Our main character, Ramlee (a name I borrowed from Malaysian legend, P.Ramlee), navigates the cities of Cape Town, London and New York as he goes through life – figuring out who he is as a citizen of the world. Away from his ancestral home of Malaysia, Ramlee is forced to manoeuvre through the game using an ever-changing set of game controls, mimicking the experience of moving to new countries for economic betterment while adapting to an entirely foreign set of rules and regulations.
On this level, you begin your journey in the beautiful city of Cape Town. In order to advance to the next level, you will have to collect the Zulu shield and a visa to be transported to the city of London. Controls on this level are the usual set of game controls used in any game out there to give a sense of familiarity to anyone who interacts with this game.
Now that you have arrived in the city of London, you will have to navigate government officials that are designed to prevent you from leaving. Every interaction you have with these officials will result in you losing a life. But sometimes, you do get lucky in the midst of bureaucratic nonsense. Collect a life after you’ve collected the silver spoon and visa on this level and make your way to your next destination.
Here’s where things get interesting! On the final level of this game, you arrive in NYC. On this level you’ll find that you’ve been given access to interesting power-ups. By collecting your supplement, you’re given a suit that allows you to navigate the rogue robots that have been built by MFADT (MFA in Design & Technology) graduates from Parsons School of Design. An extra power up before the final boss will also give you the ability to destroy the final boss in this game!
As a third culture person, I’ve found the experience to be very beneficial. Learning new languages is easier, adapting to new environments is simpler, and socializing with people from different cultures is just a matter of figuring out when and where to meet.
However, becoming multilingual and integrating into new cultures has also been challenging. It can lead to internal turmoil, needing to readjust linguistically, and questioning one’s identity in a world that often prioritizes certain cultural perspectives.
Creating this game has helped me express these complex experiences in a way that resonates with other third culture individuals and allows them to engage with the story.