Is there a meaning?

[Cyresto]

First of all, i'd like to say the I LOVED this game. It was amazing. But what really bugs me is that there seems to be something that im just not picking up... Is there a meaning to this game? Something deep? Because it seems like it should have a meaning, but im just oblivious to it...

[Sloane Girlbot]

I guess it depends on your interpretation.
Some paths, to me, felt like a commentary about player choice and games.
Other paths were about a man named Stanley who sat in his office for years until he died.

[Cyresto]

But what about Stanley? Is he a metaphor for something? Or is he just a guy? He could be whatever and whoever the player interprets him, but there must be a core fact. Something the creator was thinking when he made Stanley. Also, the name Stanley seems to carry alot of weight in the game... is there a reason for that too? Anyone know?

[Roni Foxcoon [CH]]

Stanley is you. You can accept doing everything that we tell you or... go with your own story.

[QuinnonSFM]

Yes, I am 100% Certain there is a meaning to this game, and that meaning is this:

"Humans, no matter what, long for freedom, even if only given a false sense of it".

If you think about it, all the endings actually do work with this meaning.

[Bikes]

It's to a degree making fun of video game tropes, the narrator points this out when you hang out in the broom closet long enough and he assumes player one has died (at which point he informs "player 2" to familiarize themselves with the tropes)

[Cyresto]

I personally think that the entire game is a metaphor of 'choice'. The fact that no matter what, there is no such thing as choice or free will in a video game. It has already been planned out. Stanley represents the character, feeling as if he can make a choice and be free and escape, when really, thats impossible, it has already been made for there to never be an ending. For you to never escape, and for you to never beat the game. 'The End Is Never.'

[Azukaos]

The only point of the game and it's meaning are what you decide to think about it.

It's up to you to play the game the way you want, but i don't thinks this game have deep secret story, do whatever you want to do, go to the right if you want, or don't.

[[HGS] Narameh]

I LOVE the way the game anticipates my way of thinking. It's a forced choice paradigm, but apparantly the human psyche is SO predictable (or the kind of people who perservere are like the creators so much) that it's ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ eerie :P. That way the game for me is also about losing individuality and being one of the millions of people who will make this choice for the exact same reason you are right now.

[TheGurkenkaiser]

in the beginning it says, stanley's job is to push buttons he is told to push. and that is exactly what you do in the game. in many games, don't you think.
can you get out of this? i don't know.

[Not Zero]

The Stanley PARABLE.

One would assume there is a meaning. In this case, multiple meanings.

You have to (god forbid) think.

[Cyresto]

Originally posted by Zero:

The Stanley PARABLE.

One would assume there is a meaning. In this case, multiple meanings.

You have to (god forbid) think.

No need to be a prick about it. I was mearly wondering if there was a WHOLE meaning, for example why everyone disappeared, who Stanley is, if hes a metaphor, etc. I dont need you defining the word PARABLE to me. I'm aware theres multiple ENDINGS, but there must be a collective meaning.

[⭐=Vu= zarathustra⭐]

Originally posted by Good Lookin' Cowboy:

Other paths were about a man named Stanley who sat in his office for years until he died.

I sincerely hope that was not a spoiler...

[Cyresto]

Originally posted by Gentleman Jake:

I really like that the only way to get the "freedom" ending is basically to do exactly as you're told by the narrator.

But how do you know that's freedom? Maybe thats just another series of scripted events, just like the rest of the game. In a game, there is no freedom.

[Cyresto]

Originally posted by =Vu= zarathustra:

Originally posted by Good Lookin' Cowboy:

Other paths were about a man named Stanley who sat in his office for years until he died.

I sincerely hope that was not a spoiler...

It wasn't, don't worry ;)

[⭐=Vu= zarathustra⭐]

Originally posted by Cyresto:

It wasn't, don't worry ;)

My thanks. I'm looking forward to playing Stanley in the near future & it seems to be the kind of game you really have to play 'in the dark'.