Out For Delivery is a 42 minute playable documentary shot with a 360-degree camera. The slice-of-life experience follows a food delivery courier in Beijing on January 23, 2020, the day before Lunar New Year's Eve, and the day Wuhan shut down due to COVID-19.
The piece stems from research on rural and urban Chinese lives impacted by rapid urbanization. Most couriers come from rural upbringings and migrate to the city for jobs provided by the rising gig economy. Courier labor provides a necessary backbone for urban infrastructure, yet the city is not interested in letting these rural populations settle as residents. Though shot in Beijing, the game reflects a dynamic in urban settings around the world.
Players experience the game by looking around and observing the courier's journey. Minimal narration provides context that players wouldn't otherwise know, while the world itself displays voluminous anecdotal information. A phone acts as a journaling, observational, and navigational supplement.
The game is now available on Itch.io, and is coming out on Steam soon. Join our mailing list below to receive a notification.