Disco Elysium: In-Depth Analysis

I’ve just now gotten around to playing Disco Elysium, and I am really glad I didn’t pass this one up. Disco Elysium is a single-player role playing game developed by an Estonian game studio called ZA/UM. In this two-part analysis, I'll be applying literary critic Fredric Jameson's interpretive approach.
References and Additional Reading:
Rain sound effects obtained from www.zapsplat.com
Kurvitz in 2014 - VonKrahl
creativecommon...
Photo of Mark Fisher: MACBA
creativecommon...
Photo of Fredric Jameson: Fronteiras do Pensamento
creativecommon...
The World of Disco Elysium Explained
gamerant.com/d...
“The Hungarian Interview”
zaumstudio.com...
The making of Disco Elysium: How ZA/UM created one of the most original RPGs of the decade
www.gamesradar...
Disco Elysium - What happens when you're aiming to create the best RPG of all time
• Disco Elysium - What h...
The Feature That Almost Sank Disco Elysium | Audio Logs
• The Feature That Almos...
The Political Unconscious (Lecture by Paul Fry)
• 18. The Political Unco...
Capitalist Realism
libcom.org/fil...
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[@NightmareMasterclass]

All the music for this video was created by yours truly. nightmaremasterclass.bandcamp.com/album/the-political-unconscious

[@Vanlayale]

Starting a video with Mark Fisher is always sign of a good fuckin' hauntological time.

[@ileutur6863]

A mistake a lot of people make when talking about the themes and ideology of disco elysium is looking at it from a strictly western political perspective. Keep in mind, this was made by estonians, who are eastern europeans. Our political thought, our understanding of left and right is fundamentally different than that of western europe and the usa.

[@mdd4296]

It doesnt help that the developers really love trolling the audience with their public statements

[@ΛευτέρηςΚουάντας]

This is just so true. I just recommended the game to an American friend and already told him he’s not gonna be able to grasp the political aspect of it. I hope however it registers with him, it’s still gonna do justice to this masterpiece.

[@KayAndSkittles]

This comment brought to you by Cuno Gang

[@Guruc13]

FUCK DOES CUNO KNOW ABOUT JAMESONIAN APPROACHES TO LITERATURE?

[@unritardatoqualsiasi]

#KimGang

[@duckfilms3662]

CUNO DOSEN'T BRING ANYONE ANYTHING. FA***T'S BRING CUNO THERE SHIT. THAT SHITS BELOW CUNO.

[@HueyZ]

I love how your usages of words and the rhythm of this video. It’s a rich in-depth analays

[@BigBlueVibes]

Oh hell yeah. I remember going into the game without any expectations: just a promise of a cool RPG, no hype or anything else. Man was it a rollercoaster. Time to enjoy the vid, thanks in advance. I'm gonna enjoy your insights.

[@fast.food.ninjalarry954]

Haha same !

[@googplusisawful1922]

the only thing I knew going in was "yea i heard it was good" and now I'm obsessed lol

[@shayZero]

The search of an English copy of The Great and Terrible Air" brought me here. Spent 100 hours in the world of DE and it's really cool to find such in depth analysis of this really cool game. Long may its influence reign in other games, because I'm left empty trying to find something else to play to this calibre

[@ladybellaphram5895]

I never really understand what your talking about in these videos but it’s always fun to listen to

[@foxhoundfrolic]

Couldn't catch the premiere, but happy to see your analysis of this game!

[@RedPlateaus]

One of us already played this game twice and love both it and this video on it - fantastic work and excited about the next one!

[@elkan0]

OMG you're so smart and I'm so drunk... I love this game and your spectacular analysis! Subscribed, all the bells and likes and everything...

[@WalksandSuch]

Good analysis that actually explores and understands the cultural references in the game instead of just repeating the literal aspects of the story. I randomly watched your petscop videos years ago and now im here again after completing DE

[@beselsqueletonman]

Esprit de corps isn't 'cop culture', its a Napoleonic term for team spirit. It just applies to policing in this context because Harry is a cop.

