekend]] <<elseif $day is 21>>It's your day off! [[Go visit downtown.->7.weekend]] <<else>>Working on a construction site is harder than you imagined. You are new to the job and inexperienced compared to the other workers. The foreman gives you a list of tasks you know you cannot finish by the end of the day. <<if $energy lte 0>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->accident]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->accident]] <<elseif $happiness lte 0>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->mentalhealth]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->mentalhealth]] <<elseif $money lte -50>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->neverreturn]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->neverreturn]] <<elseif $money is 0>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->paiddebt]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->paiddebt]] <<elseif $money gte 20>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->mademoney]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->mademoney]] <<else>> [[Work overtime to finish your workload.->3.1.overtime]] [[Take it easy and finish what you can.->3.2.takeiteasy]]<</if>> <</if>> <<if $energy lte 3>>CAUTION: you are running dangerously low on energy!<</if>> <<if $happiness lte 2>>CAUTION: you are becoming mentally exhausted and unhappy!<</if>> <<if $money lte -30>>CAUTION: you have tripled your debt!<</if>>

Day $day On the job site, your employer provides the workers with food for lunch but it looks suspicious. It's not the food you're used to eating back home, and it has definitely been sitting out in the hot sun all morning. Still, being picky is a luxury. [[Free food is free food, right?->4.2.freefood]] [[Spend some of your own hard-earned money to get your own food that you actually like.->4.2.buylunch]]

Day $day <<if visited("4.2.freefood") is 1>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy + 1>>The food isn't the greatest, but [[it's sustenance.->5.1.night]] <<elseif visited("4.2.freefood") is 2>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy + 1>>You're pretty sure meat isn't supposed to be that [[shade of green.->5.1.night]] <<elseif visited("4.2.freefood") is 3>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy + 1>>You're starting to suspect that those 'noodles' are actually [[worms...->5.1.night]] <<elseif visited("4.2.freefood") is 4>>The food is spoiled, and you are up the whole night with a serious case of [[food poisoning.->7.sad]] <<elseif visited("4.2.freefood") is 5>>Why did you decided to eat this slop again? [[Your stomach once again rebels.->7.sad]] <<else>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy + 1>>[[Somehow you manage to keep your food down.->5.1.night]] <</if>> <<set $money to $money + 1>>

Day $day Just outside the construction site are some hawkers selling freshly-cooked street food. You have to spend your own money but [[at least the food is hot, delicious, and fills you up.->5.1.night]] <<set $money to $money - 1>> <<set $energy to $energy + 2>>

Day $day Working overtime will earn you some extra cash, but it will also take a serious toll on your body. [[You won't be heading back to your living quarters until extremely late.->4.1.lunch]] <<set $energy to $energy - 4>> <<set $money to $money + 3>>

Day $day Since you're not working overtime, you don't feel too tired! [[Your body thanks you.->4.1.lunch]] <<set $energy to $energy + 1>> <<set $bossunhappy to $bossunhappy + 1>> <<set $money to $money + 1>>

Day $day <<if $day is 1>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>>At the end of the work day, it's hard to relax. Your living quarters are a series of makeshift shacks on the construction site, hastily built from leftover building material. Since these shacks were not built to last and will be dismantled once the construction project is complete, your living quarters are not built to a high standard of quality. In fact, you don't even have running water - buckets have to be filled by hand from a water tank. Living in these conditions has a serious impact on your health and happiness. It's hard to get used to the constant presence of cockroaches. [[Go to bed.->2]] <<elseif $day is 2>>Another long workday has come to an end. [[Go to bed and ignore your exhaustion in the morning to start work early.->6.workearly]] [[Sleep in late order to recover.->6.wakeuplate]] [[Stay up a little longer to call your family back home.->6.callfamily]] <<elseif $day is 3>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>> You suspect your living quarters are bad for your health... The lack of proper bathing facilities and indoor plumbing are getting harder and harder to deal with. There's also absolutely no privacy - you sleep in a room filled with bunk beds and dozens of your [[fellow migrant workers.->2]] <<else>>Another long workday has come to an end. [[Go to bed and ignore your exhaustion in the morning to start work early.->6.workearly]] [[Sleep in late.->6.wakeuplate]] [[Stay up a little longer to call your family back home.->6.callfamily]] <</if>>

