Telltale's The Walking Dead Season 1 - A Literary Analysis

[@brandontorres9760]

One impactful thing that I wish you had given light on was one small detail that could be easily missed. On my first playthrough, In episode 2, I attempted to save Larry and spared St. John Brothers. In episode 4 of the same playthrough, I managed to beat molly (on my first try) and had her at gunpoint. When Clementine said "Lee!", she said it as if she was concerned that he would lose his humanity. But, if you kill Larry and murder the St. John Brother's, and defeat molly, Clementine will say "Lee" cold and beggingly, as if she knows that you are a killer and are not above murder. This shows that even decisions that happened in the previous game can affect how the characters view you later in the game.

[@GameProf]

Oh man, see I never killed the brothers, so I hadn't known that. But yeah, the game is full of those little touches based on what you do that tailor the game, however slightly, to your experience and choices. Good stuff.

[@gkdunch]

I never noticed that... holy crap

[@cjfeather_]

Damn, I’ve played this game over at least 5 times and I’ve never noticed.

[@NOITY35]

From around the end of March to around the beginning of May I dedicated tons of free time to playing the franchise. Did 4 or 5 playthroughs, honestly not sure now. Was just so hooked. It was something that I had not noticed either until I read this comment then noticed a difference on playthroughs 3 and 4. Good spot on that.

[@bodhiarlo6909]

instablaster.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

Still Salty about Carly.

[@cjcathead2468]

I imagine it was just lack of characters that had her as a potential death early on. Every other character was apart of some sort of bigger arc, Lilly and Larry, Kenny Katja and Duck who are family and Glenn, who is a cameo. We don't get more characters to kill off until next episode. Even though Carly seemed to have plot relevance there wasn't many characters they could kill that could actually be a hard moral choice

[@mosh845]

iSalty

[@rewsnew5361]

I chose to save Doug instead... Sorry

[@tilde6454]

Same

[@Pretty.Biology.Princess]

Rewsnew 5 why? just curious as i’ve never seen anyone pick Doug

[@Grymbaldknight]

I dropped English Lit at university because it was forcing me to read books i had no interest in. If i had you as a teacher, and if we studied video games, i'd never have left. This is an awesome series and you are criminally undersubscribed.

[@GameProf]

Well thank you, I appreciate that sentiment! Feel free to share the series around if you want to help fix that! ^_^

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

What gameplay are you talking about? The gameplay where you indicate which decision you choose to go with? Other than that it has sparse "find the object" and "put the cursor over the thing you want to kill" segments and....that's it...so what "disastrous" gameplay are you talking about? If it had less gameplay than that it'd be a fucking movie.

[@The_Catman]

@BLAIR M Schirmer This game has stellar gameplay. Everytime someone talks about gameplay in this game, they exclude the narrative interaction BY DEFAULT. That's like talking about gameplay in Devil May Cry and exclude the combat system.

[@Pretty.Biology.Princess]

I actually have an English professor who let me do my research paper on zombies and human behavior in zombie apocalypse type situations ~ I got an A+ hehe

[@dunbass7149]

Dear lord

[@mus1k844]

Clementine's reaction to Lee's bite always breaks my heart, the emotion in her voice is palpable and it destroys me

[@DarthTaterson]

This was like the first game that absolutely blew me away story wise.

[@DarthTaterson]

Kenny is my brother for life.

[@joabbuac]

I actually liked the puzzles, not for the puzzles them selves, but for the chance for "quiet time" to reflect on all the big moments that have just come before, that whole scene of starting up the train (and moving the tanker after), usually would be a boring section, but with the whole weight of the scene with Duck, it took on a whole new meaning and i was happy for the chance to come up for air to do something more simple and gamey before the next horrible decision i knew was coming :D

[@justlilly7653]

I'm horrible at puzzles so they took forever and were pretty annoying at times but I never realized I totally did this too! Especially the train puzzle after Lilly freaking shot Carley in the head! I had a chance to talk it over with the friend I was playing with. That's a really cool detail you noticed!

[@ginagidaro]

I agree. I enjoyed the down time of the puzzles.

