like besides the pseudo-nationalism a lot of people seem to think is totally fine, every time someone shows up and is like "hey my wife is behind me, please make sure you let her in" half the time letsplayers are like "WELL SURE IF HER PAPERS ARE IN ORDER"
-
-
Show this thread
-
like they don't recognize that this is a game with "rules" and with rules. All video games have rules: you can't fly in Super Mario Bros 1, for example. You can't scroll the screen left.
Show this thread -
but Papers please is a game which has a lot of "rules". They're "rules" given to the character you're playing, not rules on the player. You can break them.
Show this thread -
like if someone is like "I have to get in or I will be killed", you can let them in. You have the ability to do that. It's not like the game takes away your Approve stamp because they're not allowed to be let in.
Show this thread -
It's a thing you can do. You will get a citation, and if you get enough citations you'll be fined, and that could be bad for your character and your character's family, since you may not have enough money to pay for heat and food and medicine
Show this thread -
but you can do it. It's up to YOU, the player. The rules given to your character are not binding rules on what can and can't be done. They're rules in the same way laws are in the real world: you can break them. There may be negative consequences for you, but you CAN.
Show this thread -
and it's very interesting to see how many players don't seem to recognize that the game is making that distinction, and how they come to realize it over time, if they do.
Show this thread -
It's a game somewhat in the genre of games like There Is No Game and Portal and such, where part of the point is that you're given instructions and you have to disobey them to progress.
Show this thread -
but only somewhat because there's nothing that says you have to disobey them. You can play the game by following all the rules like a good loyal citizen of Arstotzka.
Show this thread -
and it's interesting to see how players react to the fact that game never comes out and says like "Arstotzka is bad and you should rebel against it"
Show this thread -
and therefore it's a choice up to players, but at the same time it's not signposted like traditional game choices so it seems some players don't even realize that's a choice the game is asking them to make.
Show this thread -
it's also a choice that I think the game is pushing you to make but at the same time a lot of players have basically trained themselves to see differently.
Show this thread -
like the game repeatedly does things to show you that living in Arstotzka in this situation sucks. You need to get people through quickly, they add more and more things for you to check, and penalize you when you mess up.
Show this thread -
You only have so long to process people, and... the day gets cut short by a terrorist attack. The secret police show up and suspect you of working with the rebels, even if you don't. Your relatives need your help, adding more mouths to feed.
Show this thread -
the rebels give you money to convince them to help you... and your neighbors report you to the police, and all your savings (even ones not from the rebels!) are confiscated.
Show this thread -
the game keeps pushing you to make it harder and harder to be a good citizen and to make you realize that this is a bad situation...
Show this thread -
and I think some letsplayers are too trained on dark souls and five nights at freddies that they take that as just the game having a difficulty curve and are like CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Show this thread -
and I mean, yeah, it's a valid way to play the game, sure. There's an ending you can get that way. I think it's missing the point and I don't think it's the right choice to make, but you can certainly choose it.
Show this thread -
it just seems from these letsplays that sometimes they're not choosing it at all. They're going that way because they think that's how they're supposed to go, because they're blindly following the rules the game gave them.
Show this thread -
which is very interesting and slightly terrifying when you combine it with how some players get into HOPEFULLY 100% JOKING national pride in Arstotzka.
Show this thread -
I'm not saying letsplayers are failing a fascism test but seeing them blindly following the rules of a virtual nation that is abusing them and then turning around and going GLORY TO ARSTOTZKA! is worrying.
Show this thread -
I was gonna make a joke about how some people wouldn't recognize fascism unless it was literally wearing nazi uniforms but then I remember Star Wars did exactly that, called their soldiers "Storm Troopers", AND visually referenced Triumph of the Will.
Show this thread -
-
the next Star Wars film is going to open with a big red arrow pointing at the imperials and say THESE ARE NAZIS and people will still go "I don't know, the guys who committed genocide 30 minutes into the first movie might still have some good points actually"
Show this thread -
correction: The "some good points" guys in the spiffy Hugo Boss uniforms don't kill a couple billion civilians until 56 minutes and 40 seconds into the first movie.pic.twitter.com/HaPdqTrAxg
Show this thread -
The sequel trilogy is slightly slower, with the Space Fascists waiting until 1h11m to start killing people by the billions, but they had to have their leader give an angry speech to the stormtroopers in front a giant flag, to a one-armed salute, which took some time.pic.twitter.com/xki08hfLD7
Show this thread -
Anyone my point here wasn't that "oh no some people choose to play as The Bad Guys and I think that means they, the players, are Secret Nazis and we should shoot them in real life". Obviously.
Show this thread -
My point is more that it's very interesting how many players don't seem to think they're being given a choice at all, they just see the game give them rules and go "I guess I have to follow these rules to play the game."
Show this thread -
And there's definitely reasons players would do that other than "they just follow orders given to them by authoritarian leaders"
Show this thread -
a lot of why I think they do that is because games, in general, train you to assume that the game will be truthful about what rules you have to follow and that games will enforce these rules and not yet you break them.
Show this thread - Show replies
New conversation -
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.