the line that hit hardest, was "Stop putting Lampposts in my games" That calls into question everything that Davey has told you so far, and It gave me chills.
+MF PICKLE O Found the thing woolie looked up about undertale. gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/237729/how-do-i-play-the-haunting-song not gonna lie I had to look this up as well just because I don't know music very well.
In a trailer for The Stanley Parable, the Narrator reads an actual email from an actual fan, named Raphael. In the email, Raphael states that he wants an emotional game, and The Stanley Parable wasn't emotional. At the end of The Beginner's Guide, an emotional game also made by Davey, before the credits roll, text shows up, stating "For R." DAVEY YOU FREAKIN' GENIUS
I don't think the game being fictional takes too much away, because when you first experience it the story is so beautiful and tragic it makes it real. I love this game, it was one of the most moving 2 hours of entertainment Ive experienced. Clever game, with a beautiful concept behind it.
I'm kinda obsessed with this game and watching playthroughs of this game, and I think this one comes the closest to being the perfect playthrough of it, one of my favorite SBFP videos, with my 2 favorite members, just perfect.
I like that the steam description has " it tells the story of someone struggling to deal with something they do not understand." The someone just isn't coda.
Could this be considered a (psychological) horror game because of how unsettling the whole thing makes me? The whole time I feel _really_ uncomfortable, as if a genuine horror element will appear out of nowhere at any second. I do like the idea of getting to know someone through a game or something rather than the messy actually talking to them thing. But that's social anxiety for you...
You like Krabby Patties, don't you Squidward? Old comment I know, but you could probably call this a psychological horror game for anyone who’s had a friendship end really badly
IcyBones Old comment I know, but you could probably call this a psychological horror game even for people who haven't had a friendship end really badly. We haven't, but it still hit us pretty hard.
Someone please count the use of 'pretentious' in this comments section. What a great descriptor. I'm sure we're all filled with determination reading that 80 times. ...wait
+Jesse Anderson Someone please count the use of 'determination' in the comment section of the last view videos. Of course that's fine because Undertale is the flavor of the month and noone is allowed to not like it
+Jesse Anderson Pretentious means someone or something created by someone who thinks they are smarter than they actually are. It is a fine descriptor if you actually know what the word means.
CJTheInvader Yeah, I agree, in the right context in can work fine. Hell, I'm not gonna try to say people are wrong saying it. It just rubs me the wrong way because that wasn't really the vibe I got from the game or the video.
+BIGBLUBLUR because if anything so much as seems a TINY bit like it is pretentious, then people will say it is. because... it's fun to say that maybe? I've no idea.
Wow, I guess no one cares about art. Jesus, I'm starting to notice the fanbase is not nearly as thoughtful as the friends. Also, thanks for pointing this out, I might not have noticed this game if you guys didn't push this out!
+StraightJacketRED I find the reactions to stuff like this really interesting, myself. Especially the people who instantly rile up at intellectual stuff.
+ukokira They didn't know what it was going in. Fuck, they STILL don't know what it is. How anyone could think this is genuine blows my mind. I knew what this was the moment I saw the floating crates in the first area. People aren't given Davey Wreden nearly enough credit. Did anyone here even play The Stanley Parable?
+ukokira Never give Woolie mouse and keyboard controls. Jeez, the amount of times he got stuck on a door, or struggled to rotate the camera while moving... I thought he had his own gaming PC. Does he ever use it? Or does he just play everything with a controller plugged in?
+Zepher0987 nah, they bitch and moan about everything. Don't get me wrong, I don't like this game and I think it's pretty pretentious, but any time I look at the comments on any of this channel's vids, they're crying about one trivial thing or another.
+brawler1z It's youtube, people act differently when no one is looking them in the face. If people agree with each other it can get a little out of hand because if you see a positive comment you're encouraged to send one yourself and vice-versa... all I hear when I read internet comments on YT is people lying to themselves and looking for validation. goes for me too but at least I can't really take myself seriously even if I am upset by my opinions of opinions. Just like to type things as anyone can see... AAAAAAAAaaanyway, how are you? :)
+Zepher0987 Are you fucking kidding me? I used to look forward to best friends comments section because they were always filled with inside jokes and pleasant conversation unlike any other youtube channel! Yet lately these comments are becoming sparse only to be replaced by complaining and bitching and needlessly harsh comment only for the purpose to bait others. Truly the comments are becoming increasingly cancerous. And if you haven't noticed it then you are part of the problem.
I know I'm super late to this, but... Woolie: I'm so invested in this being real, it needs to be real. Me: Does it? Does it change the message or the intent or the feeling of a connection that you have? I don't think it matters. I really needed this game recently...
I think "stop adding lamp posts" is coda asking him to stop adding meanings and solutions to his work. Coda tried to tell him that through the game but Davey, ironically, didn't get the one message the author was genuinely trying to send.
I've seen a lot of people say this, but I also DO think it's literal as well. Like, I do think Davey edited Coda's games to add lampposts to them where there weren't before, in order to try and create this feeling of a larger fabric to work the games together which may not have existed in Coda's original works. However, I'll concede that it's vague enough to be interpreted either way
@@elijahnakumura4375 to be fair though this sort of discussion isn't the same thing davey is doing. davey was overanalysing coda's work and coda was uncomfortable with that. what we're all doing is analysing davey's words and his compilation, which is a different matter entirely
Oh man, a nice thought provoking journey that seems to have come from the heart. It really mirrors some of the experiences I've gone through with my own game dev role! I wonder what the comment section thinks about this. *scrolls down* .... oh
+Bearmun It doesn't solely apply to game development either. I feel as though this "game" will really speak to anybody who's ever been passionate about creating anything at all. I know as a writer, this hits me really hard, because I totally understand what it's like. Abandoning countless projects when you hit a good point, or simply lose interest, all the way to falling out of love with the process creation entirely. Seems to me like a really good analogy of the creative process. Well, right up until the end where the projections come in like crazy. But I don't think the ending is what we're meant to cling to.
Yo, don't read this until you watch the video, these spoilers sort of ruin the point of the thing, and coming from a guy who LIKES spoilers, this is good advice. I think this game could only possibly exist, as a narrative that Davey is having with his inner self. With Coda being a personification of himself that tried to create for the sake of creation, arguing with his current self that creates for the sake of completion and validation of others. The phone conversation with his past self seems to validate this quite a bit. The unfortunate alternative, is that Davey released someone else's games and monetized it, pretty much explicitly against their wishes to do so. Which we have to find absurdly unlikely. I'm hoping that this isn't just a work by Davey. I'm hoping that it supposed to be a bit of therapy for himself that helps him capture that spark that, from my interpretation of it all, he feels he has lost. I'm hoping that he finds peace for what feels like some inner conflict he is having. I mean, him showing us this conflict is clearly the point. You don't record yourself having a loud vocal breakdown in high quality audio, fit it into a videogame, and then sell it online if you don't have a point in doing so. Davey tries to lead you along his thought processes in sharing Coda's games in a way to try and get the player/viewer to relate as well. That revelation that you don't have to make things for the validation of others is hopefully meant to be the take away from this. I'd call it half work/half real. I don't think this game could legally exist if it were entirely real, and I don't think it's entirely a work with how emotionally colorful it is.
Both characters are fictional. The only reason the narrator shares a name with the actual developer is to mislead people into believing the narrator was the same person and could be trusted.
+Cosmic Kirby Agreed. The best fiction reflects real life. It doesn't have to be the real Davey talking about a real other guy called Coda, but there is a real struggle shown here. A pretty universal one, too.
+Cosmic Kirby In the end (the last game) it says on the wall "why do you keep adding lamp posts to my games" then after that Davey says "i guess if someone had told me ahead of time that he just really enjoyed making prison games maybe i wouldn't had thought that he was so desperate i wouldn't have told so many people he was depressed..maybe he just really likes making prison games". I think he added the lamp posts as a destination for his self to validate it. The Depth of the story and background about Mental Illness left me speechless
+Elwood On the other hand, at least I don't feel nearly as bad about my dickish Bloodborne comments anymore. But, yeah, some of these are just pointlessly nasty.
Pretty sure it happened once they broke their we don't play good games rule. During the early channel days matt and pat said they'd never play silent hill 2 and with the recent origins they said they'd only not play 4. people now have higher expectations for them to play good games. it used to be matt pat and friends play a game feel free to watch. now it's matt pat and friends are playing a game i don't like play something i do like. bringing it back to this video what started out as fun game turned into a thankless job. people are quick to criticize what they don't like instead of thanking them for the work they do.
+Elwood It's the secret beach cycle. This is what always happens to something that gets popular. It's not gonna stay a paradise forever. Get used to it. Doesn't mean you won't get a beautiful sunset every once in a while, though.
+Flicle I just thought it was meant to be a face, like the invasion of an audience into the games. But I guess it's pretty obvious when you see the machine and it's just literally the logo.
I've watched a couple of let's plays of this game already, and let me tell you, having already watched it really adds to the experience. Like, suddenly you see everything in a completely new light. It's incredibly fascinating, especially added with the fresh pair of eyes and comments that the first time players represent.
+Kido木戸 did he beat a child to death on mic? did he take one of pats prescious remains hairs and waste his wish? I haven't watched any of that LP so I'm genuinely curious.
+jackalackb17 Because Liam is in 4 active playthroughs right now and people are getting bored of it. He's in Undertale, Life Is Strange, Danganronpa and MGSV(and playing very badly at it) It also doesn't help that out of all the best friends, Liam is not the most popular considering the kind of things he says and how it's not particularly an exciting personality compared to the others.
I have a friend who's very similar to this. He didn't post much of anything he created for a long time. I constantly ask him to send me things that he's created and archive them in a folder. He makes lots of weird audio edits and photo edits and recordings. In one recording, he made an entire concert by himself, he was the pianist playing and speaking, the screaming fans, the loudspeaker, he was everyone. He routinely purges his harddrive, so I have to get what I can when he decides on a whim that he'll give it to me.