[@jacobislucas]

As someone who doesn’t know anything about politics, this video made me feel stupid.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

Some of the ideas presented here are difficult to wrap your mind around. Reading Jameson, I often found I needed to reread the same sentence a few times just to get a handle on its meaning. But I did find it worthwhile.

[@benzur3503]

Nightmare Masterclass this video was 50% Marx’s concepts. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just less accessible to people not familiar with his texts

[@faceman3585]

Communism sucks and is responsible for nearly 1 billion murders across the Earth. Evil. The political reaper of the poor. The ferryman of the middle-class to poverty.

[@ileutur6863]

@@faceman3585 Interesting how nobody ever tallies up the "death counts" of any other ideology. What about monarchism and its centuries of slaughter in the name of autocratic rulers? Or capitalism's drainage of 3rd world resources, resulting in untold pollution and deaths of overworked, underpaid workers? Nobody ever talks about that, just the red scare over and over again

[@cyncynshop]

I played through the game. I never discovered the Science fiction twist where the victim is not a young women but a middle-aged man. As someone who loves science fiction, the dead prostitute trope is so ingrained that I never thought of the central victim being a middle-aged man is purposeful. That is just so cool. The simple realization that many science fiction stories likes to use the murder of prostitute woman as an event.

[@The88Cheat]

How did you not know that was a dude in the tree? It seemed pretty obvious.

[@sweetsummarain]

I am such a fan of your videos, so I was so stoked to see you discussed one of my favorite games. I didn't know there was a book! I hope it's translated soon!

[@RiderOfKarma]

Great job, the kind of in depth analysis a game this well-crafted deserves.

[@DOCDOCFLAMINGOS]

I have to just say .. offten the subjects you talk about are just way over my head and beyond my realm or scope of knowledge. Albeit I just really totally enjoy listening to you speak and the way you present the information. Thanx.... That's all.

[@harrisonhaine1199]

Great video!

[@elsanto2401]

this madman never bothered to look in the mirror

[@Pakanahymni]

I love Disco Elysium analysis videos.

[@KevinM88TR11]

Subscribed, this is a great channel 👍.

[@sacred_bone]

Класний канал і дуже цікавий розбір гри. Незаслужено мало переглядів.

[@bonabellbitties9276]

Now this is what you like to see😩

[@user-th6gs1bz3j]

great video! learned a lot :)

[@katedunkley4747]

Can't stop laughing at your pronunciation of Jean Vicquemare. Good video :D

[@beetljam792]

finally played the game LETS GOOOO

[@benzur3503]

5:00 Klaasje isn’t normal, whether any of her stories about herself are true or not she’s not exactly a person leading a regular life, making regular decisions or liking regular qualities in regular people. Shit lives lead to shit conceptualizations lead to shit relationship. Or maybe it worked well between her and the mercenary, I really don’t know. But I know real people who repeatedly choose to return to relationships with similarly destructive people to her descriptions of the mercenary.

[@biggiesmartypants]

I thought up she was higher class and depressed by something (it's some time ago I played it, but I think it's not explicitly explained anyway).

[@renaigh]

I think she is just a Sex Worker who was traumatised by watching a client die while fucking him. She made up a story of who she was to avoid talking about her real profession to a couple of pigs. It makes sense that she would go to Ruby and the Hardie Boys for help considering their ideology doesn't typically shame Ladies of the Night.

[@Kleoath]

This is one of my favourite games of 2019. I didn't know the book was available in English yet though, where did you find it?

[@NightmareMasterclass]

I don't think it's available in English yet. Haven't read it. Just heard Kurvitz talking about it.

[@stampede274]

*Me seeing you posted a video on Disco Elysium:* "Alright! A video from one of my favorite youtubers on one of my favorite games! Let's get political!" *My bimbofied brain halfway through:* "He reads books and says smart big words, lol"

[@deebee5378]

Finally, a subject where an hour of talking about socialism is warranted (I like your videos, just having fun)

[@robinsad6915]

very underrated video!

[@auburnt_amaranth]

finally able to watch after i played this genius game.

[@Beeyo176]

Ah, to hear that voice again.

