![]() What meta-narrative(s) of immigration does Papers, Please construct, and how does it relate to the lived experiences of immigrants (as portrayed in immigration studies literature)? Now perhaps more than ever, given the current political climate and increasing hostile attitudes toward certain migrant groups to the U.S., games that engage in dialogue with these themes are sorely needed.Įxamining the game’s characters, interactions, various story outcomes, and gameplay mechanics, I ultimately ask: Papers, Please, as a highly successful game that grapples with such complex terrain, has the potential to be a formidable tool for educating the public about the realities of migration. Yet, many media narratives frame the lives of migrants is anything but. As I hope to illustrate, migration is an inherently gendered and racialized experience. Drawing on literature from the disciplines of game studies and feminist geography – the latter specifically in relation to migration politics – I conduct a feminist analysis of Papers, Please’s constructed narrative of global migration. ![]() Specifically, I examine the game’s take on notions such as immigration, nationalism, and the gendered and racialized migrant subject. In this paper, I analyze the ways in which Papers, Please functions as a critique of migratory policy and enforcement. As relations between Arstotzka and its neighboring countries become more tense over the course of the game – even resulting in terrorist attacks at the border checkpoint – players are continuously confronted with additional challenges and regulations they are expected to perform, with limited time and resources – a tongue-in-cheek reference to the bureaucratic issues that continue to plague immigration policy and practice. In addition to the dozens of immigrants vying for admission, there are also smugglers, spies, and terrorists attempting to cross the border. With only each traveler’s documents and the options to inspect their papers, search their body for concealed contraband or weapons, or fingerprint them at your disposal, the player decides who will gain entry into the country and who will be denied. ![]() Gameplay is centered on checking and verifying immigration documents of the NPCs who wish to enter Arstotzka. Released in October 2013, Papers, Please is an independently-produced game in which players are a (male) immigration officer working at the border checkpoint in the fictional, Soviet-esque country Arstotzka in the year 1989.
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