Game Developer Plays The Beginner's Guide

I was asked to stream The Beginner's Guide by a friend and share my experience and perception of the story and it's revelations as someone who practices game development. This Let's Play is from that stream.
From the creator of The Stanley Parable, The Beginner's Guide is a deep game documenting the story of a game developer's dive into developing video games, questioning what a video game actually is and the downfall of their creativity, inspiration and relationships.
Davey Wreden asks you to forego your predispositions of artistic integrity and immerse yourself in the story of one developer and how they lost their creative spark.
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Stay Safe & Thanks for watching! ~(˘▾˘~)
#letsplay #gameanalysis #gamecritique #thebeginnersguide

[@KatrineO-e3u]

Back in the notes level, there’s a note that says “Spoilers: It doesn’t mean anything.” That one is very fun to notice the second go around. Davey warned us from the start. Even funnier is how close it is to the “Stop pretending you’re other people” note, which is just begging you to begin psychoanalyzing Coda. A red herring right next to the answer!

[@DannyJay93]

"Why does no one talk about this game?" I. KNOW. RIGHT. I have freely bought multiple couples of this game for my friends over the years. It is simply a must play and my favorite game of all time.

[@Dax_Plays]

If it wasn't for it being recommended I wouldn't have played it. Word of mouth is super important for gems like this game!

[@icecreamguru7584]

I love this game so much, and the fact that Davey Wreden wrote the entire thing, Coda's games included, is just amazing to me. The man is a Genius. Not only are there so many layers to the story that you can pull apart, Coda's games are little isolated stories in themselves. "The past was behind her" is great, the notes game, the stairs game, etc. And the character of Davey Wreden is so interesting. I feel like you could do a character study just on him, from the little that we got of him in the game. There's commentary on the creative process, on the interpretation of art, on mental health struggles, on what a game actually is and whether or not they should be playable (enjoyable is probably a better word here actually). To top it all off, Davey Wreden does a phenomenal job voice acting, and Ryan Roth did a fantastic job on the soundtrack.

[@smoceany9478]

yeah, and you could probably do a character study of the real davey wreden, i wonder how hes feeling, i bet i could figure it out from his games

[@andremeIIo]

@@smoceany9478 I see what you did there...

[@Eryncerise]

Watching you go naturally from siding with Davey's interpretations to having your expectations flipped by the twists at the end was really cool to see. This game is really important to me because it had the same effect on me. It impressed upon me the importance of 1) not reading into a creator excessively based on their work, and 2) recognizing when one's desire/need for external validation can become toxic. Both those things (interpreting author intent and wanting external validation) are reasonable in moderation, like most things, but it's so easy to cross a line with either one. You have to be very conscious of your reasons for doing so and question if what your brain is telling you is necessary or grounded in any way. At least that's how it is for me. As for Davey himself: I obviously can't know for sure since I don't know the guy, but based on talks and other appearances he's made in the past several years, he does seem to be doing better now. He has at the very least recognized enough of these issues in himself that I think it has given him more tools to combat them. There's a fantastic talk in particular you should look up here on KZbin. If you search "Davey Wreden Playing Stories", he goes into a lot of the struggles he went through during and after the release of the Stanley Parable. The talk was made before The Beginner's Guide came out, but a lot of the sentiments in that talk very much mirror the sentiments expressed in TBG. Interestingly, some similar sentiments seem to turn up in the new content of The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe version as well if you haven't played that yet, especially the ones related to external validation. There's also a REALLY great video essay about TBG by Innuendo Studios called "The Artist is Absent". It gave me a lot of extra ideas to chew on in terms of interpreting the game, and it explains all its ideas very clearly with helpful graphics and such.

[@Dax_Plays]

Honestly the distaste I had for Davey before getting the gentle hint he might not actually be a different person was strong. It's interesting to convert your feelings for hatred towards a person for what they did to someone else into what they did to themselves. I'll be sure to watch both those videos! I actually have the latter in my watch later so I'll be sure to get to it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts mate!

[@Ikcatcher]

This game is honestly the best lesson in media interpretation I’ve ever seen.

[@Dax_Plays]

Honestly no idea how this game was even conceived let alone extrapolated from an idea - it’s brilliant!