[@rephlax]

Funny that the tree where you find the hanged man looks like the phasmid

[@TapDat52K]

It's funny. When I played DE (Disco Elysium) the first time, I remember agreeing with characters whose beliefs, banter, and background I could relate to more as a person. But every single character is essentially controlled by capitalism. Even you as the player buying and playing the game are bound to the DE world. This video encapsulates this well. For example: (I wont use names to not spoil the game. You should go play it before part 2 if you haven't) I always thought the "fem fatale" may have been forced into an unwanted situation with her "drug buddy", but had to break off her relationship... But misses her "drug buddy" as time passed on. This is not in support or service to victim hood, or "R" culture where the victim is seduced by the abuser. This is to support the idea that our feelings and beliefs change based on what we experience and need to survive. And capitalism heavily influences those factors in the modern day. The "Fem fatale" as an individual, didn't know how she valued her "drug buddy" in relation to her life, until she thought about it with time. Maybe she didn't want a serious relationship and just wanted to drink, smoke, and smash because just like in real life, it's economically less expensive to avoid kids and a family altogether. Maybe they were just friends, but the relationship got deeper to the point where she had to break it off to protect herself because she and him would miss work and not take care of themselves and their psychological/physical needs in a capitalist society. Or Maybe she needed to end the relationship to protect her image as a fem fatale. Because it was more valuable to the people that she as an icon and role model, kept that facade. She would need to do so to maintain economic sustainability. But she does know how she feels about him now. And it's clear she misses him as a companion to a good extent. And every character in DE gets that depth if you let it. It's so bound to capitalism, that everyone is in a way, able to be misinformed, unaware, uncertain, or corrupted. The truth itself, can be bought out or buried by the masses. Just like in reality Interested to learn about more of the ideology in part 2 Mr. Stockdale.

[@argosf6027]

I literally screamed the moment I saw the notification

[@dolorex7679]

Do you have any music recommendations? Thru out the video i was wondering if the music in the background was taken from the game, later i went to your soundcloud and listened to it for a while, it's great! I also really liked your video, love how in depth you go and that I can learn something from watching a game analysis.

[@NightmareMasterclass]

all of my new stuff is on bandcamp: nightmaremasterclass.bandcamp.com/

[@diedfamous]

Master of farts here...please send all further inquiries my way. Danke!

[@alexanderthemagnifcent2573]

I can’t wait to watch this when I beat the game.

[@patsysloan8967]

Not the boushwa!!!

[@Wveth]

This is a great video with a lot to digest, so thanks! But I gotta say, you should pay more attention to your pronunciation. There are resources on youtube that will read out anything you're not sure about, and you especially struggle with terms that originate from languages other than English. It's a relatively minor but still pretty noticeable blemish on an otherwise good essay.

[@manol-t]

I think Mark Fisher could be applicable here in a different way. This game could be seen as the same type of genre like steampunk or cyberpunk where an alternate history is imbued with artefacts of a bygone era that are purely nostalgic, a lost future, inaccessible past. that's from his book Ghosts of my life. That take shouldn't distract from the quality of the game, but it might be an underlying pathology, especially considering how this world hasn't had a Stalin. In a sense it's a much younger and less traumatised world. The massive catastrophes of the 20th century are not attributed to the left in this world. It's an inaccessible past. This melancholic point of view is toxic however as stated by Fisher himself, it's an opiate. I'm paraphrasing here.

[@jacquiecotillard9699]

Honestly this kind of discussion and content needs to be the focus right now. We need to improve the understanding of socio-political theory and application for the casual person interested in creative work. Looking forward to your Political Unconscious series, which sent me here preemptively. Merci Edit; you might really enjoy the Iron Heel by Jack London. And by enjoy, I mean draw a lot of doomy ennui and motivation.

[@tranducphuc1761]

YOU DESERVE MORE VIEWS !!

[@vitorgross9254]

I'm writing a video on Disco Elysium for my portuguese channel, would love to reference your video on it :)

[@jakubb9498]

Orginal creators of Disco Elysium for sure did real Mark Fisher. Joyce Messier almost directly quotes the Capitalism Realism.

[@ΜιχάληςΔαβλάντης]

Mark Fisher=Like

[@Kurvits]

Oh my fucking god! Someone understands Evrart and the Debardeurs Union is not "union corrupt bad".