+MetroAndroid And thus as what this game is saying, you are invading his privacy. You are looking at, or hearing things that he may not want you to hear, and thus inferring things about him that just aren't true. According to this game of course.
+Mike D and yet there are objections to destroying the work. Once he allowed the files to be seen by someone else, bearing responsibility for this decision. He shared files that others deemed valuable and later demanded all copies to be removed. That's the definition of a dick move and should not be played along.
+Mike D but MetroAndroid did not say he was publishing them and showing them to other people. THAT was what "coda" didn't like. davey was pushing him into the limelight and he didn't want that. but he sent davey his games so that was his choice. if MetroAndroid's friend is similar, then he makes the choice to show him what he wants to, and dump what he doesn't want to show him, as stated.
+DenyalNecross Guacamelee would probably be the best woolie and liam LP. I would say this let's watch of a pretentious interactive film is probably the most painful for me and I watched matt burn the predator's battery standing still while in stealth. Second most painful would be her story. Problem with those types of LP's is that there is so little interactivity which in turn causes little to no provision of entertainment. With Mat and Pat, they have the formula of talking shit about what plague told them or what liam or woolie may or may have not done. On the woolie and liam LPs they tend to talk about the technicals of the game but the statement is show don't tell. Then there's all this pretentious artsy crap. I have english 2 for trying to act like someone shitting on a canvas is "deep and meaningful" Throughout watching this, it feels like nothing is being done and even at 2x playspeed, it still feels like the thing is crawling along
I cannot express how much i enjoyed the last 5 minutes of this video, Just frantically searching google looking for answers after beating a game is the realest the channel may ever get.
Coda is Davey, or rather, what Davey calls his creative process (represented as a literal machine that makes games). Davey was making games for a long time and liked to make games that, for no other reason than for his own personal enjoyment, were more like ideas that could be viewed from a mobile first person perspective, than anything with a goal that need accomplishing. It made his creative mind so happy to be able to create these ideas, even if no one would see them, because he knew they were cool, and that was all that mattered to him. Somewhere though, he decided to start making games with a purpose. Maybe you had to get somewhere or do something, but he would make sure to keep the games as ideas. But now they would be ideas with goals. And soon Davey wanted to show people what his creativity was making, because maybe then he might feel even happier than he felt when he just made them for him. He felt so happy to make games for himself, it must feel better if more people like his stuff right? Right? Wrong. He begins to show others, and they really liked it, and for a moment he felt so amazing. It felt so nice to be liked, to be told that he was good. To be validated. It felt so good that, maybe, he started to make games so that he could feel it again. He began to make games for them, and not for himself anymore, and deep down, it made his creativity sick. And in protest, his creativity began to slow, to take longer and longer to come out with a new game, because it didn't want to make games for anyone else. It wanted to make games because it was fun to make games. And then, his creativity figured, enough was enough. It would never make another game for Davey, or for anyone else. And now, Davey doesn't know what to do, because all that validation, all that love he felt, would suddenly be gone. People would probably ask him, "When is the next game coming? Stanley Parable was sooo good! Give us more Davey!" He doesn't know what to do, and then he makes this. And all I can say is, Davey, I hope you find your way back to making games for yourself. I hope you still find making games fun.
I thought this and would continue to believe it but, after watching a reaction video Davey did of a reaction video ( so much Mets), it seems that Coda was.much more and less than a part of Davey. Great analysis none the less.
Most of the comment section, and for what I've seen also the bad reviews, over this game are absolutely hillarious in how much they're missing the point of this experiment in alternate storytelling, and I love how Liam and Woolie are just the perfect duo to be playing this kind of game, they actually understand and get engrossed into the message this "Game" tries to put up into the player! Finally, a good Liam/Woolie Playthrough!
So in Tarot, the "Major Arcana" all have number values. The code in The Tower is 151617, or 15, 16, 17. The cards would be Devil, Tower, Star. One of the little FromSoft-style notes reads "Devil Tower Star". The Devil symbolizes the entrapment of sin, vice and addiction. The Tower brings calamity. The Star is a symbol of hope. I think what Coda was trying to explain, in another way, the same thing as the big letter at the end. Davey Wreden is clearly trapped within his addiction to praise caused by his insecurity, and has harmed Coda in his desperation. Coda is forced to dissolve the relationship in as dramatic as fashion as he can muster: the game "The Tower". Coda hopes that, with time, Davey will understand what he did and why it was wrong.
I thought I would never say this, but the Rising Superstar should really stop streaking across the sky so hard, too much Liam is starting to feel... not great...
It's kind of funny that all it takes to get someone more invested in art is to go "yeah this is real", which is why I think so many actors play characters that share their name in weird, ambiguously "real" shows. AlanTutorial comes to mind.
Reverend Anton why does it feel like they are taking what the narrator is saying seriously then... there is no body language to see from the best friends, so I have nothing to gauge here.
I don't think that was the point of the game at all. The dissolving of the friendship between Davey and Coda was brought on because Davey kept trying to force meaning onto Coda's games. I believe this was because there wasn't any meaning and the apple was simply an apple. I think the main takeaway from The Beginners Guide is that sometimes things are just exactly as they appear and there doesn't always have to be a deeper meaning. That isn't to say I think they were making fun of people for being "pretentious" but rather it's an anecdotal cautionary tale. Davey Wreden can definitely come across as pretentious in this "game" and I definitely get why they would think that. But it really can be damaging to keep pushing and forcing meaning to things when the creator of said thing repeatedly tells you that there is no meaning. I mean, just look at that artist who became angry that people would slobber over any piece of garbage he made. That guy went mad. He shit in a shoebox and everyone thought it was the most amazing art ever. That would drive me crazy too. Then again, Davey Wreden said that The Beginners Guide was "up for interpretation" so maybe he is just being super pretentious or just ironic. We'll never know unless he tells us.
@@cyanmanta i think THATS actually the point; that when you attempt to read deeply into things made by others, much of your interpretation can only be a reflection of your own self, and thus its unfair to immediately project those feelings to the other person without really knowing
i must have come back to this video like 10 times since it was released. I don't even know if i like this game as a work of art even, but something about "I want whatever wholeness you summoned out of nothing and put into your work , you were complete in some way I never was" has followed my depressed often frustrated ass for about 4 years now, popping back into my brain when im mentally and creatively at my worst.
The date is September 29, 2022. I went back to this video to learn more from Davey and Koda. But also to see what Woolie and Liam got up to while playing The Beginners Guide. This game has an impact on me throughout my life. So much so that I return here frequently to relive what I experienced in 2015. It's an odd sensation. But I'm sure the super best friends did the same for everyone here a long time after this video was first posted. Bless you all brothers.
+Kvothefussiest I had the opposite reaction, I'm sitting here so frustrated right now! I can't believe the metaphor flew over both of their heads like that.
+Kvothefussiest It's hard not to be immersed if you've actually known someone like Coda and watched them deteriorate through their creative media before disappearing entirely.
+D- Pickles well there is some truth to it. the fact that this game exist means that there are people that go these kind of things. so there are infact codas in the world.
+D- Pickles Except the only cause of that "deterioration" was caused by Davey doing exactly what Woolie and Liam did throughout this whole LP. Judging and psychoanalyzing the /creator/ based on their works is shitty and immoral. Davey's obsession with analyzing Cody and altering his works for his own purposes is what drove him away. The only reason why Woolie and Liam didn't full grasp that it was fictional is because they are also Daveys. They believed Coda was real, but they felt no qualms with picking apart Coda's mental state until the game up had to straight-up tell them to fuck off.
I mean, they hit on it a little bit. It's totally about Davey's life before and after The Stanley Parable. I looked up some talks that he did and he pretty much tells the story of this game. If you like this kinda stuff I would encourage looking up his talk at Aalto University.
I'm honestly quite shocked at some of the reactions in the comments. I have been glued to the screen the past hour and a half along with Liam and Woolie, despite the fact I should have been sleeping more than an hour ago.I can understand critiquing the game but a lot of comments come across as so petty and reactionary. Some of you saw the game, noticed it was a "walking simulator" about something out of the ordinary and INSTANTLY dismissed it as pretentious and crap.Whatever happened to open-mindedness? Do all games played on this channel have to be Metal Gear or Platinum? Do all games have to have a score, an objective? Can there be no experimentation or growth in this bloody industry? Christ.
+George Marchant Well spoken. The current age group generally consists of; fuckboys, tryhards, (I only play games with guns), and sheep. Ill generally love anything they put on there channel. It's just sad that the comment section has degraded to grunting and slinging mud.
+George Marchant It's hard to differentiate pretentious with substance, especially in these genre of games. Whether or not they're games, does it matter? Why do people want to say it is a game? Does that validate it? Does that make it more than what it is somehow? Why do people want to say it isn't a game? Is that an insult? Does that make it less than what it is? The game industry is big, and there's room for lots of games, although you went to the extreme end of the spectrum. There's a pretty big gap between this and, say, Transformers Devastation. Games like this is hardly the only area where people are exploring or experimenting in. I think the biggest problem people have with these games is the fanbases of these types of games, how they call these games "art", and not very subtly imply that these sorts of games are inherently superior to everything else. These types of games, coupled with AAA games that value pretty cinematics over anything else means that neither end of the development spectrum seems to care about making fresh and innovating gameplay mechanics. Which is, you know, kind of a big aspect of video games. There's also folks that basically say nonsense like games shouldn't have gameplay. So in an industry that seems to no longer value the thing that makes video games unique and, interesting people turn their ire to games like this, which seem to stand for everything they hate in the current industry, and the fanbase standing for people that they deem harmful to the future of the industry.
I have to say thank you to you guys for not splitting this up into episodes. I was so invested in this game and it would have been terrible to have to wait for the next ep.
