Invitation to the Game

infobox Book |
name = Invitation to the Game
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Monica Hughes
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = Canada
language = English
series =
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = HarperCollins
release_date = 1990
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 192 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-00-639365-9
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Invitation to the Game" is a science-fiction book written by Monica Hughes.

The book is a dystopian novel set in 2154, a time when machines and robots perform most jobs. Because of this, very few people are employed, with many people living on a social welfare system for support. The unemployed people have nothing to look forward to, except various illicit drugs. Some have formed gangs, some are shown to be agitating for political reform (in chapter 5 there is a reference to leaflets printed up), and many are involved in organized crime of some form or another. The government, possibly the only government in existence at this point, is shown to have complete control over its citizens by restricting the unemployed to designated areas (DAs), and having similar control over the working-class.

The working-class people are taught to hate the unemployed citizens, and the unemployed generally want money and employment, in a classic class struggle.

The story is told from the perspective of Lisse, a recent graduate of school. She is 16 when the story starts.

Plot summary

Lisse and her 7 friends are unemployable after graduation from a respected private school, despite their intelligence. They are assigned to their designated area, and allowed to live as a group in an abandoned warehouse. They discover that, by day, the area they live in is a dreary, dirty place. By night, however, the unemployed folks go out to party and otherwise spend care-free evenings. The thought police quickly step in to quell any large problems or disputes. For their own safety, they study karate and develop a security system designed to discourage criminals by large-shock.

During a trip out to experience the nightlife, the group learns of "The Game", a kind of entertainment that some people are very desperate to become involved in. They are later invited to try out "The Game" via a suspicious envelope placed within their warehouse (despite their security measures). After learning how to navigate the subways, they arrive at a secret entrance to a government facility. Inside they have their first taste of, "The Game", which is actually a very sophisticated simulation of an Africa-like area. They cannot take anything from the real world inside this simulation and nothing from "The Game" can come back with them.

Having little else to look forward to in their lives, the group focuses on training and information gathering during their time between game sessions. They develop a schedule of regular exercise (consisting of jogging and weight-training), search for information in the local library, and discuss their experiences and motivations. As they progress in "The Game", they find that they have needs (for a doctor and someone with agricultural knowledge). The government swiftly moves people they knew from school into their lives, filling those needs.

After a year of such training, the game session changes—they are placed in an area much like the one they visited, except this time, they are not awakened if they are in danger of hurting themselves.

Eventually, it is revealed that "The Game" is a kind of training meant to prepare the group for an off-world colony project, not unlike in Ender's Game how the gameplay is actually used to kill the Formics. This project is designed to halt the massive overpopulation the world is suffering.

It is hinted that part of the reason such a group of people were unemployable out of school was to help in the colonization of other worlds, since each seed group would need a variety of talents. Indeed, an early portion of the book reinforces this supposition, as it explains that the prestigious school from which Lisse and her friends graduated once had a 90% job-placement rate, which is now a mere 10%—meaning that the most-qualified workers are being placed within the Game system rather than the workforce.