La Fiambrera Obrera, 2005-2007 / Spain

“Bordergames” is more than a videogame. It is the result of a series of workshops organized by the Madrid artists collective La Fiambrera Obrera for local young Moroccans. The collaborative product is a game that simulates their lives in the city’s Lavapies district. The scenario and game play are inspired by the young immigrants’ experiences. That’s why players can’t travel very far – and they can never win. “Bordergames” puts the player into the immigrants’ shoes, to glimpse life as an immigrant experiences it. In this way, La Fiambrera Obrera has extended videogames into new realms of meaning, while teaching a disenfranchised community how to use a technological platform for their own benefit. Here videogames become powerful tools of expression for youth asserting control over their own lives and environments.