The Stanley Parable is a walking simulator developed by Davey Wreden and William Pugh available on steam for download on computers. The target audience may be more mature, but is anyone who enjoys an intensely-narrative driven game with little challenge. The only way to interact with the game is by walking, or with minimal typing for things like a number pad and “button pressing” (which is Stanley’s occupation). Walking leads to changes in the environment; because is a major source feedback for player actions, this leads to a strong sense of discovery. However, the game also has a very instructive and responsive narrator and a silent player character. Having a silent player character creates a more immersive experience, which lends itself to a sense of fantasy. Because of this immersion, the strict instructions from the narrator and stuffy environment compelled me to disobey his orders because it is fun to safely break rules and rebel against authority within the magic circle of the game. The narrator’s extremely responsive lines and sarcastic personality creates a dynamic where you can intentionally follow or ignore instructions, and both are immediately rewarding; the narrator is always trying to get the story back on track, and he will tell you when you are causing havoc.
Ultimately, these two core mechanics of walking combined with an instructive narrator creates the central dynamic of choice. When you follow the narrator’s instructions, you are led down a very safe path, where you discover a “mind control facility” that you can shut down and find “freedom.” However, when you disobey the narrator, you can uncover more of the game; new environments, new “characters”, and new endings. But as the narrator themselves sometimes questions your illusions of choice, sometimes flaunts their power (and then questions it), are you are left wondering if disobeying the narrative gives Stanley–and you–more freedom, and if anyone in the game can really be free and have autonomy at all.
Because the game always reloads after an ending, it makes you curious to discover what other choices lead to what other endings. Although I have yet to play through every ending, the discovery of new dialogues, environments, and endings inspires a drive to what else the game had to offer–a sense of challenge. Altogether, the seemingly simple mechanic of walking with an instructive narrator allows the player to discover a narrative about choices and predetermined endings, which makes me want to play more!