[@tomthefish6064]

*sees its 40 minutes long* Excellent

[@firefly5677]

Lee started the game in handcuffs as a criminal and ended the game in handcuffs as a hero

[@chrishowell6469]

Damn...

[@iwannabeyahtzee8056]

I chose to have Lee shoot Duck but Kenny shoot the boy in the attic. I felt that it was catharsis in a way for Kenny. What he couldn't do for his son, he could do for this boy.

[@Gibbypastrami]

Same here on my final playthroufh, that's what felt like canon to me

[@kryslynn9321]

I think the whole season 1 was lee's chance to clear his soul after killing a man by taking care of a little girl he might think after killing the senator he'd be going to hell but after taking care of clem helpping people and there family stay alive the best he could he'd be going to heaven.R.I.P LEE

[@LasagnaLover23]

I don’t think it’s about clearing his soul, but more that the apocalypse is a way for him to forget about his past as if it never happened and become a new person through protecting Clementine

[@felixc.3444]

@@LasagnaLover23 In a way, clearing his card. Except it's more giving his past sins a goodbye by giving forward and preparing Clem into a dying and then reborn society

[@LeeEverett1]

@@LasagnaLover23 I look at it as a message that not everyone who breaks the law, goes to prison, or makes a bad decision is necessarily an evil unhinged person, sometimes they just made the wrong choice that cost them everything. I'm not justifying killing someone, but he walked in on his wife cheating on him and he was so emotionally distraught that all logic went out the window. We don't know the exact details on how Lee killed the man other than they got into a fight that ended badly, my assumption is he went too far with his hands in rage rather than getting a gun with the intention of ending his life in cold blood. The apocalypse didn't change Lee, it just gave him a second chance as I'd like to believe he was always a good man that cared alot about those who were close to him.

[@Darth_Nox13]

there is no heaven

[@cushpnk]

@@Darth_Nox13 😱

[@joshdavis8381]

Such a powerful game. None of the choices were easy, and I still get so brokenhearted watching Kenny lose Kat and Duck. I just couldn't let Clementine shoot Lee at the end. She had suffered enough.

[@johngun7418]

Josh Davis 10 months late lol but I actually had her do it because in my mind she needed to toughen up a bit or she wouldn't survive on her own. It's really messed up but irl I'd make my daughter do it.

[@ivartheboneless5969]

You see guys, ‘draws from cigar’ this is the difference, between a josh Davis, and a John gun.

[@cass1832]

john gun I’m even later than you. But another reason is she needs to learn to let go. Do what’s best for those she cares for. If she truly loves them she won’t let them been seen as walkers, they deserve better.

[@urmominc904]

​@@johngun7418 Yup, this was my mentality exactly. I understand people want to shield her from the trauma that shooting a caregiver inevitably creates, however in a world like TWD you can't afford to be soft. My first play-through of the game I made it a point to teach Clementine to be honest, fair, and resolute; and in turn, she grew up to be a "survival strategist" in the third season, who took shit from no one and wasn't afraid to make the hard decisions. All at the age of 13, too. And then in season 4, I did the same with AJ. People are going to moan about keeping their innocence, but that shit would get them killed fast, and as long as they're not enjoying it or killing in cold blood, I don't see the problem.

[@cjvaye99]

@@urmominc904 yeah but see AJ was enjoying the killing. He even said he liked doing it because it made him feel strong. Thats not ok. He kept saying he was justified too. Which both cases where he shot someone they had surrendered and were no longer a threat. He killed them anyway. Even though he did but right thing both times its not something anyone should enjoy or be proud of. But AJ always brought it up like it was a big accomplishment. But when he shot Tenn that was an example of a difficult decision but a right one. Had he not done that two people would have died instead of one. But I still think AJ is dangerously close to that line between a good person willing to make the right but tough decisions and a complete psychopath.

