On Cooking a Sour Game

Cook Your Way functions as a critical intervention in game design, utilizing an alternative controller and the preparation of traditional Brazilian cuisine to interrogate the dehumanizing mechanics of global immigration systems. By framing the act of cooking as a high-pressure, performance-based task, the project exposes the inherent biases of meritocratic bureaucracies that reduce complex cultural identities to mere market-fit metrics. The work serves as a socio-political critique of state surveillance, systemic racism, and the commodification of immigrant labor within Western host societies, specifically drawing upon the developer’s personal experiences navigating the Canadian immigration apparatus.

The design philosophy rejects traditional game tropes, such as empathy-driven narratives or player-empowerment mechanics, in favor of an experience defined by anticlimax and structural instability. Through the use of custom hardware—a physical cooking station featuring modular, transparent components—the game forces players to engage with the friction of border regimes. By intentionally omitting features like debug backdoors or audience interaction, the design emphasizes the futility of individual resistance against state-sanctioned power. This approach highlights the tension between the performative expectations placed on migrants and the reality of bureaucratic inefficiency.

Ultimately, the project challenges the industry’s tendency to simplify migration through the lens of empathy, arguing instead for a more rigorous examination of the ideological and historical complexities of state borders. By blending satirical dialogue with a tangible, high-stakes interface, the game creates an environment of estrangement that mirrors the unresolved, transactional nature of real-world immigration. This work stands as a significant case study in how physical game interfaces can materialize abstract political critiques, effectively shifting the focus from individual emotional engagement to the systemic regulation of human movement and labor.