I played this, thought it was pretty great for what it was. That said. It is not anywhere near what would make a video that this fanbase would enjoy. The comments for this are gonna be a total shitshow. And I can't wait. *grabs bowl of popcorn*
Wow, the comments are harsh on the game for all intents, I've read the word "Pretentious" in the comments so much that I think I forgot what it ever meant in the first place. I don't see the game as being pretentious, honestly. It's an interactive walking simulator, the market is not oversaturated with these things for me to really be sick of them and I liked the Stanley Parable. I mean the narrator was being pretentious but wasn't the point of the game to stop trying to oversee some deep meaning over games that was never there to begin with? As is what happens at the final point of the game? Coda calling him out on trying to be deep and complex?
I watched this video recently for the first time and I really enjoyed your back and forth. The first time I saw this game I actually ended up becoming emotionally exhausted because I became pretty invested in this story. Whatever it’s goal was, I still enjoyed it in the end.
Old videos are a nice place to hide thoughts. I've been rewatching this video and going through these comments for the 5th time in my life, and I'm just gonna vent. It hurts that so many people have a limited definition of what a game can be, or what an experience can be, or what can be sold, and the idea that short experiences should cost less or be free. I play a lot of "walking sims", and a lot of action games, and a lot of indie games. It feels like walking sims should be so opposite to the others, but they really aren't. I spend a lot of time outside of an during games just thinking about them, and what they're trying to say, and how all the various mechanics work and don't work. And because I do that, all games sit in a similar place in my mind, and when they have what people call "gameplay" it's often just something that's fun to do. What I appreciate more is when those mechanics mean something, or tie into the story, or even work together to tell something to me by way of my own actions, something that no other medium can do. This game does some of that, but mostly it made me think more than any other game has, for a lot of complicated reasons. I'm only 18, and I've never created much, so the message doesn't apply to me as strongly as some other people. But I do think about games and apply my own thoughts to them very often, and for that reason this game is special to me. I'll never forget it, and I'll think of it every time I play another "walking simulator". Maybe it's pretentious to post this, and in a way asking someone else to reply to it? I don't care, it felt good to get this out of my head.
Levi Sullivan there are always going to be people who view newer art forms like that, it was the same with books and films at earlier points in history.
TL;DR Rambling post I'm not sure what definitions you hear but mine, I'll admit I stole it, "Interactive with a fail state". Maybe to flesh it out a bit more, it must involve you doing something, with the possibility of not being able to finish it. In a basic form, some Chose Your Own Adventure books could be considered games (though I'd doubt many would), and in a more complex form you have the original Deus Ex or System Shock (which are considered classics). The important bit is that they have a fail state or game over, bad ending, whatever means you can't complete the task asked, otherwise it's just a movie you have to press the play button to watch. The fail state bit is where these walking games fail. I for one enjoyed the Stanly Parable (even though I had it all spoiled by the game itself by taking the "exit" my first time through and winding up in the museum. Hell it probably made me appreciate it more since I tend not to analyze stuff too readily), and though you could consider it a walking simulator it fits my definition of a game as it has fail states. Then there's tripe like gone home where there are no fail states. But moving past whether something is a game or not, and on to whether it's an experience. It's stupid as you've either played it or you haven't (experienced or not), but whether that experience was good or not (assuming you did partake) is subjective and up to you. I'd say I had a good experience with SP while others may have had a good experience with GH. And if you found someone who didn't like SP but liked GH, and stuck them in a room with the opposite, they'd probably argue till they both turned blue. It's subjective as to what you classify an experiences as and there's no accounting for taste. Whether someone or a group should publish or sell something is rather easy to decide. Did you do it as a project, use it as a learnign experience, or mainly used or worked off someone unrelated to it's work? Then no, most likely not. You should be free to make it as available as you see fit (or at least until the Lawyers come after you if it involves the last thing I mentioned), but never charge anyone in anyway besides their own time (and bandwidth to download). Did you make it with the express purpose of intending to sell it, to make it as part of a lively hood, and if anything was used or taken from someone else, they've been informed and have agreed to participating. Then yes, you can sell it. What price should be to your discretion but have some discretion about it. Is it actually good and does it run a decent enough length for what you want to charge? People don't care how long or hard it was to make, if they see the end product is about and hour to finish and mediocre over all, no one but the stupidly rich and rich in stupidity are going to bite. Action 52 is a good example what should probably released for free rather then sold. This game clocks in at about an hour forty minutes to get through, costs $10, and it made me genuinely sad (not something that happens that often and honestly if it wasn't for listening to Woolie and Liam talk about it being a work or not I'd probably have been crying till the end of the game instead of choking it out) so it's a good price.
NEEDbacon That summed things up pretty nicely. It's just annoying that whether something is a game or not is often such a big arguement that it overshadows actually talking about it, and it being a game or not shouldn't be that big of a deal in the first place. "Software installed on my personal computer that I launched from an executable and played with a keyboard and mouse" is a lot more cumbersome than just calling it a game.
Woolie and Liam should never be in the same video without both Matt and Patrick ever, they are like two singularities drawing each other in to create a black hole where nothing escapes.
+MF PICKLE O Wow thanks for the idea, I forgot that I beat it in an hour and a half and could refund it. The game was fine and all, but just way too personal to be sold on Steam. This should have been a free download.
+MF PICKLE O Ye even I find it super interesting but...10 bucks (here) is pretty steep for what is in essence an interesting exposé/presentation. Still, gave me some food for thought and still trying to figure out what it's actually about (I got a theory at least)
I hate, hate, HATE when people say this game is "obviously about __." It isn't _obviously_ about _anything_. There are so many levels to this game. There's so much raw emotion, so many recurring themes about the very nature of creativity, trust, friendship, and video games, that it feels almost disrespectful to pin it down as being about any one thing, much less _clearly_ about it. This game is one of the most emotional narrative experiences I've ever been on, and I find myself coming back to it over and over, not because it has some kind of replay value, but because, like any good story, there's more to see every time.
What the hell happened to this fanbase? As soon as someone makes a game that's not packed with action gameplay or horror, it's pretentious. Are your views of what one might be able to accomplish with the medium so narrow that you can't just take this for what it is, instead of comparing it to what you're used to? This is interactive story-telling at it's finest. It doesn't matter if it's real or not. Nothing will take away the experience you get from playing it the first time.
Unfortunately a lot of people think talking about feelings, depression and mental illness is pretentious by default. Anyone talking about their chronic depression or disability or anything to do with feelings MUST just want attention and they're exaggerating, they're limp wristed, weak soy boy etc etc
It's symbolism. It's an idea that if it wasn't presented in this form, most people wouldn't give two shits. I mean seriously who in their right minds believes a guy has parents that would WILLINGLY name him CODA? I mean, cmon now.
+Chase B I would actually enjoy this better in the form of a regular documentary about the creative process and mindset during search of ideas and production of a game to share something with the world. That Coda narrative is just really pompous and boring.
Damn. This was incredibly interesting. Such a good use of the medium to tell an interesting story. I like that the Best Friends don't really shy away from content like this on their channel.
Alright so this is going to be a fine playthrough because Liam has 5 million hours in The Stanley Parable, right? RIGHT?! ARE WOOLIE AND LIAM GOING TO TALK OVER EVERYTHING LIKE THE SHITASSES THEY ARE?
i just have to say this was truly amazing lp by far one of your best it was not only entertaining but i felt an emotional connection to it great work guys
Guys I'm really glad that you played this. It's ok to play something super different every once in a while. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I needed this, you needed this, everyone needed this.
Thank you woolio and Liam , I would have never played this game. Thanks to you guys I had an amazing experience that really left me thinking about life and junk.
i know this wasn't a typical LP but...i appreciate this a lot. it's something i wouldn't have otherwise heard of. i'm hoping to one day make my own game (fat chance, i know) but seeing this sort of inside view of how to make stuff is so...relaxing.
How in hell do they not realise by the end that it's fiction? Davey's writing is so clearly self-aware. Some people just don't understand metaphors I guess?
I like this little... video game/experiment/project/walking sim, a really interesting take on indie devs and motivational stuff that I can relate to. It's nice to play something different every once in a while, I don't get the hate it gets. But I think I'll pick this up on a sale, 10 bucks is just too much for one hour and a half.
+Illidan Stormrage The salty storm is raging like never before. All you can do is just weather it till they get tired of complaining and leave, and then we can have fun again.
This is an incredibly interesting concept so far. It's like walking through a game creators head during his thought process and seeing the visual representations of what he's trying to create. Perfectly trippy and I love it
Hoping this one isn't a wasted game on SBF. Matt would have been a total waste of a space. Pat would have appreciated the fuck out of this if he were patient enough to sit through this.
Here's the thing. This game brought me to tears even with the TBF dialog and everything, fiction or reality it was an emotional game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You don't demand a book to be real, you don't demand a painting to be logical, you don't demand a movie to have an accurate timeline. On its own merit its a story that said its piece and ended. Iv paid more than 9 dollars for movies that left less of an impact. Iv watched shows and read books that took up much more than an hour of my time that left me with nothing at the end. Regardless of how much or little of a "game" you define this as or how real you imagine it to be this is a story and I'm glad I took the time to enjoy it.
+thedudeperson Probably because Coda reminds us of ourselves or people we know. When someone is portrayed in such a disturbing, vague, and yet real way, folks can't help but wonder if he's a real guy--even when common sense says no.
Absolutely loved this game. It was an interesting look at how your emotional and mental state can really affect your work and just how you interpret the quality. A really beautiful piece with quite a twist at the end. It also has a real earnest feeling to it that hits home quite nicely!
This game causes so many complicated emotions. I like it, though many people won't. I personally like all the Best Friends most of all when they're in game analysis mode. Woolie and Liam's commentary was excellent, I don't understand all the hate. Truthful or not, the game definitely raises great questions in a way untried before. However, if you don't enjoy emotional ambiguity and meta, this is not your game.
