When a Game Isn’t Fun Last year, I replayed the game Life is Strange in order to reacquaint myself with the story to write about it for Level Story Magazine. I was not too excited going into the game, having disliked much of it on my first play-through. But playing it a second time was oddly refreshing and revealed more depth than I originally allowed the game to offer. What struck me most about the game was all of the dark avenues in which it took the story. From plot points about girls getting kidnapped and drugged, to the everyday violence of men towards women, and to a scene where a character threatens to commit suicide (and succeeds depending on the choices you make in that moment based on how well you have been paying attention), the game does not shy away from difficult topics. It got me asking, in the very back of my mind, what happens when a game is not fun? This question became even more evident when it became personal, after my younger cousin committed suicide. The pain which was put on display in Life is Strange suddenly felt much more real in comparison to before and I quickly realized that I would never be able to experience the scene the same way again. I was being forced to think about the dark reality of my own experiences when witnessing the one on screen. This is not something new. Entertainment can sometimes hit too close to home with certain plots. For example, I tend to stay away from shows about doctors for fear that what patients are experiencing will happen to me. A friend of mine can’t play The Last of Us because all she can see is her daughter being shot. The thought of that is too painful for her to continue with the game. Sometimes, games are not fun.
Written by Danielle Carpenter
24
APRIL 2020 | LEVEL STORY