[@wilsontoredo1435]

If you want to know the significance of the number combination it’s a reference back to the notes level where one of the notes says “Devil Tower Star” Those are the tarot cards labelled “15, 16, 17” so that’s fun

[@deeegeeekay]

Really shows that “Coda” was actually thinking about his games, and just wanted to prove that Dave wasn’t paying enough attention to why he was making them, but was focused on his own takes on them. He would’ve been able to cross the bridge if he had, and understood what those games meant to “Coda”.

[@croquetteeeeee]

"This is so wholesome!" famous last words

[@KristofskiKabuki]

"This is so wholesome" - oh you sweet summer child 😆

[@Scribblersys]

I think the best interpretation I've seen is the "three dots" are Coda's signature and just represent himself as the author, especially when you consider the design of the "machine" in the second-to-last game

[@johanna4655]

54:13 ok I usually don't comment on videos but I just needed to put my thoughts out on this since I'm an artist. I find it very ironic that the thought here was basically "the picture looks better when you look at it from far away" because in art we're often encouraged to take a step back and look at what we're making to be able to notice any "mistakes" or imperfections. Like, we take a step back because we've been focused in so close for so long that we start getting blind to the bigger picture. So we take a step back to change our perspective. Idk this is such a small part of the video and a game with a much bigger theme and question to it but I just felt compelled to share that.

[@Dax_Plays]

Small but poignant. Might be one of my favourite parts of the game. I’m interested to hear how the game has influenced the way you view art, whether that’s others or even your own?

[@andremeIIo]

What amazes me the most about this game is how deeply it understands game creators from around 2007-2012. I mean, Davey Wreden was one such creator - the original Stanley Parable is from 2011 -, so it's not surprising _he_ understands the experience, but the way this game manages to convey what the experience entails is amazing. Creating small experimental games like that is a deeply introspective experience, it's like writing a poem, but with added dimensions, because you get to be there in this tiny world you've created. And most of the time you don't feel like your creation is good enough to share, so it ends up dying in a folder somewhere. Then maybe a few years later you rediscover it, and it feels immensely nostalgic, and you're hit with a sense of grief for that young creative self you had to leave behind. I thought that was just me, but playing this game I felt an immense sense of kindred. Ironically, it made me want to reach out to Davey so bad, and befriend him, because I felt like nobody else in the world got me as well as he did. And then I understood what the game was really about. It's about boundaries, and projecting, and letting things go.

[@stargazerbird]

The moment when you read about the lampposts was wonderful. It’s how we all feel at that moment. You got the main idea just fine.

[@iron6672]

Loved your genuine reactions. There is nothing wrong with you thinking this was a real story, since this was the intention to make you feel this way. I'd love to see you play and react to Disco Elysium and Outer Wilds.

[@Dax_Plays]

Thanks mate I’m glad you liked it! Funnily enough, I’m looking to upload my playthrough of Outer Wilds and EotE at some point soon! Sadly the base game was captured in 720p and both have some Twitch compression but they’re still worth uploading! Genuinely one of my favourite games of all time. Disco Elysium is on the cards at some point!

[@smexijebus]

Thank you for playing this and streaming it! I wish everyone would play this game. What I really adore about this game, beyond the meaning, is the fact that it made me feel something no other game has ever done before. It made me feel like I had done something wrong. It tricked me into doing something I wouldn't have wanted to do had I known more, and it was presented so realistically that it actually made me feel a bit uneasy. What a truly amazing medium, and what an absolute master of his craft Davey is.

[@Dax_Plays]

Thank you for watching! The way the story is crafted invokes all the right emotions masterfully. It hits all the right notes. Those who try to make you feel silly for believing the story as true unfortunately missed a rollercoaster ride of emotion and revelation that I could only ever dream of crafting myself. Fantastic game.

[@vintprox]

That level with white fog mini-islands and crying through writer's block was very touching and broke something in me when I first played it. This is an amazing commentary of life, The Beginner's Guide to absurdity.

[@ralfsstuff]

Brilliant playthrough of a brilliant game. I guess for me the most "enlightening" part was the interrogation bit. When the player takes Davey's position by saying he'd speak to the press (Davey's friends / the audience /players) for the machine (Coda). Same as him interpreting the games and sharing with others out of a desire to "help".

