Objects and bodies, though reminiscent of real-life counterparts, come to adopt new meanings depending on their value within the game. In a videogame, we forget the outside physical world and accept the rules of a new reality. There is no escape, not even for the narrator, who is another pawn. But even when they contradict the narrator and laugh at its tantrums, they are still following preordained trails. The narrator in The Stanley Parable beckons players to run through a door and ignore another, or take an elevator up instead of down, and players are compelled to misbehave. In a digital environment, where possibilities of movement are predetermined by code, players can only do as much as they’re allowed to do. The Stanley Parable is a game about playing games, questioning assumptions typically made by gamers and designers, especially the illusion of choice. Now a spruced-up commercial release, with remade environments and an extended quest, the experience is still very much the same. What made it interesting was its hilarious narrator, always commenting on the player’s actions with devastating wit and piercing scorn. It also did nothing particularly remarkable with the graphic engine, as it mostly consisted of drab corridors and lifeless cubicles. It was never a particularly long game: play-throughs usually lasted between five and fifteen minutes. Ever since it was released as a mod for Half-Life 2, The Stanley Parable has been a cult phenomenon.

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