Part Time UFO Reflects the Undocumented Worker Experience

Part Time UFO is a short, sweet puzzle game where you are a little UFO named Jobski. You use the trusty strength of your crane to help humans and complete gigs for money to sustain your new life on earth. Players test their physics skills to move heavy furniture under a time limit, position sumo wrestlers on a bigger wrestler to make a mega sumo pyramid, work in a circus setting cute little pets on a performing elephant on a tightrope, and other various gravity related tasks. With its bright, adorable pixel art, delightful happy soundtrack, and having been recently ported to Nintendo Switch in 2020 – this game quickly won my heart.

I remember upgrading my UFO outfit to look like a tiger for its cute stripes and minor strength benefits, to try and beat a level I was stuck on for a few days. I had a low paying gig that required me to move expensive dinosaur bones and if I dropped any of them, they would break and that would be game over. Attempt after attempt, I shook my Switch in the air in frustration. “Why would you pay this little guy a $100 to move millions of dollars worth of bones, and not expect anything to break,” I thought to myself. I know Jobski is tired, I am too. As I try to figure out how to balance all these bones together so me and this UFO can take a break, I realized Jobski was being exploited- working in unfair and dangerous conditions for the sake of humans saving a buck.

Of course in today’s age, your means of money comes from the labor you provide. Whether it’s writing freelance for a blog, walking dogs, or being trauma-dumped by an emotionally constipated boomer during your retail associate shift- you’re doing something, so that means you get money! However for Jobski, it goes from simply moving oranges onto a farmer’s truck to helping a scientist move a deadly ton of metal in his sketchy dirty lab. It shows that under the table workers can lose themselves if it means being able to pay bills and make ends meet.

Part Time UFO reflects under the table workers having to go above and beyond expectations, where the amount of labor done isn’t reflected in the money received.

Jobski, like I once was, is an undocumented immigrant living in a place he loves and enjoys. And to continue being around those he loves, with a roof over his head, and perhaps put whatever little meal UFO’s eat on the table- he has to work a ton of odd jobs to help fund his living. However, being undocumented means coming face-to-face with jobs that will put you in dangerous conditons, because they know immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, need the money. 

Immigrants move illegally to survive Trouble in their home country, abuse, needing to feed themselves and their families- people are willing to risk it all for another chance at life. Keeping this given chance alive might mean taking jobs that leave many immigrants vulnerable. In the United States, 15% of immigrant workers are more likely to be fatally injured than those who were native. Immigrants take dangerous jobs out of necessity, due to the lack of options available from illegal status. Because of this they take work that natives might not be willing to do. 

But even with a lack of native interest, companies like Driscoll’s, a common fruit brand seen in American grocery stores, that need farm workers will still take advantage of migrant workers and pay them as little as $6 dollars a day in exhausting conditions. 

Under the table pay for immigrants helps us live our lives and gives us a chance to grow ourselves and families. However, because of difficult paths to citizenship and complaining leading to possible deportation, taking these intense odd jobs is often a necessary part of one’s life, no matter how detrimental to an immigrant’s mental and physical health.

Jobski is every undocumented person you’ve met. Someone who just wants to live their life here on earth, bothering no one, and in their lane. They shouldn’t have to work in impossible, and possibly deadly conditions for the very little they gain out of it. Jobski goes as far to save the earth, and even then, is granted a simple pat on the back. An immigrant can save the world, and it’s unfortunate that there will be others who will call Jobski a job-snatching illegal. Jobski is getting by, and risks their life everyday for the benefit of companies saving a few dollars.  They don’t go back home since they still enjoy their life here on earth. When will the people Jobski works for, and those around him, realize this little UFO is worth fighting for their rights to be recognized as a citizen. 

Part Time UFO is every working immigrant’s lighthearted reality, when will it be their turn to feel like all this work is absolutely worth the pain?