[@jaydearly7367]

I had a lot of thoughts about this game when I first played it, especially after the lamp post revelation that completely shattered me. That being said, I did wonder how much of this was a response to the success of the Stanely Parable. I used to post writing online and I got the smallest amount of a following and suddenly writing became less fun as I began to take audience desires and reactions into account and that acknowledgement that things that are raw or vulnerable that may shine through your work are going to be seen and perhaps misconstrued. I also think the level where you destroy the machine/the machine's creations can be interpreted as the destruction of original meaning through the addition of your own. The levels we shoot out and from what I can tell those referenced in the creative block section are all those that had lamp posts in them, something Davey started doing fairly early on. While there is the implication this is part of Davey's own search for meaning, I think it also might be Davey attempting to make the games more 'playable' to show them off, the same way he made the household chores one more 'playable' by cutting it off. Davey says 'eventually it ends, you can't stay here forever' but you could, and coda designed it this way, but if Coda is happy doing the same thing over and over again that doesn't validate Davey's need for external validation or internal meaning.

[@MeitanteiKevin]

I love watching people play this game. When I first played this years ago, I was blown away and I still tear up at some parts. Idk, this game just does something to me that no other media has ever managed to do. Thanks for playing and uploading, it was really interesting to listen to your opinions and interpretations!

[@Dax_Plays]

Glad this playthrough was able to contribute towards your continued enjoyment of the game! Thanks for kind words!

[@smexijebus]

I'm the same, the only thing that's come close for me is the movie "Synecdoche, New York" by the Kaufman. Equally criminally underrated and probably Phillip Seymour Hoffman's magnum opus role.

[@MeitanteiKevin]

Never heard of it but I will check it out! :D@@smexijebus

[@AnimeSimp234]

An interpretation I thought of when Davey supposedly "met Coda at a game jam in Sacremento in 2008" is that was the event that made Davey realize he wanted to try his hand at game development and making games. That would've been a couple years before the Stanley Parable released, and it's really interesting to think about that event of when Davey "met" Coda as him manifesting the "Coda side" of himself, if you will. That side that had an innocent desire; to make fun games because it looks fun and games are fun.

[@KaiLucasZachary]

The reason why second language learners tend to speak more "proper" than native speakers is because they're learning from books and mainstream media and actually learning the rules of grammar and everything else the way it's meant to be learned. Native speakers know all kinds of slang and jargon and code switching for various situations. Neither type of speech is better than the other, but that is why there's a difference.

[@HzareH]

What I love about this game is something that you mentioned a lot, which is interpretation. The theory about Coda being another part of Davey makes sense, but you yourself found inconsistency within the narrative when you looked into the game for a second time. At the end of the day, it sounds completely logical, but it'll never stop being that, a theory. In a way, through interpretation you're reflecting yourself in this work, you're trying to look for what you think is the real meaning, which is what Davey did through Coda's games. I really enjoyed your playthrough, kinda funny how sometimes you really tried to find a meaning to everything 😅I personally like to see it as both of them actually being a different entity, but that's just me.

[@friendoftheghost184]

The one thing I need to comment is that Coda does not exist, and Davey Wreden the narrator is a fictional character. Davey Wreden the human, the guy that made the Stanley Parable, made this whole game. It is in fact a fictional narrative, and the point of the game is that Davey Narrator is wrong. You cannot make assumptions about the creator based on their works.

[@Dax_Plays]

Of course. Until it’s revealed you do not know it’s fiction and arguably it’s not explicitly stated so within the confines of the game. You cannot expect people to not initially analyse more than the work when it’s presented as a ‘true story’. Given that falls into a part of what the game is about, I think that by finding out it is fictional you find a new dimension of depth to the experience. I think this game is just brilliant.

