In Papers, Please, you play a border patrol agent that inspects people’s immigration documents. If you let someone into the country with invalid documents, you get penalized and lose part of the income needed to support your family. Denying entry to someone with valid documents will also cost you. Papers, Please makes you think about all sorts of ethical and political issues related to immigration/security and could be used as a great teaching tool. For example, do you deny entry to a war refugee because his documents expired a few days ago, knowing he could be killed as a result? Granting him entry with expired documents might cost you your job. The game is incredibly entertaining and very enlightening. I’ve been telling professors of immigration studies to play it. 

 

Resources:

​

• History Respawned has a great YouTube episode comparing Papers, Please to the reality of life in the old communist countries. 

​

• Check out this article on the psychological phenomenon of inattentional blindness in games like Papers, Please.

​

• Check out this game design analysis of Papers, Please as a time management game.

​

• Your character in Papers, Please interacts with (and decides the fates of) some refugees. The 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography was given to the New York Times and Reuters for their pictures of refugees' journey from the Middle East to Europe. In the game, your character can detain immigrants for several reasons. The Washington Post's Amy Goldstein and Dana Priest were finalists for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for their series on America's network of immigration detention centers. In the game, certain immigrants are allowed into your country to work. You can also choose to enforce or ignore certain immigration rules. PBS has a 3-part documentary on immigration in the United States: Part 1 is on current job-related immigration regulations. Part 2 is on enforcement (or lack thereof). Part 3 is on refugees. Papers, Please also shows immigration policy being changed by politicians. PBS also has a documentary on the politics of immigration. I haven't thoroughly reviewed any of the resources mentioned in this paragraph but they might pair well with the game.

​

If you know of a great resource you think should be added, let me know!