[@Jmh2989]

7:25 Rendezvous is pronounced "Ron Day Vu" 7:42 Heralded is pronounced "Harold Ed" Awesome video though.

[@googplusisawful1922]

me at 3:37: YEAAAAAHHHH

[@paulprice2007]

Are you speaking English in this video or are you making up words as you go

[@sirVhailor]

espeely dey kawr

[@orangefaintofsky]

and Gene Vickaymaray

[@yari4046]

i have found more disco elysium content

[@Nono-hk3is]

Wow the autogenerated captioner really doesn't like your voice

[@NightmareMasterclass]

I'm sorry about that. I really need to work on getting captions uploaded.

[@Nono-hk3is]

@@NightmareMasterclass that would be great! It's really bizarre how poorly the automatic system worked on this video. You aren't at all difficult to understand, and while there are quite a few french and russian sounding words in the game, the captioner was failing on basic English words and phrases. Have you been deliberately working on a technique to defeat AI? Sorry for the shortness of my tone--I finally finished the game last night at midnight, and I was probably too tired to be commenting. I did fall asleep while watching this, but that just means I get to watch it again!

[@marskessler]

Sponsored by Gene Viqumaré

[@benzur3503]

46:07 I was kinda annoyed at how bluntly the pale just confirmed “nah it really is a physical supernatural phenomena that ruins all the businesses around here”

[@Wveth]

It wasn't necessarily that simple. The Pale is part of a feedback loop; negative attitudes and thoughts lead to negative outcomes and the effect is simply more pronounced due to the presence of the Swallow. But as the dicemaker shows, businesses can succeed. The whole thing seems to be a metaphor for how terrible events ruin people even generations down the line, and by extension it affects entire communities.

[@benzur3503]

Wveth attitudes themselves are not exactly enough to break the cycle of failing businesses. The book shop is having a tough time breaking even, and if Evrart’s Plan were to work, the dicemaker’s Business that already relies on orders and commissions might not be harmed, but the bookshop that needs foot-traffic would regardless of her attitude regarding the situation. The plasticity and options of a model to function within crisis are affected by negative self-perception, but the material form of it is the bedrock of necessity that determines its possibility for function

[@flowerremoon]

The Pale is more like a supernatural manifestation of Nihilism. I feel this is more obvious in the book, but in the game we see it as a force that keeps people in the past, their minds deteriorating in a dejected rejection of the present, like the Paledriver who is a husk of her former self, drunk on nostalgia and unable to live in the present. We learn from the Phasmid that the Pale only started with the arrival of the human mind. Joyce tells us that a method of keeping oneself sane in Pale travel involves reciting poetry to oneself. In the book, Sacred and Terrible air, we have a Nihilist character who seems to not be affected by the Pale like others. We also have a communist revolutionary who fought alongside Kraz Mazov. The nihilist and the revolutionary travel through the Pale, and the revolutionary recalls an impassioned story of the glory days of the revolution, the world they were fighting for and the love for their fellow man. In that moment as he’s recalling that passion and love, the Pale receded and colour creeps back into the world around them. Then the nihilist scolds him, reminding him of the bloodshed, and how their revolution failed. The Pale swallows them again. The concept of the Pale reminds me of existentialist literature, how indifference and hopelessness is a force that tries to swallow all, but through beauty, art, and love, we can keep our humanity and hope alive in a world full of despair and pain.

[@WalksandSuch]

Just watched the Noah Gervais essay and it sucked

[@jacquelineF8C8DC]

Your production is great, mixing is great, but I really think you could be a lot more succinct and less rambling when making points. You jumped around so SO much in this it was tough to follow. This video could’ve been 1/3rd as long. Make a point and then point to it back to the game/your thesis, don’t just ramble on about political theory with misc sources for 25mins. You totally lost me Also your pronunciation of terms like “Espiret Des Corps” needs work....

[@lukemurphy6244]

Fentanyl Floyd? Riots you mean? Yeah.

[@ileutur6863]

America deserved every single riot. I hope they keep coming and getting worse

[@PupBoxxy]

Your father left because of you.