Day $day <<if visited ("6.workearly") is 1>>You are definitely feeling the effects of all your hard work, but your fellow workers assure you that <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[you'll get used to it.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[you'll get used to it.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited ("6.workearly") is 2>>Your body aches, but all the workers <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[feel this way.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[feel this way.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited ("6.workearly") is 3>>You're worried about the physical cost of these long work days. It's backbreaking manual labour under the tropical sun, and you're <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[not sure how long your body can take this.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[not sure how long your body can take this.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited ("6.workearly") gte 4>>You've seen accidents happen on the worksite, and you're sure exhaustion is a contributing factor. Doing construction work can be dangerous <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[if you're not watching your step.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[if you're not watching your step.->2]]<</if>> <</if>> <<set $energy to $energy - 1>>

Day $day <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>You wake up feeling refreshed and ready to work! Unfortunately you forgot to take into account the effects of the tropical sun - since you started work later, you started working underneath the full sun, and [[you quickly feel the heat's energy-draining effect.->7.nonpayment]] <<else>>You wake up feeling refreshed and ready to work! Unfortunately you forgot to take into account the effects of the tropical sun - since you started work later, you started working underneath the full sun, and [[you quickly feel the heat's energy-draining effect.->2]] <</if>> <<set $energy to $energy - 1>>

Day $day <<if visited () is 1>><<set $happiness to $happiness + 1>><<set $energy to $energy - 1>> Even though work has left you exhausted, speaking with your family reminds you why you're doing it. It's not just for your own benefit - <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[you're securing your family's future.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>> [[you're securing your family's future.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited () is 2>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy - 1>> Your children don't want to talk to you on the phone, and your partner sounds tired and distant. You're working abroad to support them - <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[but you start to wonder if the toll it takes on family relationships is too high.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[but you start to wonder if the toll it takes on family relationships is too high.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited () is 3>><<set $happiness to $happiness + 1>><<set $energy to $energy - 1>> Your child is doing well in school! You're glad to hear of their academic success. It reminds you why <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[all your hard work is worth it.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[all your hard work is worth it.->2]]<</if>> <<elseif visited () gte 4>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 1>><<set $energy to $energy - 1>> The phone rings and rings and rings, but <<if $bossunhappy is 3>>[[nobody answers.->7.nonpayment]]<<else>>[[nobody answers.->2]] <</if>> <</if>>

Day $day Being sick has not just weakened your body, but your spirit as well. [[Being sick in a foreign country, far away from your family, has made you homesick.->5.1.night]] <<set $energy to $energy - 4>> <<set $happiness to $happiness - 2>>

Your multiple days of slacking off at the construction site have not gone unnoticed. Your employer is angry that you are not matching the pace of the other workers, and docks your pay. This is bad news - your debt is increasing due to interest, and the longer your pay is docked, the more in debt you become. You can't even leave - your employer has your passport and work visa. You have to keep on working and hope you'll get your wages [[sometime in the future.->2]] <<set $happiness to $happiness - 5>> <<set $money to $money - 15>> <<set $bossunhappy to 0>>

Day $day <<if $day is 7>>You haven't done any exploring, since your living quarters are located on your job site. You're a little nervous to travel around town, since your employer has your passport and work visa, but visiting downtown allows you to connect with other migrant workers from your home country. [[Finally you can speak in your own language, eat the food you like, and catch up on news.->2]]<<set $happiness to $happiness + 2>><<set $energy to $energy +2>><<set $money to $money - 1>> <<elseif $day is 14>>Your luck has run out. The immigration police are doing a crackdown and you are one of the many migrant workers caught in the crossfire. When you visit downtown, the immigration police stop you and ask for your papers. You show them the photocopies of your passport and work visa, [[but it's not enough.->7.detention]] <<else>>You're much more cautious about how you spend your day off. You stick to areas frequented by other migrant workers and ensure that you carry enough cash on you in case you need to pay any bribes. [[It is nice, though, to have a day of rest and relaxation.->2]]<<set $happiness to $happiness + 2>><<set $energy to $energy +2>><<set $money to $money - 1>> <</if>>

Day $day <<set $money to $money - 10>><<set $happiness to $happiness - 5>> You are rounded up with the others and sent to a detention camp. You must wait for your employer to bring your identification papers to the detention camp so that you can be released instead of deported, but who knows how long that will take? Your employer does finally show up with your legal documents and you are released from detention, but your time in detention is time you weren't earning any money. You're left deeper in debt and [[a lot more wary.->2]]