I'm glad you guys uploaded this. Not sure if there was hesitation on that front but still, I really enjoyed your reactions and interpretations to what was going on. I absolutely believe this is a 'work.' The same expertise in reverse engineering a player experience that was necessary for The Stanly Parable is exactly the kind of insight an experience like this one would need. I imagine the level of craft that would be necessary to fabricate an entire other person, inject them with a level of perceived baggage (which also plays off of the one doing the perceiving), and then construct a narrative around the interaction of these two with "games" as the medium of conversation, and it lines up precisely with the level of craft required to make the expectation subverting experience that was TSP. Exceeds it even, as a logical progression in that unique style of game development. Additionally, there are too many instances (especially later on) where dead time exists which does not serve the implied deeper purpose of these games as made by Coda, but which serve Davey perfectly, as if by design, in injecting well paced exposition/thoughts. The game is paced well for commentary in a way that goes beyond Davey simply being skillful at inject it appropriately. That being said, the ideas and conversation that this experience exorcises from its audience is 100% by design. The subject matter is so dense: the natural evaluations we all make of ourselves and each other, the consequences of acting in good faith with incomplete information, feeling of betrayal, questioning self worth, games as art or as catharsis. It's just packed. And because it's constructed, and NOT based on (though maybe informed by) actual events, every idea you guys suggested and every other idea that it brings forth are shining successes and a great credit to the merit of this 'work.' I have immense respect for this guy and his ability to construct a tale and tell it well.
I just had two of the worst days of my life, I have relapsed into depression again. After watching this, I can go on.I cannot thank you guys enough for helping me. You did not mean to, but you did. Thank you very much.
+getblunted4life Oh...well that makes being possibly fired seem not as bad, as long as I am not him; plus the holidays are upon us and stores will need the extra help. I feel absolutley better friend.
Man, this story-game threw me for a loop so hard on the first time. And now that I'm thinking about it again, I recognise these feelings of a「creator」and the experiences of my seniors in it. Such wow. That ending though
This is really unsettling and much different than the usual content on this channel, like Her Story. Kudos for that! Great job leading us viewers in "What did I just watch?!" Definitely will be reflecting on The Beginner's Guide.
This game (not getting into an argument about whether or not it can be called a game) was amazing to watch. I damn near cried a few times, watching how beautifully it transitioned from realtively goofy parts, to melancholy, lonely, scary segments. The stage act especially chilled me. I had to make a few observations and interpretations throughout, and I don't really think I can follow what Liam and Woolie were talking about when they said they'd be pissed if it was all fiction. It can never fully be fiction. The themes and meaning must come from the author in some aspect. I do, however agree that this seems like a highly personal work. Loved it. Interpretation below (feel free to comment your own) : Trying to interpret this as a literal apology to an actual person is really not going to give a satisfactory explanation. The exploration of the evolution of a game developer (or any artist) who doesn't share his work with anyone, needs to be all about looking at the characters in the work he's made, and the characters making the games. My interpretation of this is that Davey is making up a fictional character called Coda, who is the representation of Davey's own creative drive, as well as his own insecurities. Meanwhile, Davey himself is exploring the work of Coda as if he's an outsider, who somehow feels connected to Coda and his games. The more games Coda makes, the more Davey feels emboldened by the creative merit of them, and frustrated by how they don't go anywhere, or have satisfying meaning, so he starts changing them up, adding lampposts which he pretends Cody put there. After sharing Cody's work and telling people how Cody probably needs help, and Cody probably should receive recognition, Davey is benefiting from being the well meaning helper of this tortured artist, while carrying the artist inside him, in essence telling others that he, himself, is depressed and lonely. Cody finally builds a game that is impenetrable to anyone who can't modify the game, and when Davey modifies the game, he is caught red-handed, and Cody tells him off. Cody never meant for the games to be seen by others, because he doesn't feel the need to reach out, but only to create. Davey is overcome by guilt and fear of losing Cody (his creative drive), and tries to bargain and plea with him, but receiving no answer. Calling out to people to help him find his Cody, which could be interpreted as his creative drive, or muse. I'm pretty sure this is a story of coming to terms with your inner demons, and finding that in trying to do so, you find some pretty ugly demons in yourself that you didn't even know about, which is what I believe is addressed in the Lecture game. The student looks to the teacher for guidance on how to be "that perfect person that makes you feel worthless in comparison", but then it switches so that the teacher is seen to have many flaws and insecurities, while not having an actual answer to "how to be perfect".
You know what? I don't care either way if this is real. I don't care if Davey made it all up. What we have here is a fantastic and insanely well crafted character study of a person, make believe or no. Its artistry lies in its ambiguity, and it is a gorgeous way of using the medium of interactive story telling to work the player from every angle and keep them guessing. It reveals the genius of Davey-boy, and whatever your decision on the reality of Coda, it is what it is, and it is a brand new experience.
While there is no real Coda, the dev has heavily implied that the whole game is a personal metaphor about troubles he went through making the stanley parable.
That part with the lampposts is cleverly written to hide the spoilers from the end. "For some reason Coda fixates on the lampposts, and they'll appear at the end of all his games from now on" Either it means that Davey as the 'infection' makes Coda put the lamp posts at the end of his games, or that Davey is continuing to alter Coda's work, even after they've fallen out. Coda would fixate on the lamp posts in either case, but they wouldn't really be something that he wants.
Игры
the line that hit hardest, was "Stop putting Lampposts in my games"
That calls into question everything that Davey has told you so far, and It gave me chills.
"Stop putting lamp posts in my games." I'm still wrestling with the implications of that line.
Woolie's recent google searches
Undertale - How do i play the ha...
Until dawn blac guy
+MF PICKLE O Eric Harris Dylan Klebold how they did it
+MF PICKLE O Found the thing woolie looked up about undertale.
gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/237729/how-do-i-play-the-haunting-song
not gonna lie I had to look this up as well just because I don't know music very well.
+MF PICKLE O I checked out your Soundcloud :)
+MF PICKLE O
Can't stop laughing at 'Until dawn blac guy'
one of his most visited pages is "Order food"
In a trailer for The Stanley Parable, the Narrator reads an actual email from an actual fan, named Raphael. In the email, Raphael states that he wants an emotional game, and The Stanley Parable wasn't emotional.
At the end of The Beginner's Guide, an emotional game also made by Davey, before the credits roll, text shows up, stating "For R."
DAVEY YOU FREAKIN' GENIUS
Such an amazing game
I thought this was going to be a guide about bestfriends lore.
Same here. I thought "maybe it's gonna be their channel intro video, the one non-subscribers see?".
I was actually hoping for that
+phantommanass Me too. Kinda want to see what they would do if they did that. :/
I'd love it.
Well that's totally something that should happen.
I don't think the game being fictional takes too much away, because when you first experience it the story is so beautiful and tragic it makes it real.
I love this game, it was one of the most moving 2 hours of entertainment Ive experienced.
Clever game, with a beautiful concept behind it.
2022 and I'm still coming back to this playthrough.
I'm kinda obsessed with this game and watching playthroughs of this game, and I think this one comes the closest to being the perfect playthrough of it, one of my favorite SBFP videos, with my 2 favorite members, just perfect.
2023
I like that the steam description has " it tells the story of someone struggling to deal with something they do not understand." The someone just isn't coda.
Two years later and I'm still freakin' out over how good that dang sheet is.
Skip to 4 years later. I still havent seen a better one
It been 5 years, what do you think of the sheet
@@creator-link I still think about it.
Don't blame you@@DShephard91
@@DShephard91 you still thinking bout it?
Could this be considered a (psychological) horror game because of how unsettling the whole thing makes me? The whole time I feel _really_ uncomfortable, as if a genuine horror element will appear out of nowhere at any second.
I do like the idea of getting to know someone through a game or something rather than the messy actually talking to them thing. But that's social anxiety for you...
You like Krabby Patties, don't you Squidward? Old comment I know, but you could probably call this a psychological horror game for anyone who’s had a friendship end really badly
IcyBones Old comment I know, but you could probably call this a psychological horror game even for people who haven't had a friendship end really badly. We haven't, but it still hit us pretty hard.
Someone please count the use of 'pretentious' in this comments section. What a great descriptor. I'm sure we're all filled with determination reading that 80 times.
...wait
+Jesse Anderson Someone please count the use of 'determination' in the comment section of the last view videos. Of course that's fine because Undertale is the flavor of the month and noone is allowed to not like it
+Jesse Anderson Pretentious means someone or something created by someone who thinks they are smarter than they actually are.
It is a fine descriptor if you actually know what the word means.
CJTheInvader Yeah, I agree, in the right context in can work fine. Hell, I'm not gonna try to say people are wrong saying it. It just rubs me the wrong way because that wasn't really the vibe I got from the game or the video.
+CJTheInvader Then how come so many people here are using it?
+BIGBLUBLUR because if anything so much as seems a TINY bit like it is pretentious, then people will say it is. because... it's fun to say that maybe? I've no idea.
Wow, I guess no one cares about art. Jesus, I'm starting to notice the fanbase is not nearly as thoughtful as the friends. Also, thanks for pointing this out, I might not have noticed this game if you guys didn't push this out!
+StraightJacketRED "art", yeah okay.....
+Zepher0987 why u say it like that? please share with the class what your definition of "art" is
+Andy Tapia only the games he likes are art
Well....art is subjective. I guess anything can be art, or art is everything.
+StraightJacketRED I find the reactions to stuff like this really interesting, myself. Especially the people who instantly rile up at intellectual stuff.
Would fit Pat perfectly.
Doesn't have Pat play it.
The fuck.
that's what I'm sayin!
+ukokira They didn't know what it was going in.
Fuck, they STILL don't know what it is.
How anyone could think this is genuine blows my mind. I knew what this was the moment I saw the floating crates in the first area. People aren't given Davey Wreden nearly enough credit.
Did anyone here even play The Stanley Parable?
And they would know this beforehand how...?
+ukokira Never give Woolie mouse and keyboard controls. Jeez, the amount of times he got stuck on a door, or struggled to rotate the camera while moving...
I thought he had his own gaming PC. Does he ever use it? Or does he just play everything with a controller plugged in?
Qwazzy The game description?
Everything about the games information screams "Play me Pat. Play me"
Watched this game on one channel and everyone loved it...watches it on this one...wow this fanbase has become shit.
+brawler1z People are still salty about Dangan Ronpa: The WooLiam
+Zepher0987 nah, they bitch and moan about everything.
