Papers, Please is a video game created by indie game developer Lucas Pope, developed and published under his pseudonym 3909. It focuses on the emotional toll of working as an immigration officer, deciding whom to let in and whom to exclude from entering the fictional dystopian country of Arstotzka. The game was released on August 8, 2013, for Microsoft Windows and OS X, for Linux on February 12, 2014, and for the iPad on December 12, 2014. A port for the PlayStation Vita was announced in August 2014.
The gameplay of Papers, Please focuses on the work life of an immigration inspector at a border checkpoint for the fictitious country of Arstotzka in the year 1982. The player inspects arrivals' documents and uses an array of tools to determine whether the papers are in order, for the purpose of keeping undesirable individuals, such as terrorists, wanted criminals, or smugglers, out of the country. When discrepancies are discovered, the player may interrogate the applicant about the discrepancy, and possibly demand further information, such as fingerprints or a full body scan. There are opportunities for the player to have the applicant detained and the applicant may, at times, attempt to bribe the inspector. The player ultimately must stamp the individual's papers to accept or deny entry and then call for the next person in line; only at this point is the player told of any mistakes they may have made by way of a warning slip. Generally the player can make two mistakes without penalty, but subsequent mistakes will cost the player as a monetary demerit from their day's salaries. The player has a limited amount of real time, representing a full day shift at the checkpoint, to process as many arrivals as possible.