[@CoolioMaister]

19:56 Actually it's a bit more than just that. _Quoting a user from TTG forums;_ "No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were: any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee." So, throwback to season 1 here, but this is the entirety of the poem that our hobro Chuck spoke an excerpt from. Maybe this has been discussed before, but it was just something I noticed while playing. The poem means, essentially; that for every person that dies, the world is worse off. In the time that the poem was written, church bells were used to announce when a funeral was happening. So the phrase "Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for the." means: "Not only did the person being mourned today die, but you, or a part of you, and an entire part of humanity died with them." This not only explains what Chuck did shortly after quoting the poem, but I also think it greatly contributes to the decision of whether or not to drop Ben. The place where you make the decision to drop him (or not) is no coincidence. Every single thing you see and hear in that moment basically spell out for you that the group would be better off without Ben: Kenny gesturing for Lee to drop him, Ben asking him to do the very same, but at the same time, the presence of the bell calls this into question. By dropping him, Lee isn't only letting a worthess piece of fucking shit dipshit teenager fall to his death, but he is dropping a part of himself, and a part of humanity down the tower too. So while the game is basically spelling out to the player that they should drop Ben. It is also giving the more observant player a nudge, and saying "hey, is it really worth it?" Like I said, I know this piece of symbolism might have already been discussed in the massive thread, but there was no hope of me finding it, and perhaps I elaborated on something the last mention of it didn't, and I just wanted to share because I thought it was one of the most brilliant pieces of symbolism I have ever seen in a game." Too bad none of the symbolism happens in later games like this.

[@what7287]

holy shit that's beautiful

[@tsunamiscientist568]

Coolio M Extra Credits actually did a few episodes on TWDG and they touched upon this.

[@NOITY35]

I find it hard to not like all of the games for loads of different reasons, even in spite of a good handful of narrative faults. That said, intended or no, I think many would be well to find symbolism across all of the games. It is, after all, highly subjective. I intend to play this franchise a great many more times whenever the itch comes around. And I hope to learn something new about the world of The Walking Dead, and gain a bit of introspective every time.

[@maddisonreigoux4593]

Love the teenager part, really describes his character

[@raditzhoneyham]

I think things like this are why TWDs1 and TWAU are TTGs masterpieces. They hold so much weight as a story. Now that I'm older and have a steady relationship, a happy enough life, and one day want a daughter... This game hurt me on my recent playthrough. I found myself crying at least a couple tears each episode. I was really considering how horrible this would be as a human, rather than treating everyone like game characters and choices This playthrough, besides the ending obv, what hurt me the most was Lee in the drugstore. It just made my whole heart sink.

[@what7287]

i really would love you to analyze season 2.

[@seanscambler7192]

A good analyse of season two is a video called “ we don’t talk about kenny “ I really recommend it x

[@Vrinara]

@@seanscambler7192 I just watched that actually. It's really good!

[@seanscambler7192]

Nightheart I know the video is really high quality for a channel that doesn’t upload , who’s your fave character of the SERIS anyway

[@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421]

@@seanscambler7192 You mean the one where a prick talks shit about one of the franchises most important characters in the most idiotic and unaccurate way?

[@deltanotxtreme4775]

@@isaywhateveriwantandyougot7421 people like u will never understand

[@Tahmis_Googboi]

I don't know how important this is - you can't really expect people to think of this in the heat of the moment - but medically speaking, Lilly trying to resuscitate Larry wouldn't work. CPR is only meant to keep a person going for as long as possible until they get rushed to a hospital, or at least get an AED shock. I doubt the St. Johns had an AED on hand, and shocking Larry with the fence certainly wouldn't work, so Lilly would've had to keep going, maybe taking turns with Lee, until Larry turned on his own. Eventually, the CPR just wouldn't be enough. So in that practical sense, Kenny seems to be right that they should smash his head in - this choice is even called "Pragmatism" in the stats screen of the episode. That said, none of them seem to know this information, or at least don't bring it up. If anything, Lilly, being an Air Force Officer, should know this, but maybe she's forgetting it in the hope she can still bring her father back.

[@XxTaiMTxX]

Add it to the list of "forced contrivances" and "really terrible writing" that is "The Walking Dead". Just wait, in Episode 2, we get a real Doctor. An "I went to college for 8 years to learn to be a doctor", Doctor... Who CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A DOG BITE AND A HUMAN BITE DESPITE THE FORCE OF JAWS BEING DIFFERENT, BEING SHAPED DIFFERENTLY, AND HAVE DIFFERENT LOOKS BECAUSE THE TEETH CAUSE DIFFERENT TYPES OF TRAUMA! Namely, it's a problem that exists in a lot of Telltale games. The characters lose 50 points of IQ whenever the plot demands it, because they need to amp up drama and tension.