Don't get me wrong, I don't like this game and I think it's pretty pretentious, but any time I look at the comments on any of this channel's vids, they're crying about one trivial thing or another.
+brawler1z It's youtube, people act differently when no one is looking them in the face. If people agree with each other it can get a little out of hand because if you see a positive comment you're encouraged to send one yourself and vice-versa... all I hear when I read internet comments on YT is people lying to themselves and looking for validation. goes for me too but at least I can't really take myself seriously even if I am upset by my opinions of opinions. Just like to type things as anyone can see...
AAAAAAAAaaanyway, how are you? :)
+Zepher0987 Are you fucking kidding me? I used to look forward to best friends comments section because they were always filled with inside jokes and pleasant conversation unlike any other youtube channel! Yet lately these comments are becoming sparse only to be replaced by complaining and bitching and needlessly harsh comment only for the purpose to bait others. Truly the comments are becoming increasingly cancerous. And if you haven't noticed it then you are part of the problem.
Zepher0987
No jokes now, all serious business.
Wow. I had chills all through this.
0.0 It's you
I know I'm super late to this, but...
Woolie: I'm so invested in this being real, it needs to be real.
Me: Does it? Does it change the message or the intent or the feeling of a connection that you have? I don't think it matters. I really needed this game recently...
I think "stop adding lamp posts" is coda asking him to stop adding meanings and solutions to his work. Coda tried to tell him that through the game but Davey, ironically, didn't get the one message the author was genuinely trying to send.
I've seen a lot of people say this, but I also DO think it's literal as well. Like, I do think Davey edited Coda's games to add lampposts to them where there weren't before, in order to try and create this feeling of a larger fabric to work the games together which may not have existed in Coda's original works. However, I'll concede that it's vague enough to be interpreted either way
@@code8825you’re doing it. We’re all doing it. Take it as it is.
@@elijahnakumura4375 to be fair though this sort of discussion isn't the same thing davey is doing. davey was overanalysing coda's work and coda was uncomfortable with that. what we're all doing is analysing davey's words and his compilation, which is a different matter entirely
@@paps3060that’s real, i think the take above you shows a lack of media literacy
Oh man, a nice thought provoking journey that seems to have come from the heart. It really mirrors some of the experiences I've gone through with my own game dev role! I wonder what the comment section thinks about this.
*scrolls down*
.... oh
+Bearmun Sorry man
Yeah it's sad. apparently its pretentious to actually feel something in a game.
+Bearmun really, really sorry
+Bearmun It doesn't solely apply to game development either. I feel as though this "game" will really speak to anybody who's ever been passionate about creating anything at all. I know as a writer, this hits me really hard, because I totally understand what it's like. Abandoning countless projects when you hit a good point, or simply lose interest, all the way to falling out of love with the process creation entirely. Seems to me like a really good analogy of the creative process.
Well, right up until the end where the projections come in like crazy. But I don't think the ending is what we're meant to cling to.
+Reedi But if we stop adding lamp posts, how can we continue being pretentious? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Yo, don't read this until you watch the video, these spoilers sort of ruin the point of the thing, and coming from a guy who LIKES spoilers, this is good advice.
I think this game could only possibly exist, as a narrative that Davey is having with his inner self. With Coda being a personification of himself that tried to create for the sake of creation, arguing with his current self that creates for the sake of completion and validation of others. The phone conversation with his past self seems to validate this quite a bit.
The unfortunate alternative, is that Davey released someone else's games and monetized it, pretty much explicitly against their wishes to do so. Which we have to find absurdly unlikely.
I'm hoping that this isn't just a work by Davey. I'm hoping that it supposed to be a bit of therapy for himself that helps him capture that spark that, from my interpretation of it all, he feels he has lost. I'm hoping that he finds peace for what feels like some inner conflict he is having.
I mean, him showing us this conflict is clearly the point. You don't record yourself having a loud vocal breakdown in high quality audio, fit it into a videogame, and then sell it online if you don't have a point in doing so. Davey tries to lead you along his thought processes in sharing Coda's games in a way to try and get the player/viewer to relate as well. That revelation that you don't have to make things for the validation of others is hopefully meant to be the take away from this.
I'd call it half work/half real. I don't think this game could legally exist if it were entirely real, and I don't think it's entirely a work with how emotionally colorful it is.
Both characters are fictional. The only reason the narrator shares a name with the actual developer is to mislead people into believing the narrator was the same person and could be trusted.
+TheChocoXCheese the worst part is that all the "games" are in first person. it would have been more believable if they were different.
+Cosmic Kirby Agreed. The best fiction reflects real life. It doesn't have to be the real Davey talking about a real other guy called Coda, but there is a real struggle shown here. A pretty universal one, too.
+Cosmic Kirby In wrestling lingo, that's a "worked shoot" my friend.
+Cosmic Kirby
In the end (the last game) it says on the wall "why do you keep adding lamp posts to my games" then after that Davey says "i guess if someone had told me ahead of time that he just really enjoyed making prison games maybe i wouldn't had thought that he was so desperate i wouldn't have told so many people he was depressed..maybe he just really likes making prison games". I think he added the lamp posts as a destination for his self to validate it. The Depth of the story and background about Mental Illness left me speechless
There's a difference between disliking something and acting like a smug chode about it. Seriously, what happened to Zaibatsu's comments section?
Where my comment section gone?!
+Elwood And I think we can't do anything about this =\
+Elwood On the other hand, at least I don't feel nearly as bad about my dickish Bloodborne comments anymore.
But, yeah, some of these are just pointlessly nasty.
Pretty sure it happened once they broke their we don't play good games rule. During the early channel days matt and pat said they'd never play silent hill 2 and with the recent origins they said they'd only not play 4. people now have higher expectations for them to play good games. it used to be matt pat and friends play a game feel free to watch. now it's matt pat and friends are playing a game i don't like play something i do like. bringing it back to this video what started out as fun game turned into a thankless job. people are quick to criticize what they don't like instead of thanking them for the work they do.
+Elwood It's the secret beach cycle. This is what always happens to something that gets popular. It's not gonna stay a paradise forever. Get used to it. Doesn't mean you won't get a beautiful sunset every once in a while, though.
>the three dots are the steam logo
+Flicle Everyone needs to see this
+Flicle I just thought it was meant to be a face, like the invasion of an audience into the games. But I guess it's pretty obvious when you see the machine and it's just literally the logo.
+Flicle Half Life .•. confirmed
+Flicle Holy shit. Thank you.
+Flicle Three dots symbolize three moles on Ice Cube face.
I've watched a couple of let's plays of this game already, and let me tell you, having already watched it really adds to the experience. Like, suddenly you see everything in a completely new light. It's incredibly fascinating, especially added with the fresh pair of eyes and comments that the first time players represent.
what's with all the Liam hate? did I miss something? did he remove his ankle bracelet and now people are scared?
+Kido木戸 did he beat a child to death on mic? did he take one of pats prescious remains hairs and waste his wish? I haven't watched any of that LP so I'm genuinely curious.
They are scared cause he got in the vents again
+jackalackb17 Because Liam is in 4 active playthroughs right now and people are getting bored of it.
He's in Undertale, Life Is Strange, Danganronpa and MGSV(and playing very badly at it)
It also doesn't help that out of all the best friends, Liam is not the most popular considering the kind of things he says and how it's not particularly an exciting personality compared to the others.
+jackalackb17 his limiter got removed now and no one can stop his claim to fame.
+jackalackb17 he keeps forgetting the cookies but in all seriousness I have no idea
I have a friend who's very similar to this. He didn't post much of anything he created for a long time. I constantly ask him to send me things that he's created and archive them in a folder. He makes lots of weird audio edits and photo edits and recordings. In one recording, he made an entire concert by himself, he was the pianist playing and speaking, the screaming fans, the loudspeaker, he was everyone. He routinely purges his harddrive, so I have to get what I can when he decides on a whim that he'll give it to me.
+MetroAndroid And thus as what this game is saying, you are invading his privacy. You are looking at, or hearing things that he may not want you to hear, and thus inferring things about him that just aren't true. According to this
game of course.
+Mike D and yet there are objections to destroying the work. Once he allowed the files to be seen by someone else, bearing responsibility for this decision. He shared files that others deemed valuable and later demanded all copies to be removed. That's the definition of a dick move and should not be played along.
Mike D Except he's never once asked me to stop. If anything, he finds it humorous that someone likes what he considers to be his shitty creations.
+Mike D but MetroAndroid did not say he was publishing them and showing them to other people. THAT was what "coda" didn't like. davey was pushing him into the limelight and he didn't want that. but he sent davey his games so that was his choice. if MetroAndroid's friend is similar, then he makes the choice to show him what he wants to, and dump what he doesn't want to show him, as stated.
The best Wooliam LP going on right now.
+Darksoul9669 just watched the final fantasy 8 video before this, cool
+Darksoul9669 True, but you can get any worse than the bottom of the barrel.
+DenyalNecross when's triple triads tho
+DenyalNecross Guacamelee would probably be the best woolie and liam LP. I would say this let's watch of a pretentious interactive film is probably the most painful for me and I watched matt burn the predator's battery standing still while in stealth. Second most painful would be her story. Problem with those types of LP's is that there is so little interactivity which in turn causes little to no provision of entertainment. With Mat and Pat, they have the formula of talking shit about what plague told them or what liam or woolie may or may have not done. On the woolie and liam LPs they tend to talk about the technicals of the game but the statement is show don't tell. Then there's all this pretentious artsy crap. I have english 2 for trying to act like someone shitting on a canvas is "deep and meaningful" Throughout watching this, it feels like nothing is being done and even at 2x playspeed, it still feels like the thing is crawling along
+Darksoul9669 Better than whatever the fuck that purple shit is I see every day in my inbox.
Another video without Pat?
This does not fill me with determination.
+Cat Facts I just want to stare at Pat staring at things. Is that too much to ask?
+Cat Facts Pat LPs matter.
