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BrittanyG's Papers, Please (PC)
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| [January 10, 2014 04:06:34 AM]
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Tried Papers, Please (hereafter PP) for the first time as part of an assignment for my video game ethics class (EAE 6900 at the U of Utah).
Gameplay is somewhat tedious (though intended since you act as an immigration officer; desk jobs are so not fun) but nerve-wracking as your pay is dependent on how many people you pass through in one day. Graphics are of the retro pixelated style that seems so popular these days; the focus is on the puzzle rather than the graphics.
I have discovered that I am terrible at noticing small discrepancies and get impatient and let people through erroneously. I also found an online cheat sheet showing the names and stamps from the various countries to save myself some time flipping pages in the book. (I justified this because it does not really impact gameplay and I would have a similar sheet had I been a "real" immigration officer...I thrive on sticky notes and cheat sheets at work.) I imagine that as I play more games, I will become better at identifying names of various cities.
Knowing that I was playing for the purpose of identifying possible ethical issues for class, I decided to play my first few games using my natural instincts then try to manipulate my play in later games.
My play was similar to the way I live my life: the law is the way things work. I didn't care that I only allowed the husband of a married couple to pass. Rules are rules, bro.
So when a government official asked me about info regarding a secret anti-government organization (who I dubbed the "Cult of the Loading Icon" because their logo looks like...a loading icon), I gave him the papers they had given me a few days earlier. I was then arrested, the game ended and I unlocked the "Too Honest" achievement on Steam.
Eff you guys.
I guess I will have to adapt my play and be less honest? From my research of the game, I've discovered that there are 20 game endings...and some don't end up with my entire family in prison! (Which makes me wonder about the quality of prison...is there heat, food and medicine? Is there cable?)
So now I have to figure out how much I should trust the government and law and how much I need to follow the Cult of the Loading Icon.
Also, can I just let my uncle and mother-in-law die? Why are they living with me in the first place? My wedding agreement definitely stated that my mother-in-law lives with my husband's sister.
So fat, the biggest lesson I've learned is that my morals don't work in this dystopian society. I am just too good a person, I guess. And that means I am awful at the game. But at least my awfulness isn't like in every FPS where I can't move my upper and lower body independently and just spin in circles staring at the ceiling.
I have also decided on my preliminary topics for some of my game review papers: Morality versus legality; the assumption that Arstotzka (an assumed Communist nation) is "bad"; individual ethical preferences vary [this is a shaky topic that needs some more fleshing out]; and possibly some case studies. I love case studies.
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BrittanyG's Papers, Please (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 9 January, 2014
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