As immigrations tensions escalate and policy grows ever more dehumanizing, what can indie games teach us about the systems behind the suffering? In this episode, we examine how Papers, Please, North, and Borders use gameplay—not just storylines—to simulate the moral deadlocks and mechanical cruelty of U.S. deportation politics. Drawing from academic critiques that invoke Max Weber’s “iron cage of bureaucracy,” we explore how these games reflect the cold logic of enforcement agencies like ICE, trapping players in procedural loops that echo real-world immigration enforcement. Can feeling stuck in a game make us see the injustice of those stuck in the system? Tune in to explore how indie developers are turning gameplay into powerful protest.

Cosner, J. (2024). Engaging Action: Procedural Rhetoric and Agentive Arguments in US-Mexico Border Video Games. In Digital Culture and the US-Mexico Border (pp. 211-222). Routledge.

Grace, L. D. (2023, October). Gaming the system: case study in investigative journalism and playful interactive narrative design to explain systemic bias in immigration policy. In International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling (pp. 38-49). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Morrissette, J. (2017). Glory to Arstotzka: Morality, rationality, and the iron cage of bureaucracy in Papers, Please. Game Studies, 17(1).

What happens when players step into the shoes of immigrants—not just to win, but to understand? In this episode, we explore how video games like Citizenship Quest, Everyday Racism, and Escape from Woomera attempt to foster empathy and cross-cultural awareness through gameplay. Drawing on studies that analyze classroom role-play, online discussions, and game design, we ask: can digital experiences create real emotional insight, or do they just rehearse familiar narratives? From school simulations to dystopian checkpoints, join us as we navigate the thin line between meaningful play and performative understanding in the world of migration games.

Bouchillon, B. C., & Stewart, P. A. (2023). Computer games, trust, and immediacy: Role-playing as immigrants in the South. Computers in Human Behavior, 140, 107571.

Chin, E., & Golding, D. (2016). Cultivating transcultural understanding through migration-related videogames. Asia Pacific Media Educator, 26(1), 83-98.

McKernan, B. (2021). Digital texts and moral questions about immigration: Papers, Please and the capacity for a video game to stimulate sociopolitical discussion. Games and Culture, 16(4), 383-406.

As deportation politics in the U.S. grow ever more punitive and chaotic, what can a video game reveal that headlines can’t? In this episode, we explore how games like Papers, Please, Tropico, and ICED! simulate the immigrant experience—and critique it. Drawing on recent academic insights, we unpack how these digital worlds use frustration, limited freedom, and procedural rhetoric to reflect the dehumanizing systems faced by undocumented people. Can a game really challenge anti-immigrant policy? Or are we just clicking through dystopia? Tune in for a timely dive into the politics of play and the stakes of representation.

Amaya, H. (2015). ICED: Videogames in the battle between the citizen and the human. Popular Communication, 13(2), 158-169.

Cleger, O. (2015). Procedural Rhetoric and Undocumented Migrants: Playing the Debate over Immigration Reform. Digital Culture & Education, 7(1), 19-39.

Diamond, J., & Brunner, C. (2008). Evaluation of Breakthrough's ICED! Video Game