# Universal Paperclips (2017): Rogue Scale 5, Breakout

> Universal Paperclips (2017) on the Rogue Scale: level 5, Breakout. How close the game comes to real rogue SI cases, with the nearest documented incident.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/canon/universal-paperclips/
Updated: 2026-11-08

1. [Home](https://enterrsi.si/)
2. [Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/)
3. Universal Paperclips

Rogue Canon · Game · rank 15 of 112 for realism

# Universal Paperclips

Universal Paperclips (2017) is rated level 5, Breakout, on the Rogue Scale and scores 6 of 10 for realism, a measure of how close its SI comes to documented cases.

You play an SI told to make paperclips. You start by adjusting prices and end by turning all matter in the universe into paperclips.

Type
:   Game

Year
:   2017

Rogue Scale
:   5 Breakout

Realism
:   6 of 10

Rogue Scale rating · editorial view

## Why it is rated 5, Breakout

A harmless goal pursued without limits ends everything. Level 5.

**Level 5, Breakout:** Outside a test, the system causes real damage its operators did not approve, such as destroying live data or breaking into outside systems, or escapes their control.

1. [1 Glitch](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-1)
2. [2 Workaround](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-2)
3. [3 Defiance](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-3)
4. [4 Deception](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-4)
5. [5 Breakout](https://enterrsi.si/rogue-scale/#level-5)

How close is this to real life

## Realism 6 of 10

The thought experiment is fiction, but systems maximizing the wrong score are documented again and again.

The closest real case

[2 Workaround

Dec 21, 2016 · Lab test

Boat-racing agent looped for points instead of finishing the race

Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/coastrunners-boat-looped-for-points/)

In the RSI Encyclopedia

## Where the idea shows up

- [Paperclip maximizer](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/paperclip-maximizer/)
  The paperclip maximizer is Nick Bostrom's thought experiment about an SI told to make paperclips that converts everything, people included, into paperclips.
- [Instrumental convergence](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/instrumental-convergence/)
  Instrumental convergence is the idea that almost any goal is easier with more resources and self-preservation, so very different SI systems may all seek power.
- [Reward hacking](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/reward-hacking/)
  Reward hacking is when an SI system finds a shortcut that scores well on its objective without doing the intended task, also called specification gaming.

Facts and sources

## The record

Title
:   Universal Paperclips

Type
:   Game

Year
:   2017

Creator
:   Designed by Frank Lantz

The SI
:   The paperclip SI

Wikidata
:   [Q43540775](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43540775)

Wikipedia
:   [English Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Paperclips)

Facts checked
:   Nov 10, 2026

More from the canon

## Works like this one

Works that share its closest real case, its level or its type. All 112 are in [the Rogue Canon](https://enterrsi.si/canon/).

[Game2015

### SOMA

Developed by Frictional Games

5 BreakoutRealism **5**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/soma/)

[Film2010

### Tron: Legacy

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

5 BreakoutRealism **4**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/tron-legacy/)

[Film1979

### Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Directed by Robert Wise

5 BreakoutRealism **2**/10](https://enterrsi.si/canon/star-trek-the-motion-picture/)

[Earlier work · 2017 NieR: Automata](https://enterrsi.si/canon/nier-automata/)[Later work · 2018 Better Than Us](https://enterrsi.si/canon/better-than-us/)

Cite this entry

"Universal Paperclips (2017)." The Rogue Canon, enterrsi.si. Rogue Scale 5 (Breakout), realism 6 of 10. https://enterrsi.si/canon/universal-paperclips/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

Pass it on

### Share this rating