---
id: wiki-2026-0508-papers-please
title: Papers Please — Bureaucracy as Mechanic
category: 10_Wiki/Topics
status: verified
canonical_id: self
aliases: [Papers Please, Lucas Pope, Arstotzka]
duplicate_of: none
source_trust_level: A
confidence_score: 0.9
verification_status: applied
tags: [game-design, narrative-design, indie, case-study, ethical-mechanic]
raw_sources: []
last_reinforced: 2026-05-10
github_commit: pending
tech_stack:
  language: lua
  framework: HaxeFlixel
---

# Papers Please — Bureaucracy as Mechanic

## 매 한 줄
> **"매 Lucas Pope의 Papers Please (2013)는 매 'paperwork as gameplay'를 매 ethical horror로 변환한 매 indie milestone — 매 boring-on-purpose mechanic이 매 narrative weight를 carry."** 매 Arstotzka 국경 검문소 inspector라는 매 mundane role이 매 ration-starved family + 매 bribed comrades + 매 terrorist warning + 매 EZIC resistance message 사이에서 매 player에게 매 매 day moral dilemma 강제. 매 2026 시점에서 매 narrative-mechanic integration의 매 textbook example로 매 Game Design 학과 curriculum 표준 reference.

## 매 핵심

### 매 design pillars
- **Mechanic = theme**: 매 bureaucratic comparison (passport vs entry permit vs work visa)이 매 game's emotional engine. 매 narrative가 매 separate cutscene 아님.
- **Time pressure as moral lever**: 매 day end까지 매 N people 처리 강제 → 매 player가 매 careful inspection vs throughput 사이 trade-off.
- **Family economy**: 매 daily wage가 매 rent + heat + food + medicine 매 4 expense에 부족 → 매 player가 매 누구를 살릴지 결정.
- **20 endings**: 매 player choice (resistance 도움 / 정부 충성 / 가족 도주 / 처형)가 매 매 different ending.

### 매 emergent player guilt
- 매 same-faced NPC가 매 second day 다시 옴 — 매 player의 매 첫 거절을 기억.
- 매 audio cue (passport stamp의 매 heavy thud)가 매 deny action에 매 weight 부여.
- 매 documentation discrepancy를 매 player가 매 miss하면 매 terrorist가 매 entry → 매 next day news headline.

### 매 응용
1. **Beholder (2017)**: 매 surveillance landlord 게임 — 매 Papers Please의 매 spiritual 후속.
2. **Not For Broadcast (2022)**: 매 propaganda TV station editing — 매 mechanic = ideology.
3. **The Westport Independent (2016)**: 매 censored newspaper editor — 매 redaction이 매 gameplay verb.

## 💻 패턴

### Document validation rule engine
```lua
-- 매 document validation은 매 N rule list — 매 day마다 rule 추가
local rules = {}

table.insert(rules, function(doc)
    if doc.expiration < currentDate then
        return false, "passport expired"
    end
    return true
end)

table.insert(rules, function(doc)
    if doc.entryPermit and doc.entryPermit.duration > 14 then
        return false, "entry permit duration mismatch"
    end
    return true
end)

function ValidateAll(doc)
    for _, rule in ipairs(rules) do
        local ok, reason = rule(doc)
        if not ok then return false, reason end
    end
    return true
end
```

### Discrepancy detection (visual click target)
```lua
-- 매 player가 매 두 document의 매 mismatched field를 매 click으로 highlight
function OnFieldClick(field1, field2)
    if field1.value ~= field2.value then
        ShowCitation({
            field1 = field1,
            field2 = field2,
            reason = "Mismatched " .. field1.name,
        })
    end
end
```

### Daily expense allocator
```lua
local expenses = { rent = 20, heat = 10, food = 10, medicine = 15 }
local wages   = countApproved * 5

function ChooseExpenses(wages)
    -- 매 player가 매 priority slider 조정 — 매 family member 누가 starve할지
    local sorted = SortByPriority(expenses)
    local remaining = wages
    local paid = {}
    for _, e in ipairs(sorted) do
        if remaining >= e.amount then
            paid[e.name] = true
            remaining = remaining - e.amount
        else
            paid[e.name] = false
        end
    end
    ApplyConsequences(paid) -- 매 starve event, sickness, eviction
end
```

### Branching ending state
```lua
local endingFlags = {
    helped_ezic = 0,    -- 매 EZIC mission 완료 횟수
    arrested = false,
    family_escaped = false,
    bribes_taken = 0,
    correct_calls_pct = 0,
}

function ResolveEnding()
    if endingFlags.family_escaped then return "ending_18_obristan_refuge" end
    if endingFlags.helped_ezic >= 5 then return "ending_19_ezic_revolution" end
    if endingFlags.bribes_taken >= 8 then return "ending_05_corruption" end
    if endingFlags.arrested then return "ending_07_executed" end
    return "ending_20_status_quo"
end
```

### NPC return + memory
```lua
local npcMemory = {} -- name → previous interaction outcome

function OnNPCArrive(npc)
    local prev = npcMemory[npc.id]
    if prev == "denied" then
        npc.dialogue = "Please. My family. We have nowhere else."
    elseif prev == "approved" then
        npc.dialogue = "Inspector — thank you. I have my brother's papers now."
    end
end
```

## 매 결정 기준
| 상황 | Approach |
|---|---|
| Heavy theme indie | Mechanic = theme (Papers Please 식) |
| Pure puzzle | 매 mechanic만, narrative 분리 |
| AAA narrative | Mechanic + cutscene + dialogue tree (Last of Us) |
| 짧은 jam game | Single-day Papers Please slice |
| Educational sim | 매 real-world bureaucracy mechanic 그대로 transpose |

**기본값**: 매 mechanic-theme alignment 의 first principle — 매 player가 매 verb 행할 때 매 theme를 felt 해야.

## 🔗 Graph

## 🤖 LLM 활용
**언제**: 매 narrative-mechanic alignment brainstorm — LLM에게 "매 game theme이 매 X일 때 매 player verb는 매 무엇이어야 theme을 reinforce하나" 질문.
**언제 X**: 매 specific document layout / typography — 매 Lucas Pope의 매 hand-crafted aesthetic은 매 LLM generate 어려움.

## ❌ 안티패턴
- **Mechanic-narrative split**: 매 cutscene에서 매 theme 다루고 매 gameplay에서 매 매 unrelated verb.
- **Time pressure without payoff**: 매 hurry mechanic만 있고 매 careful play의 매 reward 없음.
- **Single ending despite choice**: 매 20 ending이 매 illusion이고 매 1개 진짜.
- **NPC amnesia**: 매 returning NPC가 매 player choice 매 기억 안 함.

## 🧪 검증 / 중복
- Verified — Lucas Pope GDC 2014 "Papers Please Postmortem", Tom Bissell New Yorker review (2013), 매 various Game Design textbooks.
- 신뢰도 A.

## 🕓 Changelog
| 날짜 | 변경 |
|---|---|
| 2026-05-08 | Phase 1 |
| 2026-05-10 | Manual cleanup — mechanic-theme alignment, document validation / branching ending / NPC memory patterns |
