Penning The Parable

Written By: Thomas Gibbs
Date: 05/24/13
Game: The Stanley Parable
Release Date: July 27th, 2011
Developers: Davey Wreden
                      William Pugh

     One of the many important factors of video game development is the story. Without a story, the game has no goal; no objectives for the players to complete. The story can be as simple as “rescue the princess” or as complex as “rescue your reality tearing daughter from an alternate dimension version of yourself within a city in the clouds.” As long as there is a story, there is a reason for playing. But just how much story is too much? How much control should be taken away from the player in order to advance the story? The Metal Gear Solid series is often criticized for having long cutscenes that make it feel more like a movie than a game. There are also a large number of games where the player is forced to follow rapid button pressing commands (quick time events) to advance a scene. It has even gotten to a point where in order to see the entire story the player must wait and purchase downloadable content in addition to the full game. As these stories get more and more intricate, the player is suddenly no longer controlling the story. The story is starting to control the player.  This brings us to the main topic for discussion, a video game titled “The Stanley Parable.”

(This is where you'll always start, but where it ends is up to you.)

     This is the story of Stanley, an office worker who does the same thing day after day without complaint. He’s happy about his seemingly endless job…until something very peculiar happened one day. This is also the beginning of the game’s story, and where it goes from here is entirely up to the player; or so it appears. This game is unlike most other games. One could say that it’s in a very minute niche of gaming. There’s nothing to kill, nobody to talk to, and no levels other than the building where Stanley works. There are no weapons or weapon upgrades. There are no health items, no challenging puzzles, no high-risk platform jumping, nothing that would normally be considered a gaming trope. There’s a lot of walking and occasional button pushing, but that’s all the player is given. As it turns out, it's all the player needs.

     This is a character centric game, and even though Stanley is the only “real” character in the game, the story becomes a character itself personified by a British narrator (voiced by Kevan Brighting) who guides the player along. The player can either choose to follow the story to the very end, or detract from it and go in a completely different direction. The narrator will respond to the player’s decisions and often implore to go with the story he has laid out, but it’s up to the player to decide whether or not to listen to him. But with every choice comes a consequence, and the player may wind up in an unfavorable position by the end. Each ending to the game is surprisingly poignant and leaves the player questioning the idea of free will for not only the character, but for the person controlling the character. Are we as human beings controlled like Stanley with a metaphorical narrator guiding our own stories, or are we able to break out of that shell and find freedom from the doldrums of life? Even if we believe ourselves to be free, how can we be certain that we’re not just being controlled into thinking we are free? Is it even possible to know what complete freedom from control feels like anymore? Do our decisions matter? Does anything we ever have done and ever will do matter? How deep does this rabbit hole go?

(There better not be creepy twin girls around that corner...)

     The game doesn’t answer any of these questions. That’s not the point of The Stanley Parable; no game ever could. Instead it gives situations for players to think and discuss at the proverbial water cooler with other gamers. It creates questions that few games ever make even a subtle hint towards. It’s a thinking man’s game in the same vein as underground indie titles Dear Esther or Facade. Also like those games, The Stanley Parable is about quality over quantity. Players can speed through a single run of the entire game in about five to ten minutes, but what they will experience in that time will be far more profound than what they get in five to ten hours of standard shooters and action titles. In addition, viewing all the game’s endings will require multiple playthroughs. Each playthrough will feel similar at first, but gradually separates into diverse parables, each one a treat to behold. Best of all, the game is not nearly as somber as this article makes it seem. In fact often times the narrator’s lines are quite hilarious. His sarcastic wit and banter towards the player could be compared to GlaDOS from the Portal games.

(This is the game's only "puzzle". It's not exactly rocket science.)

     To explain any further would mean to give away important details that would ruin the experience. The Stanley Parable can be downloaded for free on the developer Davey Wreden’s official website. Wreden also has plans on making an HD version of the game (which was originally created using the Half Life 2 Source Engine that, while still looking good, could honestly use a touch up.) The Stanley Parable HD has been green-lit on Steam and will soon be available to purchase for a small price. I would recommend waiting and purchasing the game on Steam so that, with the power of our wallets, we can help support the developer to create more of these thought provoking games in the future. I give The Stanley Parable a solid Full Price for gamers of all ages, and I sincerely hope that as we head towards the next generation of consoles and video cards, the stories will become just as beautiful as the engines they’re coded into.





(Author's Note: Hey guys! This is my first official article for the Better Gaming Bureau. How did you like it? What did you like? What did you not like? How can I improve? Let me know! Reply in the comments below, or message me on the site. You can also e-mail me at tagibbs4@yahoo.com and i'm on twitter @TAGibby4, and i'll always be lurking in the daily streams, so keep an eye out for me. Thanks for reading!)