The Stanley Parable

Blue

  Aha, Perhaps you misunderstood. Stanley walked through the red door.  

  I still don't think we're communicating properly. Stanley walked through the RED door.  

  Alright, fine, go ahead, Stanley! You want to know so badly what's out there: you want to find out what lies at the end of this road you've chosen? Well, don't let me stop you.  

You see? There's nothing here.

I haven't even finished building this section of the book, because you were never supposed to be here in the first place. Broken rooms, exposed developer textures... is this what you had wanted?

Was it worth ruining the entire story I had written out specifically for you? Do you not think I put a lot of time into that? Because I did.

And in the end it was all for nothing, because this is what you wanted to see. Help me here, Stanley, help me elucidate these strange and unknowable desires of yours. What would have made this game better? What did you want to see? Vehicles? Skill trees? Work with me; you've given me absolutely nothing so far. Tell you what, let me take a stab in the dark at a new design, and you can give me some feedback.

  There we go! A third option! This already feels leaps ahead of where we were before. Go ahead Stanley. Take it for a spin.  

  Okay, I'm going to stop you there. Now, tell me about your experience with this new version. Would you say that the game benefited from allowing you more choices? Feel free to be honest - I'm looking for some real, critical feedback here.  

Picking a One

A one?!? I mean, I can understand if you had reservations, you saw ways the game could be improved to more fully express itself mechanically and artistically, but a one!?! That's not even helpful! What am I supposed to do with that? Oh, but I guess it isn't my place to judge.

Picking a Two

Oh, well, now this is useful. You didn't like it, but you didn't totally hate it either. You endeared it, perhaps, is the correct term. It didn't cause you excruciating pain. Big steps we've made here today, Stanley.

Picking a Three

Oh, of course. A three. Really. Maybe next time we can get you to form an actual opinion? You know... any level of critical thinking or engagement with your surroundings? Does that sound good? Think we can do that? Yes? Hmmmmm? Wonderful?

Picking a Four

Okay, so we're getting somewhere. Clearly, there's something here that speaks to you. If I can be honest here, I really don't have any idea where I'm going with this. This whole third door thing was just a stab in the dark, But I guess you're into it, so let's keep this party train rolling.

Picking a Five

Aha! You see? I knew I was onto something! Where do these flashes of inspiration come from? How did I know the game needed a third door? Well, it's instinct mostly... a calling in your gut. I really couldn't say where the idea came from, except that I... I felt it in my soul. You can't teach that, Stanley, Don't even try.

  Here, based on the data from your previous playthrough, I've compiled a new version. And to be perfectly candid, I think I've knocked it out of the park with this one. Let's take a look.  

  Now, would you say that competitive leaderboard helped you feel motivated to keep walking through doors? Again, honest answers, please.  

  Oh, I nearly forgot! I've got a prototype of a new book I've been working on, and now would be a lovely opportunity to give it some play testing. You wouldn't mind taking a look at it, would you? Perfect, let me open it up.  

  In this book, the baby crawls left toward danger. You click the button to move him back to the right, and if he reaches the fire, you fail. It's a very meaningful game - all about the desperation and tedium of endlessly confronting the demand of family life. I think the art world will really take notice. But of course, the message of the game only becomes clear once you've been playing it for about four hours. So why don't you give it four hours of play to make sure it's effective. Be sure to keep notes on your experience.  

(Play four hours or no?)