#tlou2 made me try and view a game and its characters from all perspectives

[deusvmachina]

I'll say it with my whole chest that I believe that Songbird lying to V about the neutral matrix was never done out of malicious intent. She knew the risks of reaching out to V—for putting her faith in V out of sheer desperation and involving them in what would become a dire and bloody escape. She just wanted to stop losing more of herself physically and mentally to what's beyond the Blackwall, to stop being a weapon of mass destruction for Myers. A tool for the NUSA.

She joined their ranks to keep herself out of trouble for breaching that Militech data fortress (among other things I'd imagine). And she was probably hoping it was a huge opportunity to become one of the best netrunners with all of this top-of-the-line tech at her disposal but she just didn't realize back then that she'd be pushed into breaking international laws or be forced to reach beyond the Blackwell to the immense power beyond. She paid the price tenfold. So yeah, players can be mad that Songbird dangled a carrot (the cure) in front of V's nose. Most people likely are mad or feel played and that's valid. But the choice is there to not take that anger out on someone just as desperate to survive as V is and have them push through to the end and help as they had promised. V states several times throughout the game that they keep their word and do what they say they will do. V and Songbird are mirror images of each other: Songbird losing her memories/identity and organic body to the AIs just like V's brain is being forcibly overwritten by the biochip and her body is slowly degrading. During that conversation she and V had on the couch and through texts, Songbird expressed how she couldn't trust anybody in the FIA. She was alone. Wanted a way out.

Even Reed who thought he could help her was only making things worse. So when she discovered V and their dilemma (probably after she delved into the Cynosure Project is my guess), I say it's what drove her to finally break the (wires) and chains she'd been bound with. She devised a plan with Hansen—always two steps ahead as Reed had said—and reached out to V on the day of reckoning knowing them being in the same boat would be enough to make V fight like hell. It's possible she knew about V for weeks or even months prior. V can question (sorry, forget which part of the game they mentioned this) if perhaps a 'backdoor' was created when she went past the Blackwall with the Voodoo Boys. Songbird then used the Blackwall protocol to tap into the Relic, as confirmed by Slider.

The stakes were too great so Songbird withheld the truth, not wanting to chance V refusing to help her otherwise. She didn't have anyone else, didn't have much time left either so she lied.

I think it boils down to this: V can decide to put someone ahead of her own survival and sacrifice that guaranteed cure OR she can be just as shitty as Myers and let Songbird be the pawn that's sacrificed. What separates humans from anything else is how we are driven by our emotions and our hearts. We take leaps of faith and we make mistakes but what matters is the content of our character. Sometimes 'doing the right thing' isn't doing the right thing.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. And I leave you with this quote:

"I always marvel at the humans’ ability to keep going. They always manage to stagger on even with tears streaming down their faces." —Markus Zusak

[maxthommusic]

TLOU 2 Halfway Spoiler Post

*DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED THE GAME. SPOILERS AHEAD.*

TLOU2 is a generation-defining game. It’s from the top dog developer, not only within Playstation, but in the industry; full stop. It’s a complete masterclass in environmental design, storytelling, and it’s weaving a narrative that is essential for our #MeToo, BlackLivesMatter, COVID society.

A little context though: I grew up in a culturally understanding household. We never talked negatively about other races, beliefs, or ideals. I’ve really never had a hard time grasping the LGBTQ community, rejecting racism or being good to my fellow humans, whomever that may be. Yeah, it’s a little confusing comprehending all the rules sometimes; misappropriation is a thing and not everyone can be super chill if you accidentally slip-up. But the thing here that’s relevant to TLOU is that discovering someone’s sexuality shouldn’t change your views upon them. And as I see people with posts like “how can a lesbian take down all these zombies?” it becomes apparent that TLOU2 is so much more important than just a sequel.

There are two ways, from my perspective, that I came to appreciate TLOU2. The first would be the characterization of Ellie. When I started TLOU2, Ellie being gay meant little to nothing for me. It’s irrelevant. The same way Joel being straight is completely useless information too. But as the game progressed and I became more comfortable viewing more TLOU2 articles and user-posts, I started seeing the vehemence with which people spoke about Ellie’s sexuality. While I was initially confounded why anyone would be hazing the game and its creators, I began to peer back the veil and confront the source. When I recognized this, I literally became more motivated to press onwards in Ellie’s vengeance quest. I began jumping into sessions wanting Ellie to kick so much ass and just murder tf out of these Wolves. Every time I laid a trap to blow away some pursuing soldiers, I was more satisfied knowing that “this lesbian” had obliterated her assailants. Every time I stabbed a zombie in the back of the head, I was elated that “this lesbian” was running the gauntlet. Knowing that players are getting heated about a gay character taking control of her fate in such a violent, proficient fashion only upped the stakes. In this way, I find TLOU2 to be essential gaming.