[@Nik-ei9st]

“You cannot make assumptions about the creator based on their work” That is honestly so clever, because after you learn this from Davey judging codas intentions based on his games-the initial gut reaction is to start blaming the creators intentions based on this game. But just like coda’s severe depression, davey’s betrayal isn’t real. Meta on meta is so good! And it’s so ironic watching these people change their minds in a split second. How Dax and all the other KZbinrs KNEW that this Coda didn’t want his games being shared. He’s depressed, he’s creating games about very personal issues, he’s clearly not wanting to share them, these are all personal projects. The press and watching eyes are always being shown as the villain. It’s very clear that Coda would not want this shared even throughout Daveys rose colored monologues. And they know he’s “real” too! But they don’t care until Coda puts it in clearly spaced typed out words. This is not okay. And then EVERYONE is suddenly like oh shitttt davey you are a naughty naughty boy, why are you sharing this! Putting the blame on him for ignoring the signs and to off put the terrible truth that you’ve been roped into his crime. You saw it but you let Daveys manipulation pull you in anyways convincing you the entire time it was okay. So actually he betrayed you! So it’s his fault you’ve been watching these games (even though you keep playing the game and never at any point turn it off before the end)

[@PullaWheel]

As I always vaguely say to anyone i get to play it, all i say is "it's about a person with mental illness" and they'd go listening to Davey assuming Coda is the one with something wrong with them when really Coda was okay. It was Davey who was struggling, and to the point in the game with the messages left by Coda, after having read everything that basically told him what was wrong in some sense, he didn't understand and as soon as the door closes he says that's why he's releasing the games and honestly i audibly scream at that part. He doesn't get it and he's still making that mistake bigger than before it's all getting worse.

[@peterwatkins671]

The part that gets me is that during the ride, me, and everyone along for the ride is agreeing and feeling the same as Davey. Then during the revelation, we’re all now judging davey, not realizing that was us 2 seconds ago

[@savannahgarcia16]

I really liked your opinion on the game and how you didn't let anything go without looking at. I saw things I didn't even see while playing so it's cool to see the things you miss. Also your commentary throughout the game made me think of things I didn't really realize or didn't bother questioning. Good gameplay I really liked it!!!

[@Dax_Plays]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love games like this because the discussion never ends and you're always finding something new that you didn't notice before. Need to find more games like this!

[@STARGUN8687]

I wished to see another man play this tremendous game and i was blessed to relive it once more. Thank you.

[@Dax_Plays]

Thank you for watching!

[@Elliecesa]

This is one of my favorite games of all time. The first 6 times I played I couldnt stop sobbing at some parts, it just hits deeply for me. Now it just gives me a lot to think about and feel every time I see someone playing it, thank you so much for giving your insight into this game! :))

[@PizzaMineKing]

I think the way to read this is as such: Stanly parable was a game about the relationship between game and player. This one was between game and developper or between developper and player / critic.

[@tanuki01]

I’m 40 minutes in and honestly intrigued intrigued to see how you respond to the change in the narrative

[@DB-jf2dw]

I don’t know if you picked up on this or not, but at 1:26:24 Davey says Coda abruptly has you leave the house, and even gives an interpretation as to why Coda made this decision. But at 1:56:00 Davey contradicts himself, and says that the chores would just loop and you would just clean forever.

[@Dax_Plays]

I never noticed that. Great attention to detail!

[@GLaDOSandMe]

My new favourite play through of this game! Thank you for making this :)

[@Dax_Plays]

Thank you for watching it mate! Made my day to hear that!

[@PrettyPassive]

Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for uploading your playthrough. I really love this game from an artistic lens and I love your interpretations. Have a wonderful day, I hope to see more videos from you Much love, ciao

[@Dax_Plays]

Really glad you enjoyed it! This is one of those games that keeps on giving through each person who shares their experience with it. Thanks so much!

[@GooseEnthused]

This is my first time watching a play through after I played it blind myself. It’s interesting to compare myself to someone else when it comes to the “switch”. Starting to believe Davey isn’t respecting his friend. The little cleaning game, I think that’s when it hit me hard. Like a pit and the bottom of my stomach, Davey can’t let the game be what it is, it has to *mean* something and in that he disregards it’s context to fit into this larger narrative he’s building. His obsession with the puzzle, both the door puzzle and puzzling out who Coda is through their games.

[@dokwalk]

I find it funny that it seems like no one ever thinks this is just a story..

[@geolbaker]

Great stream and great play-through!

[@Dax_Plays]

Thanks mate! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@smoceany9478]

the notes game is content pretending to be made by someone else pretending to be made by someone else

[@zosko1]

I'm 50 mins in and have never watched you before but my god you are very likable! (I might be a bit drunk) you come across as very emotionally intelligent!

