Object Timeline

  • We acquired this object.

2013

  • Work on this object began.

2022

2025

  • You found it!

Project, Papers, Please

This is a Project. It was designed by Lucas Pope. It is dated 2013. It is a part of the department.

Global

Building empathy is the goal of the game Papers, Please. Rather than playing as an elite international spy, gamers take on the persona of a low-level border agent for the fictional communist state of Arstotzka. Tasked with deciding who can enter the country or be turned away and/or arrested, players are dropped into a complex scenario of borders, power dynamics, administrative operations, and moral dilemmas. By shifting the perspective around these politicized issues, the game sheds light on immigration questions and builds empathy for those affected, a central aim in conflict resolution and peace education.

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Designing Peace.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318806261/ |title=Project, Papers, Please |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=15 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>