I cannot express how much i enjoyed the last 5 minutes of this video, Just frantically searching google looking for answers after beating a game is the realest the channel may ever get.
When I heard the name coda the first thing I thought of was bloody stream.
You and I both
We all did.
Well this was an uncomfortable romp through the mind of two characters who just couldn't understand each other. It's also strangely motivating.
Coda is Davey, or rather, what Davey calls his creative process (represented as a literal machine that makes games).
Davey was making games for a long time and liked to make games that, for no other reason than for his own personal enjoyment, were more like ideas that could be viewed from a mobile first person perspective, than anything with a goal that need accomplishing. It made his creative mind so happy to be able to create these ideas, even if no one would see them, because he knew they were cool, and that was all that mattered to him.
Somewhere though, he decided to start making games with a purpose. Maybe you had to get somewhere or do something, but he would make sure to keep the games as ideas. But now they would be ideas with goals. And soon Davey wanted to show people what his creativity was making, because maybe then he might feel even happier than he felt when he just made them for him. He felt so happy to make games for himself, it must feel better if more people like his stuff right? Right?
Wrong. He begins to show others, and they really liked it, and for a moment he felt so amazing. It felt so nice to be liked, to be told that he was good. To be validated. It felt so good that, maybe, he started to make games so that he could feel it again. He began to make games for them, and not for himself anymore, and deep down, it made his creativity sick. And in protest, his creativity began to slow, to take longer and longer to come out with a new game, because it didn't want to make games for anyone else. It wanted to make games because it was fun to make games.
And then, his creativity figured, enough was enough. It would never make another game for Davey, or for anyone else. And now, Davey doesn't know what to do, because all that validation, all that love he felt, would suddenly be gone. People would probably ask him, "When is the next game coming? Stanley Parable was sooo good! Give us more Davey!" He doesn't know what to do, and then he makes this.
And all I can say is, Davey, I hope you find your way back to making games for yourself. I hope you still find making games fun.
I thought this and would continue to believe it but, after watching a reaction video Davey did of a reaction video ( so much Mets), it seems that Coda was.much more and less than a part of Davey. Great analysis none the less.
@@lyleman2112 more and less makes 0 sense, the phrase is more than less.
Most of the comment section, and for what I've seen also the bad reviews, over this game are absolutely hillarious in how much they're missing the point of this experiment in alternate storytelling, and I love how Liam and Woolie are just the perfect duo to be playing this kind of game, they actually understand and get engrossed into the message this "Game" tries to put up into the player! Finally, a good Liam/Woolie Playthrough!
So in Tarot, the "Major Arcana" all have number values. The code in The Tower is 151617, or 15, 16, 17. The cards would be Devil, Tower, Star.
One of the little FromSoft-style notes reads "Devil Tower Star".
The Devil symbolizes the entrapment of sin, vice and addiction. The Tower brings calamity. The Star is a symbol of hope.
I think what Coda was trying to explain, in another way, the same thing as the big letter at the end. Davey Wreden is clearly trapped within his addiction to praise caused by his insecurity, and has harmed Coda in his desperation. Coda is forced to dissolve the relationship in as dramatic as fashion as he can muster: the game "The Tower". Coda hopes that, with time, Davey will understand what he did and why it was wrong.
I thought I would never say this, but the Rising Superstar should really stop streaking across the sky so hard, too much Liam is starting to feel... not great...
+Twily Sparks Way too much Liam. Liam everywhere. Go back in the vents Liam.
+Francis Farterburger His Gun Jumper skills are transcending games and have ascended into gun jumping his way into every video.
+Twily Sparks
Liam has returned to where he was when he started.
At the bottom.
+Francis Farterburger Liam was better when he was on house arrest
+Twily Sparks You're right. I started blushing months ago, and... Gods... My ch-cheeks... How they burn...
It's kind of funny that all it takes to get someone more invested in art is to go "yeah this is real", which is why I think so many actors play characters that share their name in weird, ambiguously "real" shows. AlanTutorial comes to mind.
"this game is too pretentious"
*the entire point of the game is making fun of people for being overly pretentious and reading into things too much*
Reverend Anton why does it feel like they are taking what the narrator is saying seriously then... there is no body language to see from the best friends, so I have nothing to gauge here.
No it is not, if it is then prove it.
I don't think that was the point of the game at all. The dissolving of the friendship between Davey and Coda was brought on because Davey kept trying to force meaning onto Coda's games. I believe this was because there wasn't any meaning and the apple was simply an apple. I think the main takeaway from The Beginners Guide is that sometimes things are just exactly as they appear and there doesn't always have to be a deeper meaning.
That isn't to say I think they were making fun of people for being "pretentious" but rather it's an anecdotal cautionary tale.
Davey Wreden can definitely come across as pretentious in this "game" and I definitely get why they would think that. But it really can be damaging to keep pushing and forcing meaning to things when the creator of said thing repeatedly tells you that there is no meaning. I mean, just look at that artist who became angry that people would slobber over any piece of garbage he made. That guy went mad. He shit in a shoebox and everyone thought it was the most amazing art ever. That would drive me crazy too.
Then again, Davey Wreden said that The Beginners Guide was "up for interpretation" so maybe he is just being super pretentious or just ironic. We'll never know unless he tells us.
We're not all going to see the same thing in this game. That's the great thing about art.
@@cyanmanta i think THATS actually the point; that when you attempt to read deeply into things made by others, much of your interpretation can only be a reflection of your own self, and thus its unfair to immediately project those feelings to the other person without really knowing
i must have come back to this video like 10 times since it was released. I don't even know if i like this game as a work of art even, but something about "I want whatever wholeness you summoned out of nothing and put into your work , you were complete in some way I never was" has followed my depressed often frustrated ass for about 4 years now, popping back into my brain when im mentally and creatively at my worst.
This is a Cage game done right. Look no game over screen.
Where are the shower scenes and nearly getting raped scenes?
+shadowforce96 It's still not good.
Oh no, I made de right game.
6 years later, coming back for my third watch. Woolie and Liam just knew how to handle this kind of content, classic.
This...this shit gave me goosebumps
This is too raw
I'm so down for more meta and deep shit outta Best Friends
The date is September 29, 2022. I went back to this video to learn more from Davey and Koda. But also to see what Woolie and Liam got up to while playing The Beginners Guide. This game has an impact on me throughout my life. So much so that I return here frequently to relive what I experienced in 2015. It's an odd sensation. But I'm sure the super best friends did the same for everyone here a long time after this video was first posted. Bless you all brothers.
I like how they totally think that the story is 100% completely real.
+Kvothefussiest I had the opposite reaction, I'm sitting here so frustrated right now! I can't believe the metaphor flew over both of their heads like that.
+Kvothefussiest
It's hard not to be immersed if you've actually known someone like Coda and watched them deteriorate through their creative media before disappearing entirely.
+D- Pickles well there is some truth to it. the fact that this game exist means that there are people that go these kind of things. so there are infact codas in the world.
+D- Pickles Except the only cause of that "deterioration" was caused by Davey doing exactly what Woolie and Liam did throughout this whole LP. Judging and psychoanalyzing the /creator/ based on their works is shitty and immoral. Davey's obsession with analyzing Cody and altering his works for his own purposes is what drove him away. The only reason why Woolie and Liam didn't full grasp that it was fictional is because they are also Daveys. They believed Coda was real, but they felt no qualms with picking apart Coda's mental state until the game up had to straight-up tell them to fuck off.
I mean, they hit on it a little bit. It's totally about Davey's life before and after The Stanley Parable. I looked up some talks that he did and he pretty much tells the story of this game. If you like this kinda stuff I would encourage looking up his talk at Aalto University.
I feel like Pat would end up crying if he was the one playing this with Woole.
I'm honestly quite shocked at some of the reactions in the comments. I have been glued to the screen the past hour and a half along with Liam and Woolie, despite the fact I should have been sleeping more than an hour ago.I can understand critiquing the game but a lot of comments come across as so petty and reactionary. Some of you saw the game, noticed it was a "walking simulator" about something out of the ordinary and INSTANTLY dismissed it as pretentious and crap.Whatever happened to open-mindedness? Do all games played on this channel have to be Metal Gear or Platinum? Do all games have to have a score, an objective? Can there be no experimentation or growth in this bloody industry? Christ.
+George Marchant Considering games have to have competition, yes. I forgot to mention that it needs goals too, sorry about that.
+George Marchant Well spoken. The current age group generally consists of; fuckboys, tryhards, (I only play games with guns), and sheep. Ill generally love anything they put on there channel. It's just sad that the comment section has degraded to grunting and slinging mud.
+George Marchant fucking totaly agree
+George Marchant It's hard to differentiate pretentious with substance, especially in these genre of games.
Whether or not they're games, does it matter? Why do people want to say it is a game? Does that validate it? Does that make it more than what it is somehow? Why do people want to say it isn't a game? Is that an insult? Does that make it less than what it is?
The game industry is big, and there's room for lots of games, although you went to the extreme end of the spectrum. There's a pretty big gap between this and, say, Transformers Devastation. Games like this is hardly the only area where people are exploring or experimenting in.
I think the biggest problem people have with these games is the fanbases of these types of games, how they call these games "art", and not very subtly imply that these sorts of games are inherently superior to everything else. These types of games, coupled with AAA games that value pretty cinematics over anything else means that neither end of the development spectrum seems to care about making fresh and innovating gameplay mechanics. Which is, you know, kind of a big aspect of video games. There's also folks that basically say nonsense like games shouldn't have gameplay.
So in an industry that seems to no longer value the thing that makes video games unique and, interesting people turn their ire to games like this, which seem to stand for everything they hate in the current industry, and the fanbase standing for people that they deem harmful to the future of the industry.
+Reedi Is Animal Crossing not a game then?
I have to say thank you to you guys for not splitting this up into episodes. I was so invested in this game and it would have been terrible to have to wait for the next ep.
I played this, thought it was pretty great for what it was.
That said. It is not anywhere near what would make a video that this fanbase would enjoy. The comments for this are gonna be a total shitshow. And I can't wait.
