The borderlands

'Games' are recurring events that appear throughout the Borderlands, allowing players to earn playing cards and compete for visa days, which are necessary to stay alive. The games vary in types and difficulty, and are notoriously deadly for participants.

A player becomes "registered" as a participant once they cross the threshold into the game venue, marked by a laser grid. The grid detects and permits entry but prevents players from exiting or "de-registering" — once inside, players cannot leave until the game is completed. Any player who attempts to leave will be terminated by a laser, the same type used to eliminate players whose visas have expired.

Games typically provide phones placed on white tables labeled "One per person". Face recognition is required to register each player as a participant, enabling the system to extend their visas upon a successful win. The phones also display important game-related information, such as rules, difficulty level, timers, and more.

Certain games may also provide a range of tools specific to the game (e.g. the Five of Spades "Tag" gives hunters a horse mask and a submachine gun), and some may require participants to put on special accessories that are used during the game, as well as execution for losing (e.g. the Seven of Hearts "Hide and Seek" requires players to put on a headset to register their status as a wolf, as well as to terminate the other players who lose).

Cards:

The number in the card of a game indicates how difficult the game is.

♠ Spades Physical — Games of physical endurance, strength, and agility.

♦ Diamonds Intelligence — Games of intelligence, strategy, and wits.

♥ Hearts Psychology — Games of psychology, trust, and betrayal.

♣ Clubs Teamwork — Games of all-round abilities and cooperation.