Maybe the message isn’t for you. And it’s certainly not for me. But when it occurred to me that this kind of representation was offending people, I realized it’s way more than a game; it’s a statement. TLOU2 is a big middle-finger in the air to everyone who wants to cast shame upon the characters, creators and devs who made it possible. Which I completely support. Because the real clincher is that TLOU2 is a great game. The environments are stunning, the performances are mostly excelsior and the presentation is magnificent. I find the combat to leave a lot to be desired and there are ways in which TLOU2 definitely could be a better game. But for now, the point remains, by most metrics, TLOU2 is usually stunning. People who can’t get over someone’s sexual orientation are missing out.

And I hope they continue to miss out. I hope those people continue to feel like their world is shrinking. Because it’s 2020 and you’ve had your chance to get educated and get on board. TLOU2 by no means is actually that progressive. Ellie’s sexuality hardly comes up and the romantic scenes are really quite mild by TV standards. That it’s progressive for the games industry proves how far behind we are. But because it’s causing such a stir only shows that a major AAA offering like this was so long overdue.

The second way I’ve come to appreciate TLOU2 is the twist in the middle of the game. Playing as Abby is everything. Because here I was, not feeling so great about the characters, or the world, or their motivations. As mentioned, the gameplay itself isn’t even that great; the loop is a bit less than compelling... But then we get a glimpse into Abby’s side of the story and that little glimpse already has elevated TLOU’s purpose ten-fold.

Such a twist made me re-contextualize the entire previous twelve hours in an instant and transformed TLOU2 from good to great. The reason this is important is because the middling feelings I had towards the game have officially become part of the game. My ten minutes with Abby feels infinitely better than the first ten minutes with Ellie and Co., informing all of the storytelling that’s been done so far. My dislike for Jackson, my distrust of Dina, my skepticism towards Ellie; all of that just made Abby the real hero of this story. And while I haven’t seen everything yet, this is how I feel now, and I’m more ecstatic to see the ending than I was for the past twelve hours.

I’ve also heard people are feeling jilted that Joel got done in and Ellie has suffered by effect. Which again, is another crazy thought. Naughty Dog is trying to tell two sides of the same story with very different moral consequences and people are getting downright offended that their beliefs are being challenged. Players are being morally tested and they ain’t having it; let me tell you what game absolutely needed to exist.

And what’s incredible, too, is that you could only achieve this in a sequel.

The stage needs to be set. The characters and your attachment to them needs to be established. The hype, the anticipation, the desire: it was all there to say something really bold and daring, and it looks like Naughty Dog friggin went for it. 

It was always a little bit in question if we needed a sequel to TLOU. That story definitely could have ended right there at St. Mary’s hospital. But now that I’m in the sequel and I’m seeing it unfold righteously, I really, really hope the desire to continue this tale mostly stemmed from the meta story that could be told. I hope the creators and powers-that-be sat in a room and said, “What if we made a game that really challenged the status quo?”

As I said, I’m not done with it yet. But I love the idea that TLOU2 exists not because Naughty Dog said, “we need to make another game,” but because they said, “we have something that needs to be told.”

And as more and more articles get released about TLOU2 and the creators share their insights, I frequently hear the quote, “These stories needed to be told.” With more context from the game, I understand what they were getting at so much better. And they have my full support. A game like this can only be understood and fully appreciated from beginning to end. Which some may scoff at that remark: we all remember Final Fantasy XIII, right? The argument, “It gets good 40 hours in!” has become a meme, essentially. But sometimes great art takes time; you need to let the story unfold. Now I don’t wanna play games like this all the time. Yet when the narrative is in such caring, successful hands like the team at Naughty Dog, I definitely feel the need to listen and give them a chance. Timing is everything. TLOU2 could not necessarily exist as a brand new IP or an entry from a new studio. TLOU2 is the result of everything before it. Love it or hate it, for that reason alone, it demands your attention. But even cooler than that, it’s a statement that needs to be heard.