[@Dax_Plays]

Thank you! That’s probably thanks to the drink. Thanks drink!

[@deeegeeekay]

The house game really summed up this entire story. They did such a great job making you despise the narrator but sympathize with him

[@TidaliCreative]

34:00 IiTtSs AaN AlPaAmRpTpMoEsNtT hahaha

[@alexisandersen1392]

Your interpretation of a piece tells you more about yourself than it does the artist. It's the first hard lesson in media analysis and this game is teaching it to you as a beginners guide. It's the process of making that mistake we all make in our naivety finding yourself guilty of the sin of parasociality. You thought you could know them through their work, but are you most authentically you when you are at work? You claim to want to know the artist, but by interpreting, and then projecting onto the works and the artists; you erased authorial intent, and you've killed the author and supplanted them with yourself. You killed the creator, and took their place; Usurped the throne of God as it were. That's why you sacrifice yourself at the end... The Whisper machine, that you sacrifice yourself to turn off... the whispers are your conscious nagging at you, and you can only turn it off by sacrificing yourself. Not litterally, but your ego has to go. Something that 'Davy' had to avoid at the last minute because he had "work to do".... because he's a coward... but we having learned, sacrifice ourselves, and bear witness to the presented fact that beyond the veil was unseen complexity, without 'Davey' revealing it to us against the artists wished, and there was not a lamppost to be seen. BTW: The three dots represent the same thing as the infinite halls unseen by the player appropriately playing their role until 'Davey' removes the walls.... It's all the stuff you have no business of knowing, your job is not to understand these things, your job as a player is to observe what is PRESENTED to be observed. Experience the game.... go away with whatever your interpretations are, but don't think they say anything about anybody's intent but your own, and keep your nose out of where it doesn't belong. That's what the three dots mean. YOU'RE WELCOME.... there's some stupid answer, is it THE answer? Is it the Solution? no, probably not, it's just my impression.... GO OUTSIDE

[@bareakon]

"So this is very wholesome!!" Oh dear.

[@Dax_Plays]

I will never trust any thing again

[@BroudbrunMusicMerge]

So apparently, it was confirmed(?) Coda is based loosely on a real friend of Davey's, and "Davey" is a mix of Davey's own nosiness in the past, and his more-modern frustrations with people trying to overanalyze creators through their work

[@TheOneAndOnlyFreeman]

Hey, it was a very nice video, until i realised that you channel has 30 subs! mate you make contants thats very high quality!

[@Dax_Plays]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@EmpEcropEco]

I feel betrayed and angry. Idk

[@Toksyuryel]

Why is this the only video on this channel?

[@Dax_Plays]

I made this channnel for more let’s play adjacent content so as to not bog down the main one (even though my main channel has a lot of my let’s plays)

[@Gripendo]

If you liked this game then you gotta play fire watch

[@Dax_Plays]

Oh yeah I’ll have to check it out!

[@cleverman383]

Stop pretending you are other people

[@evanellis1702]

hommie cannot read

[@Dax_Plays]

My brain broken :(

[@tanuki01]

I’m concerned that you thought this was a true story even at the end in the letter

[@Ellisika]

I thought it was a true story for years *shrug*

[@zmitter4844]

Nothing in the game gives any indication that it isn't real, I don't really see what you're trying to say here. When it was released, most people thought it was real and I'm pretty sure that was Davey's intent considering he didn't admit it was just a story for a while.

[@tanuki01]

@@zmitter4844 do you think someone would record themselves having an emotional breakdown, edit it and then publish that to stream, for a fee? As it is, publishing a compilation of games that are someone else’s intellectual property and charging a fee for it is a good way to be sued to oblivion. Steam would NEVER let that fly

[@zmitter4844]

​@@tanuki01 I absolutely think someone would do that. And, if it's true that Coda doesn't have the game files any more, it'd be a pretty tough case for Coda considering you need to register the work for copyright to be able to sue. Yes it's automatically a copyright upon creation, but you can't sue over it unless it's registered. Obviously it isn't real and I'm not arguing that it is, but calling it "concerning" seems a little excesive considering the game does everything it can to get you to believe it.

[@zachooray]

@@zmitter4844 It absolutely does tell you. Listen to what the narrator says at 34:02-34:38, then read the text at 2:09:35.