Papers, Please has been announced as the winner of the fourth GameCity Prize.
The puzzle simulation game, which sees players work as an immigration officer on the border of a fictional dystopian country, was crowned at this year's GameCity festival in Nottingham.
Pitched as the video game equivalent of the Mercury, Turner and Booker Prizes, the GameCity Prize celebrates games as a cultural art form.
"Papers, Please is a perfect example of what the winner of the GameCity Prize should exemplify – something that challenges pre-conceptions of what a videogame could be, but never falls short of being entertaining and inspiring," said festival director Iain Simons.
Other games nominated for the award included Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Gone Home, Grand Theft Auto V and Kentucky Route Zero.
The jury for the prize consisted of individuals from outside the world of games, and included award-winning journalist Samira Ahmed, Black Swan and Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky and Wellcome Trust director Jeremy Farrar.
Our review of Papers, Please: An experience unlike any other
Singer-songwriter Peter Gabriel, Game of Thrones production designer Gemma Jackson and head of new projects at The Financial Times Lisa Pollack completed the list of jurors.
"A few days after judging I was going through passport control on holiday and I realised that I was feeling strangely excited," head judge Ahmed said.
"That's when I knew Papers, Please had really got to me. What made this game a winner was a combination of factors: it was simple to play yet endlessly compelling; it provided an admirable combination of dystopian scenario, beautiful sound and visuals, and it captured a child-like joy in playing grown-up roles."
Previous GameCity Prize winners include Spaceteam, Journey and Minecraft.
Papers, Please won several other awards this year, including the IGF Grand Prize and a BAFTA.
This year's GameCity festival takes place this week until November 1, and features what organisers say is the biggest line-up yet, hosting games around a swimming pool, a bandstand, an ancient cave system and more.
