Have you played Papers,
Please?
One of the most unusual video games of 2013, Papers, Please bills itself as a
‘Dystopian Document Thriller’ where you take on the role of an immigration
officer at a border to the fictional country of Arstotzka.
It is a fantastic case study for you because it is an independent game, created by one
man Lucas Pope. Pope is an ex-employee of large American developer Naughty Dog,
who are famous for creating the Uncharted
series, as well as recent smash hit The
Last of Us. He left Naughty Dog as he wanted to develop his own games.
Papers, Please is
available on
digital distribution
platform Steam as well as the creator’s own website (
http://dukope.com/). Without developments in
technology to allow digital distribution, this game would cost too much to
distribute and would not successfully find the
niche audience it needs. It wouldn’t make much money, and so
it probably would never be made in the first place.
It is targeting a different kind of audience as it is not an action packed shooter game, but
instead is more intellectually challenging.
The game has been
nominated in the categories of "Best Game", "Game Design",
"Game Innovation" and "Simulation Game" for the 2014 BAFTA
Video Games Awards. This is a really prestigious nomination for such a small
game! Watch the live stream here http://www.bafta.org/games/awards/watch-live,3664,BA.html
The awards are on 12/3/14.
Papers, Please could be an ideal case study to look at alongside
Minecraft.
Watch the trailer here:
And if you fancy it and have the money, pop onto Steam and
buy the game. Give it a go!
Glory to Arstotzka!