*grabs bowl of popcorn*
+ChrisCarTheMarauder
Funny thing is, you yourself are trying way too hard to insult him.
ChrisCarTheMarauder *chuckles, eats handful of popcorn*
+ChrisCarTheMarauder Baited.
+SageOfTheWest I read this in a french accent.
+ChrisCarTheMarauder Thanks for proving his point fuckwit.
Wow, the comments are harsh on the game for all intents, I've read the word "Pretentious" in the comments so much that I think I forgot what it ever meant in the first place.
I don't see the game as being pretentious, honestly. It's an interactive walking simulator, the market is not oversaturated with these things for me to really be sick of them and I liked the Stanley Parable. I mean the narrator was being pretentious but wasn't the point of the game to stop trying to oversee some deep meaning over games that was never there to begin with? As is what happens at the final point of the game? Coda calling him out on trying to be deep and complex?
I watched this video recently for the first time and I really enjoyed your back and forth.
The first time I saw this game I actually ended up becoming emotionally exhausted because I became pretty invested in this story. Whatever it’s goal was, I still enjoyed it in the end.
Old videos are a nice place to hide thoughts. I've been rewatching this video and going through these comments for the 5th time in my life, and I'm just gonna vent. It hurts that so many people have a limited definition of what a game can be, or what an experience can be, or what can be sold, and the idea that short experiences should cost less or be free. I play a lot of "walking sims", and a lot of action games, and a lot of indie games. It feels like walking sims should be so opposite to the others, but they really aren't. I spend a lot of time outside of an during games just thinking about them, and what they're trying to say, and how all the various mechanics work and don't work. And because I do that, all games sit in a similar place in my mind, and when they have what people call "gameplay" it's often just something that's fun to do. What I appreciate more is when those mechanics mean something, or tie into the story, or even work together to tell something to me by way of my own actions, something that no other medium can do. This game does some of that, but mostly it made me think more than any other game has, for a lot of complicated reasons. I'm only 18, and I've never created much, so the message doesn't apply to me as strongly as some other people. But I do think about games and apply my own thoughts to them very often, and for that reason this game is special to me. I'll never forget it, and I'll think of it every time I play another "walking simulator". Maybe it's pretentious to post this, and in a way asking someone else to reply to it? I don't care, it felt good to get this out of my head.
Levi Sullivan there are always going to be people who view newer art forms like that, it was the same with books and films at earlier points in history.
I don't completely agree with you, but I appreciate your statement. And you're not being pretentious, you're being honest about your views.
TL;DR Rambling post
I'm not sure what definitions you hear but mine, I'll admit I stole it, "Interactive with a fail state". Maybe to flesh it out a bit more, it must involve you doing something, with the possibility of not being able to finish it. In a basic form, some Chose Your Own Adventure books could be considered games (though I'd doubt many would), and in a more complex form you have the original Deus Ex or System Shock (which are considered classics). The important bit is that they have a fail state or game over, bad ending, whatever means you can't complete the task asked, otherwise it's just a movie you have to press the play button to watch.
The fail state bit is where these walking games fail. I for one enjoyed the Stanly Parable (even though I had it all spoiled by the game itself by taking the "exit" my first time through and winding up in the museum. Hell it probably made me appreciate it more since I tend not to analyze stuff too readily), and though you could consider it a walking simulator it fits my definition of a game as it has fail states. Then there's tripe like gone home where there are no fail states.
But moving past whether something is a game or not, and on to whether it's an experience. It's stupid as you've either played it or you haven't (experienced or not), but whether that experience was good or not (assuming you did partake) is subjective and up to you. I'd say I had a good experience with SP while others may have had a good experience with GH. And if you found someone who didn't like SP but liked GH, and stuck them in a room with the opposite, they'd probably argue till they both turned blue. It's subjective as to what you classify an experiences as and there's no accounting for taste.
Whether someone or a group should publish or sell something is rather easy to decide. Did you do it as a project, use it as a learnign experience, or mainly used or worked off someone unrelated to it's work? Then no, most likely not. You should be free to make it as available as you see fit (or at least until the Lawyers come after you if it involves the last thing I mentioned), but never charge anyone in anyway besides their own time (and bandwidth to download). Did you make it with the express purpose of intending to sell it, to make it as part of a lively hood, and if anything was used or taken from someone else, they've been informed and have agreed to participating. Then yes, you can sell it. What price should be to your discretion but have some discretion about it. Is it actually good and does it run a decent enough length for what you want to charge? People don't care how long or hard it was to make, if they see the end product is about and hour to finish and mediocre over all, no one but the stupidly rich and rich in stupidity are going to bite.
Action 52 is a good example what should probably released for free rather then sold. This game clocks in at about an hour forty minutes to get through, costs $10, and it made me genuinely sad (not something that happens that often and honestly if it wasn't for listening to Woolie and Liam talk about it being a work or not I'd probably have been crying till the end of the game instead of choking it out) so it's a good price.
NEEDbacon That summed things up pretty nicely. It's just annoying that whether something is a game or not is often such a big arguement that it overshadows actually talking about it, and it being a game or not shouldn't be that big of a deal in the first place. "Software installed on my personal computer that I launched from an executable and played with a keyboard and mouse" is a lot more cumbersome than just calling it a game.
Levi Sullivan I just dont want postmodern shit in vidya
Woolie and Liam should never be in the same video without both Matt and Patrick ever, they are like two singularities drawing each other in to create a black hole where nothing escapes.
+saminabox The Woolie hole, but worse?
BUT TRIPLE TRIAD DOE
+The city of Boston HE DOESN'T HAVE ANY CARDS!
+ThomasTheLuckyGamer A Woolie Hole filled to burst with Liam dip?
+saminabox Woolie >> Liam
I bought this game, played it, and then refunded after i was done with it.
+MF PICKLE O Pretty meta if you think about it.
Good. Didn't like it either. I understood the (different possible) message(s) but it's not worth the $10 for me.
chris succee Exactly. It was an interesting 80 mins, but it is not worth £7 I paid for it.
+MF PICKLE O Wow thanks for the idea, I forgot that I beat it in an hour and a half and could refund it. The game was fine and all, but just way too personal to be sold on Steam. This should have been a free download.
+MF PICKLE O Ye even I find it super interesting but...10 bucks (here) is pretty steep for what is in essence an interesting exposé/presentation. Still, gave me some food for thought and still trying to figure out what it's actually about (I got a theory at least)
I hate, hate, HATE when people say this game is "obviously about __." It isn't _obviously_ about _anything_. There are so many levels to this game. There's so much raw emotion, so many recurring themes about the very nature of creativity, trust, friendship, and video games, that it feels almost disrespectful to pin it down as being about any one thing, much less _clearly_ about it. This game is one of the most emotional narrative experiences I've ever been on, and I find myself coming back to it over and over, not because it has some kind of replay value, but because, like any good story, there's more to see every time.
"Should we have LPed this?" Is why I love you guys so much!
"A normal game where you have to scream into a mic every 15 seconds to keep playing"
So, being a youtuber?
What the hell happened to this fanbase? As soon as someone makes a game that's not packed with action gameplay or horror, it's pretentious. Are your views of what one might be able to accomplish with the medium so narrow that you can't just take this for what it is, instead of comparing it to what you're used to? This is interactive story-telling at it's finest. It doesn't matter if it's real or not. Nothing will take away the experience you get from playing it the first time.
Unfortunately a lot of people think talking about feelings, depression and mental illness is pretentious by default. Anyone talking about their chronic depression or disability or anything to do with feelings MUST just want attention and they're exaggerating, they're limp wristed, weak soy boy etc etc
Loving all the people calling it pretentious when it's literally just a documentary. lmao
It's symbolism. It's an idea that if it wasn't presented in this form, most people wouldn't give two shits. I mean seriously who in their right minds believes a guy has parents that would WILLINGLY name him CODA? I mean, cmon now.
*****
CODA is Davey.
+Chase B I presumed Coda was just a handle. Like a username or something.
+Chase B I would actually enjoy this better in the form of a regular documentary about the creative process and mindset during search of ideas and production of a game to share something with the world. That Coda narrative is just really pompous and boring.
Francis Farterburger idk, I love this style much more. Plus theres probably a good reason behind this style of narrative.
Damn. This was incredibly interesting. Such a good use of the medium to tell an interesting story. I like that the Best Friends don't really shy away from content like this on their channel.
Alright so this is going to be a fine playthrough because Liam has 5 million hours in The Stanley Parable, right? RIGHT?!
ARE WOOLIE AND LIAM GOING TO TALK OVER EVERYTHING LIKE THE SHITASSES THEY ARE?
+MoistedRenegade DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN I'M PERFECTLY CALM
+Communisticism It's weird how CAPS make everything super extreme.
+austinpowers1969 IT'S LIKE EVERYTHING IS BEING SAID IN PAT'S SUPER INTENSE "YO THIS SHIT IS FUCKING AWESOME VOICE"
Or that's what I like to believe
+austinpowers1969 Caps Lock is cruise control for cool.
+Communisticism You making a big deal out of it. They aren't even talking over the narration -.-
i just have to say this was truly amazing lp by far one of your best it was not only entertaining but i felt an emotional connection to it great work guys
Guys I'm really glad that you played this. It's ok to play something super different every once in a while. Don't let anyone tell you differently. I needed this, you needed this, everyone needed this.
Thank you woolio and Liam , I would have never played this game. Thanks to you guys I had an amazing experience that really left me thinking about life and junk.
i know this wasn't a typical LP but...i appreciate this a lot. it's something i wouldn't have otherwise heard of. i'm hoping to one day make my own game (fat chance, i know) but seeing this sort of inside view of how to make stuff is so...relaxing.
Thank you so much for playing this. One of my favorite games of this year easily!
Thanks for LPing this. I'm not sure how to feel right now, but I'm glad I saw it.
How in hell do they not realise by the end that it's fiction? Davey's writing is so clearly self-aware. Some people just don't understand metaphors I guess?
+Joe Wright They don't? Why would he release something where he's pleading and begging in such a stalker way. It's so obvious.
