Emerging from a course on play and ludic interaction, my team used the media of critical games and escape rooms to design the "Ministry of Migraines". This playful design intervention aimed to raise awareness and provoke discussion on who gets to reside in Sweden under a newly introduced migration act through a game-like experience.

​

Interviews with migrants on their immigration experience led to insights, that we transferred into a playable prototype. During seven playtests with two players each we looked into how the critical issue behind the escape room resonated with participants during and after playing, as well as we iteratively improved the playing experience. The four of us acted as researchers, designers, game masters, and role-playing characters at once. 

​

Each debriefing evolved into a rich conversation around the player's personal relation to migration and opened space to reflect on issues around the topic.