So...I'm in this closet in The Stanley Parable and because I know something about the game and how games are made, I decide not to do anything other than open and close the door a few times. The narrator comes on and over the course of five beautifully narrated minutes of me doing nothing of consequence, I start to have a minor epiphany (the first one I ever had was “The Universe is Big”...that infinity thing blew my 9-year old world-revolves-around-me mind). Epiphanies come at odd points in our lives and as you remember, I'm in this closet in the game, and I'm realizing the more I devour gaming news and insights into this art form we love (since you’re reading this on Steam you must love gaming so I’m bringing you in as a close friend here), the less an impact it has on me while I play it…or maybe it has a HUGE impact on me. Oh oh…I’ve arrived at a conundrum. Was I bored with doing nothing of consequence or did I really just have a minor life-altering experience in a game that’s maybe not really a game? You know how reading about movies and seeing endless clips before the movie releases can cause you to be disappointed in the final film? Maybe I was at that point in The Stanley Parable…I thought I knew what the game was about…but I was having so much fun listening to the narration it was a foregone conclusion I was going to finish the game.

I have this sneaking suspicion that’s exactly what the creators of The Stanley Parable want. The “game” is certainly enjoyable at a “they-are-making-fun-of-how-games-work-and-how-we-respond” level. It’s smart, well written, and expertly narrated. But I wonder how that narration goes over in a country where the British accent is omnipresent. Here in the U.S. it sounds wonderful, and part of my enjoyment was the narrator’s inflection, his pacing, and his skill at sounding so, well, so BRITISH…or at least what I as an American, think is “BRITISH”. Would the game stand up as well with an American accent? Wheatley in Portal2 stands in the same space (or should I saw is lost in space), but that’s probably because Stephen Merchant can read a line in a dictionary and I’d listen to it with clear joy in my heart. So…I can’t decide if I’m bored with the game or in love with the narration and that’s what I felt the entire time I played The Stanley Parable…bored and in love.

I have to say…this feeling was entirely foreign. I’ve never experienced something like this in a game before. It’s not ambivalence, but like my dog Kip does when I say something to him and he’s not sure what the correct response should be, he ♥♥♥♥♥ his head to the side and gives me that LOOK…”I’m interested in what you are saying but I’m not exactly sure why”. And that’s why I completed the game and that’s why I think you should to. It’s original, it’s strange, it’s…not of this universe we gamers usually inhabit…it makes you think about how we play games. And I think that’s probably a good thing.

NOTE: Play the game before you read much about it. Finish it up and then do a web search on the many possible endings…you might want to try a few. Technically running this is a breeze on just about ANY PC system out there…it is simple Source level design with some unique programming tricks and easy on resources.

So...I'm in this closet in The Stanley Parable and because I know something about the game and how games are made, I decide not to do anything other than open and close the door a few times. The narrator comes on and over the course of five beautifully narrated minutes of me doing nothing of consequence, I start to have a minor epiphany (the first one I ever had was “The Universe is Big”...that infinity thing blew my 9-year old world-revolves-around-me mind). Epiphanies come at odd points in our lives and as you remember, I'm in this closet in the game, and I'm realizing the more I devour gaming news and insights into this art form we love (since you’re reading this on Steam you must love gaming so I’m bringing you in as a close friend here), the less an impact it has on me while I play it…or maybe it has a HUGE impact on me. Oh oh…I’ve arrived at a conundrum. Was I bored with doing nothing of consequence or did I really just have a minor life-altering experience in a game that’s maybe not really a game? You know how reading about movies and seeing endless clips before the movie releases can cause you to be disappointed in the final film? Maybe I was at that point in The Stanley Parable…I thought I knew what the game was about…but I was having so much fun listening to the narration it was a foregone conclusion I was going to finish the game. I have this sneaking suspicion that’s exactly what the creators of The Stanley Parable want. The “game” is certainly enjoyable at a “they-are-making-fun-of-how-games-work-and-how-we-respond” level. It’s smart, well written, and expertly narrated. But I wonder how that narration goes over in a country where the British accent is omnipresent. Here in the U.S. it sounds wonderful, and part of my enjoyment was the narrator’s inflection, his pacing, and his skill at sounding so, well, so BRITISH…or at least what I as an American, think is “BRITISH”. Would the game stand up as well with an American accent? Wheatley in Portal2 stands in the same space (or should I saw is lost in space), but that’s probably because Stephen Merchant can read a line in a dictionary and I’d listen to it with clear joy in my heart. So…I can’t decide if I’m bored with the game or in love with the narration and that’s what I felt the entire time I played The Stanley Parable…bored and in love. I have to say…this feeling was entirely foreign. I’ve never experienced something like this in a game before. It’s not ambivalence, but like my dog Kip does when I say something to him and he’s not sure what the correct response should be, he cocks his head to the side and gives me that LOOK…”I’m interested in what you are saying but I’m not exactly sure why”. And that’s why I completed the game and that’s why I think you should to. It’s original, it’s strange, it’s…not of this universe we gamers usually inhabit…it makes you think about how we play games. And I think that’s probably a good thing. NOTE: Play the game before you read much about it. Finish it up and then do a web search on the many possible endings…you might want to try a few. Technically running this is a breeze on just about ANY PC system out there…it is simple Source level design with some unique programming tricks and easy on resources.