+everett von scott If people realized that they were being stalkers, they would either immediately tone it down or stop all at once.
I like this little... video game/experiment/project/walking sim, a really interesting take on indie devs and motivational stuff that I can relate to. It's nice to play something different every once in a while, I don't get the hate it gets.
But I think I'll pick this up on a sale, 10 bucks is just too much for one hour and a half.
Boy has the Zaibatsu fanbase gone to shit or what...
+Zepher0987 You seem pleasant...
+Illidan Stormrage The salty storm is raging like never before. All you can do is just weather it till they get tired of complaining and leave, and then we can have fun again.
+Mitchell Engen Well said my good sir!
+Zepher0987 Yeah, the people that actually like the salty crybabies in the comment sections are the worst part of this fanbase, you know?
+Illidan Stormrage It's been this way for a while, you may just have not noticed.
Even if it is a work, does it matter? It's a damn good one. The emotions here are clearly real, so why does it matter if the events are not?
This game is freaking amazing.
I can't remember the last time I've felt so thoroughly enraptured. _Wow my brain._
that ending. that ending loops back into the Self Help Teacher game and gives it soo much context. holy fuck this game.
This is an incredibly interesting concept so far. It's like walking through a game creators head during his thought process and seeing the visual representations of what he's trying to create. Perfectly trippy and I love it
I can't believe this video is almost three years old! I love this game, and this video. Cool to come back to after all this time.
Holy shit that hit me harder than it should have. Thanks for the LP :) gonna go buy it and play it myself now!
Hoping this one isn't a wasted game on SBF. Matt would have been a total waste of a space. Pat would have appreciated the fuck out of this if he were patient enough to sit through this.
"RockPaperShotgun has opinions" Liam just laughs haha
Here's the thing. This game brought me to tears even with the TBF dialog and everything, fiction or reality it was an emotional game and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You don't demand a book to be real, you don't demand a painting to be logical, you don't demand a movie to have an accurate timeline. On its own merit its a story that said its piece and ended. Iv paid more than 9 dollars for movies that left less of an impact. Iv watched shows and read books that took up much more than an hour of my time that left me with nothing at the end. Regardless of how much or little of a "game" you define this as or how real you imagine it to be this is a story and I'm glad I took the time to enjoy it.
Wow this guy is really showing me what games can do.
This is amazing.
Some of this hit really close to home.
how could any of you possibly think that coda is a real person
+thedudeperson I know!!! I can't believe it!
+thedudeperson
Well, though I'm 90% sure he's fiction, I have a real story that is extremely similar to this one.
+thedudeperson I... really hope he's fictional. This story messed me up a bit.
+thedudeperson Probably because Coda reminds us of ourselves or people we know. When someone is portrayed in such a disturbing, vague, and yet real way, folks can't help but wonder if he's a real guy--even when common sense says no.
I thought at first that Coda was a real person but once Davey started speaking directly to coda that changed my mind.
Absolutely loved this game. It was an interesting look at how your emotional and mental state can really affect your work and just how you interpret the quality. A really beautiful piece with quite a twist at the end. It also has a real earnest feeling to it that hits home quite nicely!
that was an extremely unique and amazing experience.
This game causes so many complicated emotions. I like it, though many people won't.
I personally like all the Best Friends most of all when they're in game analysis mode.
Woolie and Liam's commentary was excellent, I don't understand all the hate.
Truthful or not, the game definitely raises great questions in a way untried before.
However, if you don't enjoy emotional ambiguity and meta, this is not your game.
I swear I was playing Splinter Cell the other day and I seriously tried to Fulton a guard. I've been ruined.
I'm glad you guys uploaded this. Not sure if there was hesitation on that front but still, I really enjoyed your reactions and interpretations to what was going on.
I absolutely believe this is a 'work.' The same expertise in reverse engineering a player experience that was necessary for The Stanly Parable is exactly the kind of insight an experience like this one would need. I imagine the level of craft that would be necessary to fabricate an entire other person, inject them with a level of perceived baggage (which also plays off of the one doing the perceiving), and then construct a narrative around the interaction of these two with "games" as the medium of conversation, and it lines up precisely with the level of craft required to make the expectation subverting experience that was TSP. Exceeds it even, as a logical progression in that unique style of game development. Additionally, there are too many instances (especially later on) where dead time exists which does not serve the implied deeper purpose of these games as made by Coda, but which serve Davey perfectly, as if by design, in injecting well paced exposition/thoughts. The game is paced well for commentary in a way that goes beyond Davey simply being skillful at inject it appropriately.
That being said, the ideas and conversation that this experience exorcises from its audience is 100% by design. The subject matter is so dense: the natural evaluations we all make of ourselves and each other, the consequences of acting in good faith with incomplete information, feeling of betrayal, questioning self worth, games as art or as catharsis. It's just packed. And because it's constructed, and NOT based on (though maybe informed by) actual events, every idea you guys suggested and every other idea that it brings forth are shining successes and a great credit to the merit of this 'work.' I have immense respect for this guy and his ability to construct a tale and tell it well.
I have never been so emotionally invested in any sort of interactive peace of art? ever. Jesus.
saw 4 mins
decided i wanted to play withought woolie and liam talking over it
so i played it
and now that im watching it HOLY SHIT METAPHORES
I just had two of the worst days of my life, I have relapsed into depression again. After watching this, I can go on.I cannot thank you guys enough for helping me. You did not mean to, but you did. Thank you very much.
+JoeNobody8 If you are depressed, just remind yourself that you are lucky because you aren't Anthony Burch.
+getblunted4life I don't know who that is, but I feel like I don't want to.
+getblunted4life Oh...well that makes being possibly fired seem not as bad, as long as I am not him; plus the holidays are upon us and stores will need the extra help. I feel absolutley better friend.
JoeNobody8 Glad I could help, even if it was only a minuscule amount.
+getblunted4life try to make sense of what you want to write before you type it out
I'm so fucking glad Woolie and Liam got something out of the experience.
Man, this story-game threw me for a loop so hard on the first time. And now that I'm thinking about it again, I recognise these feelings of a「creator」and the experiences of my seniors in it. Such wow.
That ending though
*Scrolling down and reading the comment section drains you of determination*
Super compelling. I admit I went from believing it, to seeing myself in this work, to slowly realizing it was fiction..
Wow, what a rare and insightful journey into the existential struggles of a tormented artist...
Okay, Imma play "Happy Wheels" now
Being testers, this was a great game for these two to play :) always come back to it.
Poor souls thought Scalebound was going to be a thing
This is a beautiful game and I have no words to describe how much I enjoy it and how sad it makes me feel.
This is really unsettling and much different than the usual content on this channel, like Her Story. Kudos for that! Great job leading us viewers in "What did I just watch?!" Definitely will be reflecting on The Beginner's Guide.
This game (not getting into an argument about whether or not it can be called a game) was amazing to watch. I damn near cried a few times, watching how beautifully it transitioned from realtively goofy parts, to melancholy, lonely, scary segments. The stage act especially chilled me.
I had to make a few observations and interpretations throughout, and I don't really think I can follow what Liam and Woolie were talking about when they said they'd be pissed if it was all fiction. It can never fully be fiction. The themes and meaning must come from the author in some aspect. I do, however agree that this seems like a highly personal work. Loved it.
Interpretation below (feel free to comment your own) :
Trying to interpret this as a literal apology to an actual person is really not going to give a satisfactory explanation. The exploration of the evolution of a game developer (or any artist) who doesn't share his work with anyone, needs to be all about looking at the characters in the work he's made, and the characters making the games.
My interpretation of this is that Davey is making up a fictional character called Coda, who is the representation of Davey's own creative drive, as well as his own insecurities. Meanwhile, Davey himself is exploring the work of Coda as if he's an outsider, who somehow feels connected to Coda and his games. The more games Coda makes, the more Davey feels emboldened by the creative merit of them, and frustrated by how they don't go anywhere, or have satisfying meaning, so he starts changing them up, adding lampposts which he pretends Cody put there.
After sharing Cody's work and telling people how Cody probably needs help, and Cody probably should receive recognition, Davey is benefiting from being the well meaning helper of this tortured artist, while carrying the artist inside him, in essence telling others that he, himself, is depressed and lonely.
Cody finally builds a game that is impenetrable to anyone who can't modify the game, and when Davey modifies the game, he is caught red-handed, and Cody tells him off. Cody never meant for the games to be seen by others, because he doesn't feel the need to reach out, but only to create.
Davey is overcome by guilt and fear of losing Cody (his creative drive), and tries to bargain and plea with him, but receiving no answer. Calling out to people to help him find his Cody, which could be interpreted as his creative drive, or muse.
I'm pretty sure this is a story of coming to terms with your inner demons, and finding that in trying to do so, you find some pretty ugly demons in yourself that you didn't even know about, which is what I believe is addressed in the Lecture game. The student looks to the teacher for guidance on how to be "that perfect person that makes you feel worthless in comparison", but then it switches so that the teacher is seen to have many flaws and insecurities, while not having an actual answer to "how to be perfect".
You know what? I don't care either way if this is real. I don't care if Davey made it all up. What we have here is a fantastic and insanely well crafted character study of a person, make believe or no. Its artistry lies in its ambiguity, and it is a gorgeous way of using the medium of interactive story telling to work the player from every angle and keep them guessing. It reveals the genius of Davey-boy, and whatever your decision on the reality of Coda, it is what it is, and it is a brand new experience.
5 minutes in and it's already dripping down Liam's leg.
While there is no real Coda, the dev has heavily implied that the whole game is a personal metaphor about troubles he went through making the stanley parable.
That part with the lampposts is cleverly written to hide the spoilers from the end.
"For some reason Coda fixates on the lampposts, and they'll appear at the end of all his games from now on"
Either it means that Davey as the 'infection' makes Coda put the lamp posts at the end of his games, or that Davey is continuing to alter Coda's work, even after they've fallen out. Coda would fixate on the lamp posts in either case, but they wouldn't really be something that he wants.