I picked up Papers Please on the Steam Store during the ongoing Summer Sale. It’s a game where you play an inspector at a border crossing of some central-European-sounding nation.

After some initial confusion, I started to get into the flow of border control. I found the mechanics of the inspection interesting and monotonous–in a good way. My first play through, I mostly adhered to official procedure, despite pleas by NPCs for assistance crossing the border, from family members long separated to misled victims of sex trafficking.

At several points, I found myself questioning whether what I was doing was right and whether I should be doing my job to support my starving family or taking mercy on those trying to do the same.