While many people migrate because of social and economic inequalities, forced migration is caused by political conflicts, lack of access to food, and – increasingly – a lack of access to water.
Research shows that climate change is making many of these issues worse. Recent research suggests that, for 30 million people who experience displacement (having to move due to floods and storms, wildfires, landslides, extreme temperatures and drought), decisions to migrate are directly affected by climate annually.
While some migration is across borders, most movement is internal displacement (within countries). Internal movement puts strain on resources in complicated ways. People tend to move from previously green rural areas into cities which are considered more stable and resourceful. But overpopulation results in strained resources. That links to conflict and further international migration. My research argues that we need to stop seeing migration and climate as separate issues: and that games are an excellent tool for accomplishing this.
While it’s challenging to comprehend these issues when they are not a direct part of your life, video game designers are finding new ways to make the lives of forced migrants easier to relate to.
A game released in 2022 called Half-Earth Socialism considers migration as part of the wider question of sustainability. Casting players in the role of an important elected official, it’s their job to prevent humanity from becoming extinct on an Earth with dwindling resources. However, failing to curb unrest that results from anxiety around migration is a surefire way to lose political power and thus lose the game. Players must ensure that their attitudes to migrants remain positive and borders remain open to avoid triggering conflicts in a resource-scarce future.
Half-Earth Socialism establishes the complex but linked nature of migration and the climate crisis. But it does little to inform players of the emotional reality of migration. This game doesn’t address the enormous empathy gap – the lack of compassionate understanding – that often exists between refugees, immigrants and settled citizens.
By contrast other designers have tried to focus squarely on the harsh experiences immigrants and migrants are currently experiencing throughout the world.
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Exploring the challenges
One such game is We. The Refugees: Ticket to Europe. Released this year on Xbox (though previously released for PC in 2023), the game tasks players with adopting the role of a reporter seeking to capture the stories of those migrating across Europe.
The game was inspired by real events drawn from the lives of the residents of the former Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. Residents were interviewed for the game by lead designer Jędrzej Napiecek in 2018. Players must make choices that shape their journey from Egypt to Italy while taking copious notes about the people they meet along the way.
A major strength of We. The Refugees is the richness of its characters. The refugees and other people who players encounter are not presented as saints or innocents. For example, after spending weeks in Libyan and Syrian hideouts waiting for an opportunity to reach a port, narrowly avoiding a conflict between the Egyptian and Libyan mafias, the player is welcomed onto a small boat. The Libyan mafia are depicted as amiable and largely civilised in their handling of the refugee group players are a part of.
During an event that leads to the death of one of the game’s major characters, players are told that the elderly or injured can board the boat first. That is, unless anyone is willing to pay extra for priority. Moments like this remind us that, for many, helping refugees is not an act of altruism: it’s just business.
We. The Refugees does not attempt to make explicit links between climate, conflict and migration. However, the game doesn’t shy away from reminding players about climate anxiety in this narrative about refugeeism. At the start, players can read news clips about the “climate apocalpse” and during the game, there are various signs of extreme heat in Egypt, Libya, Syria and Italy.
We. The Refugees builds on a similar game called Bury Me My Love that places the player in control of Majd, a Syrian man trying to help his wife Nour flee Syria in an attempt to reach Europe.
Nour is leaving Syria because of armed conflict. Majd (the player’s character) can’t go with her because his mother is elderly and wouldn’t make the journey to Germany. When droughts, overcrowded cities and other climate-induced consequences compound conflict, climate is considered a a threat multiplier.
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This touching narrative draws the player in through its empathetic connections between game characters. Bury Me My Love’s intimate depiction of a husband and wife that care for each other but can’t be together as a result of real world complications is an excellent starting point for those wishing to better understand the challenges faced by refugees.
These video games can help players explore the challenges of migration. By making us weigh up the decisions we have to make as players, we can become more conscious of the type of challenges migrants and refugees must undertake. Each game is an opportunity to unpack the effects and consequences of certain decisions. As I’ve suggested in my own research, this suggests a potential valuable role for video games in the climate crisis.
By taking on challenging subject matter, these games defy simple narratives and satisfying answers. However, they attempt admirably to cross the gulf of understanding to build greater empathy between players and refugees in a world increasingly struck by conflict.
Conor Mckeown does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.