[@cjcathead2468]

@@XxTaiMTxX that was episode one of season 2

[@XxTaiMTxX]

@@cjcathead2468 Yes it was, and was the very reason I stopped playing Season 2. The episode ended with everyone in the story other then Clem being pants-on-head-retarded... and I was done. When I can write a better story and better characters than people paid to do so... and I do it as a hobby... There's an issue. Namely an issue of me not wanting to spend money on a shit product.

[@cjcathead2468]

@@XxTaiMTxX Sorry If this was a weird comment I was just commenting on how you said it was episode 2, without context, and since this video is about season one, it could very easily be misunderstood.

[@XxTaiMTxX]

@@cjcathead2468 I might've made that mistake. Can't recall. I'd have to go back and reread it. But yeah, it's Season 2. I made it through Season 1 only marginally irritated with the overall plot line, but really annoyed with the characters. Season 2... I couldn't go any further. The plot line killed any enjoyment I might've had from the beginning. But, I really did like "The Wolf Among Us" and wished they'd spent more time on that. Despite contrivances in that game with your choices, the storyline itself was really good.

[@emmanuelporte4201]

The strange thing about the Lilly decision. I didn't feel an extreme emotional feeling when she shot Carly. I was upset, but after a second, just considered her a liability, which I was right to a point. To me more people around working together might a higher chance of survival, but if we got people killing people, that wasn't go to fly. I left her everytime.

[@neptunecentari7824]

I still cry at that final scene with Clem and Lee. 😭

[@bendysquid9926]

The reason I let Ben die was because I thought I didn't have time. If I remember correctly I think I left Clementine at the house, meaning I wanted to get to her as quickly as possible. That's something the game does amazingly. The purpose behind a players choice could be entirely different. Some people could be like me and wanted to get back to Clementine, and saw Ben's death as him making up for the death of Kenny's family by sacrificing himself, and someone else could see it as getting rid of a nuisance. The player choice is amazing.

[@henrychen310]

This video really explains the story of season 1 of the walking dead. The story is about how a person who has nothing latches onto something and tries to hold onto it as everything gradually goes to hell. The choices that Lee makes as the world goes to hell feel personal because they're what define us. The same thing happens in season 2 of the walking dead which is why most of the group dies or leaves at the end again anyway.

[@eliyashaibjames3747]

Great analysis. The number one most common complaint I keep hearing from people is that their choices don’t matter. Even though that might be true but it’s more about how much weight do you add to the story because there’s already a narrative set in place that the writers are trying to achieve and want to see how you participate in that narrative.

[@megamike15]

the first season did a better job with the illusion of chocie then their later stuff. this was mostly due to how well written season 1 was. the rest of the wd games by telltale start falling flat as we don't get to know the characters as well so them dying does not impact you as much as season 1 does. alot of this is due to executive decisions screwing with telltale post walking dead witch you can find out about in the recent no clip documentary.

[@Anderwreckzz]

I have a lot of love for this series, tttwd is fantastically made, and the genuinely emotional and sombre tone creates an excellent landscape of quiet hope amongst the hopelessness of the setting. It's a literary masterclass in writing convincing sympathetic characters who, long term, you know are doomed but are so compelling that you can't help but want them to "win" and survive. The end of the first game perfectly illustrates the futility of your actions but also demonstrates that Lee did, in fact, succeed his main goal, keeping Clementine safe and preparing her to survive.

[@ziwimiwi]

No matter howmany times I play the ending always brings me to tears

[@dominickbedolla1479]

Great insight, man. I always thought this game just drowned itself with conflict without much depth, but watching this really enlightened me how this is actually a powerful narrative. Keep doing what you do.

[@Ruminations09]

I can't not emphasis enough how much I love this channel, and I think this might be my favorite video you've made thus far.

