SJ Longthorne

Friends and I have discussed an Abby DLC to the first game, following TLOU's timeline (albeit truncated) and ending with the first game's twist from Abby's perspective. That way we could have built investment in Abby beforehand, been interested enough to cushion the blow.

Expensive, though. Not really viable.

I think I need to divorce myself from my pre-held beliefs that good narrative design always = aligning the player with their character. Because this was intentional, and I'm glad I felt the things I did, had the experience I had. I can learn a LOT from this game.

I'm gonna be thinking about this game for years. Not for the story itself, but for the approach to influencing my emotions. It's not perfect, but like I've said previously, it's provided a bold set of shoulders to stand on. And I admire that.

i think as the game progresses and the divide between the player and ellie grows, i become more invested? i think a good comparison to make is spec ops, which constantly wanted the player to feel at one with the character so the twist hit (and, as a result, also missed)

like, spec ops is "oh you didnt put the controller down you're the REAL monster" (simplified) but then in comparison to ellie, the player starts with a strong connection and then it kinda swaps to clearly making the distinction: ellie isn't you, she's mad, she's flawed, etc.

and what's more is the game CONSTANTLY wants you to feel close to ellie and has all those little moments in the world like hats on dinosaurs but then she puts a knife thru a dog or w/e and it hurts to see how she's evolving as a character

it's more than just Misery Porn, and i think it's even inspired by traditional survival horror if you think about the importance of controllable helplessness in raising tension and bonding player/character, controllable helplessness as you watch ellie grow into her own person