"Papers, please" comes from the indie game Papers, Please, created by Lucas Pope and released in 2013. In the game, players act as an immigration inspector, which made the phrase closely tied to document checks and rigid bureaucracy. Online, the line spread through gaming clips, memes and reaction edits because it is short, clear and instantly understandable. It still shows up in skits and image macros whenever a joke needs an official-sounding demand for proof, entry or permission.