Iced!

ICED! I Can End Deportation is a free role-playing game for Windows and macOS that puts players in the shoes of an undocumented immigrant. Built with the Torque engine, it aims to teach high school and college students about immigration and shape public opinion on the topic. The game’s name is a play on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Players choose from five character options, each based on real-life situations, and must navigate the limits on immigrant rights created by 1996 immigration laws. They can avoid deportation or jail by answering myth-or-fact questions correctly, or by doing community service. Other possible outcomes include voluntary departure or earning citizenship. The game was inspired by the Grand Theft Auto series and was developed by GarageGames and the human rights group Breakthrough, launching in 2008.

It was created and designed by Heidi Boisvert and Natalia Rodriguez. By October 2008, it had been downloaded about 110,000 times.

ICED appeared in Teen Second Life and has been used in school curricula to help students understand legal and human rights issues. High school students in New York City, detained immigrants, and immigration lawyers helped shape the game. A study by the Center for Children & Technology found it effective at educating its audience.