[@Ruminations09]

Also, I completely echo your sentiments in the side note at the end of the video. I've tried on 3 seperate occasions to get through season 2 of the show, and I just can't. Which is a shame, because season 1 actually wasn't that bad.

[@fuzzydunlop7928]

In retrospect, cutting off Lee's arm doesn't make a whole mess of sense considering that his periodic fainting likely indicates the infection had already spread by that point, which is totally okay because it shows the irrational hope of people in dire situations.

[@RepublicAgent]

Yeah. I couldn't leave Lily behind. Ben either. I tried to keep everyone together. It was a big choice since it made a statement about whom we are. Who hopefully Clementine will grow into one day. Loss and hope!

[@charlesguillergan8759]

another person who wouldn’t have survived very far after the initial outbreak

[@righteousham]

Excellent analysis, sir. Also, capping this with Gavin's powerful music was a great choice.

[@aojpictures]

Something I found really fascinating when playing this game, was the introspection I had of myself. More specifically, the two main ways I thought. Being a good person, and being a smart person. For the minor choices it was all very easy, be a good and kind guy to those who deserve it. But for all the major choices, it was all chosen for the smart reasons. Stealing those supplies from the car would make me look bad to Clem, but it needed to be done. Letting that woman be eaten instead of shooting her was a horrible thing to do to someone, but we needed to do it. The only time it really overlapped was with Lilly. She's not only a danger to everyone, but was not a good person anymore.

[@IngoSchwarze]

+Aidan Owen-Jones Samuel's point in the video is that even there, Mercy Matters. And besides, which person isn't a danger? And yet besides, why be a good and kind guy only to those who deserve it? Even though i sometimes feel the same, it's a terrible distinction to make, and often a very difficult one. So even if that distinction could be morally justified, it only sometimes makes decisions easier, while it makes others even harder...

[@MatthewCampbell765]

As for the topic of choice in this game: To play devil's advocate (because I myself don't mind very much), I think the actual mentality has less to do with desiring a power fantasy and more to do with "railroading". For example, in tabletop RPGs, it's considered bad form for a Gamemaster to override your decisions to further the story they want to tell. It's one thing to simply not have the ability to accomplish a choice, it's another to feel like the "GM" is overriding your decision because they're too focused on telling /their/ story. However, I personally don't mind it too much for three reasons: 1) The game didn't strike me as too high-budget and I simply couldn't imagine them writing out a whole different story for different options. If you could save Larry, for example (I think that's his name)-this would require more money on the part of the devs than I think is fair to expect. I believe that one must keep their expectations and criticism financially reasonable. 2) As you point out, this is mostly a game about interpretation of the main character and their relationships. You do essentially get to choose the protagonist's attitude towards their circumstances and have quite a bit of control over your character's relationship with other characters. 3) Fake choices aren't necessarily immediately obvious and I figured the game might be keeping tabs on them for later even if there wasn't an immediate consequence.

[@Darthinfernov99]

A truly majestic and overall emotional rollercoaster, that this series brought to its fans, I'm so glad that Clementine made it out alive. Truly one of the best series to a video game that I have ever played in my life. And there are many others all around the world, whose hearts have been touched by this game, as well as TWD series as a whole. Thankyou Telltale Games and Skybound Games for completing the series. As well as the #StillNotBitten team. We love you Clem

[@IngoSchwarze]

