Borderlines & Backstories: Can Games Teach Us to Empathize With Immigrants?

What happens when players step into the shoes of immigrants—not just to win, but to understand? In this episode, we explore how video games like Citizenship Quest, Everyday Racism, and Escape from Woomera attempt to foster empathy and cross-cultural awareness through gameplay. Drawing on studies that analyze classroom role-play, online discussions, and game design, we ask: can digital experiences create real emotional insight, or do they just rehearse familiar narratives? From school simulations to dystopian checkpoints, join us as we navigate the thin line between meaningful play and performative understanding in the world of migration games.

Bouchillon, B. C., & Stewart, P. A. (2023). Computer games, trust, and immediacy: Role-playing as immigrants in the South. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 107571.

Chin, E., & Golding, D. (2016). Cultivating transcultural understanding through migration-related videogames. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 26(1), 83-98.

McKernan, B. (2021). Digital texts and moral questions about immigration: Papers, Please and the capacity for a video game to stimulate sociopolitical discussion. Games and Culture, 16(4), 383-406.