A Nigerian woman based in the United Kingdom, Ayomide Omole, has developed a free online game, Japa, to highlight the often-overlooked challenges Nigerians face when relocating abroad in search of better opportunities.
The game explores the financial pressures, family expectations, loneliness, employment difficulties and exposure to scams that often accompany migration, particularly among young Nigerians moving to the UK.
Omole said she was inspired to develop the game by the contrast between the glamorous image of life abroad often portrayed on social media and the difficulties many migrants experience privately.
She said, “Everyone back home thinks we’ve made it. Nobody talks about the rent, the money we send home, or the 2am calls where we say we’re fine. I made Japa so people could finally see it, and feel less alone.”
The game allows players to assume the identity of Kemi, a young Nigerian woman who arrives in Manchester with £500 and a student visa.
As she navigates her new environment, players encounter situations involving family demands, financial obligations, job opportunities and fraudulent messages.
According to Omole, the interactive game features five chapters, three side stories and 37 possible endings, with players’ decisions determining how the story unfolds.
It requires no download and can be accessed through a phone’s web browser. It also features an open mode, Japa Life, which allows players to select a city and manage expenses such as rent, bills, employment and family responsibilities on a month-by-month basis.
Omole, who relocated from Nigeria in 2023 at the age of 21 and now leads a care team in Bristol, said the stories in the game were inspired by experiences shared by friends, colleagues and other Nigerians living abroad.
She said another motivation was to educate new migrants about financial scams, particularly fraudulent messages targeting people unfamiliar with the systems and institutions in their host countries.
Beyond its social and educational themes, the game incorporates elements of Nigerian culture and the migrant experience, including Afrobeats-inspired music, an original theme song, Detty December celebrations and familiar Nigerian food items such as crayfish.