You already convinced me before (in theory) that both games _are_ literature and also that minor interactivity is _not_ really a smaller thing than major interactivity. But this one was still an eye opener, allowing to experience it in practice - both ways. On the one hand, i like studying stuff like Golding's "Lord of the Flies" exactly because it explores which chances people have in exceptionally dire conditions, and in my "Crossroads" video essay (available on my channel) i came to this similar conclusion: "So what William Golding is ultimately telling us is that we ought to carefully watch ourselves for what we do, for how we react to others approaching us, and for how it makes us feel, because our actions and the feelings they bring about will shape who we are going to be in the future. Calamity really originates from all the small insensitivities of the beginning. Later escalation, going further and further giving too little thought and love, merely makes it harder and harder to understand ourselves and find better ways. But if, at some point in the future, we are confronted with what we have made of ourselves, we may still realize that we do not like it, no matter how far we were gone." On the other hand, when i recently watched "Firstborn" (1984), that old flick introducing Corey Haim, i was absolutely sure that being in Jake's place, i would have killed Sam in the end, even if i could have known that it wasn't required for survival, not even caring much how easily i could get away with it or not, and i felt passionate about it - even without any interactivity. And i didn't even realize the connection until now. It is quite obvious how much power interactivity (no matter minor or major, that really being a technical, not so much of an artistic distinction) can add, so how games are not only an art form, but one with specific merits and specific expressive potential. And it is great to see how - even though most commercial games are probably not all that great - some game authors have already reached such remarkable results. One minor point to add to your analysis, maybe: given the wealth of choices in such a game, for different players, the ones mattering the most are likely different ones. As a rule, i don't add stuff to the "Recent discoveries" feed on my channel front page unless it's closely and obviously related to my own content. But i make this one an exception (the second exception in 18 months). It's just so brilliant.

[@DS-oopa]

This is an excellent take. Really enjoyed watching this. The Duck decision always left me feeling confused because I'm not a parent and I also asked myself "what would a parent want?" Great video!

[@justlilly7653]

I listened to this while I was painting my room. I seriously hung on every word. Amazing analysis! 👏

[@nicoboggs1517]

FWIW, I felt that the encroaching zombies added an immediacy to the decision to save or kill Ben that was irrespective of his past mistakes.

[@thirdwheel1985au]

I've lost count of how many times I've watched or listened to this analysis. That last line sends a shiver down my spine every time I hear it. You have one hell of a gift, keep on keeping on.

[@TheFirestar1212]

Its nice to see someone who thinks of the game of how it affects you as tge player and not just the outcome in tye game itself. People are so focused on efficiency and how to win in narrative style games instead of how you as a person would react in one of these situations.

[@benwasserman8223]

Oh thank god! For a while, I thought you had stopped doing the channel

[@GameProf]

Nope, life has just been kicking my ass lately is all. Hopefully gonna' be getting more regular again soon.

[@joabbuac]

This is my BOOMSTICK!

[@membou]

This game didn't ever make me cry, but there were definitely some emotional moments that struck a chord. Absolutely had games that caused wet eye syndrome, though.

[@atonement3984]

I'll never forget Lee, i miss him.

[@nicolemartin9105]

This channel has been exactly what I've been looking for, having watched many video essays on films but video games are the medium that really interest me and drive me. So happy to have found your work, and that it's to such a high quality is the icing on the cake. Will be watching many more of your videos and waiting for more content from you eagerly. Thank you and I hope many more find this channel on the off chance like I did! ^_^

[@GameProf]

I definitely know that feeling, so I'm glad my show scratches that itch for you! Hope you enjoy the rest of my videos as much as this one. ^_^

[@CyberVirtual]

This was a very well written analysis. Wow what an adventure.

[@MalaysianChopsticks]

I played this years ago. Every chance someone wants a good game, this is my recommendation. Also, I want to see their reaction. I cried when crying is need and the game don’t force you to feel bad. Great analysis Also, would you do a season 2 before the last season is out? Our Clem has grown up and this is the last time we will see her story.

[@sparrow6437]

This was the best review of this game, and I really enjoyed it But what about Chuck When you tell him that the group was bigger than now and he asks if the walkers get em or not then you'll have the option to say yes or no All the KZbinr was choosing yes and say why would I wanna lie about that But when you turn back, you'll understand that it's not really the walkers who get em The game really shows you that not the walkers are your only enemies Just as Clementine said: "The living were just as dangerous as the dead."

[@GabrielGarcia-lk8kd]

Great analysis! I'm glad to finally hear someone talk about the Walking Dead with the idea that choices don't have to significantly impact the story to be important. I love Walking Dead's use of minor narrative interactivity and how your choices reflect who you are as a person. A great example, as you pointed out, being the section where you have to pick who to give the food to in your group. I chose to give the food to 1) Clementine 2) Duck 3) Kenny. That says a lot about me and my priorities and I love that a game can make me reflect on that even though ultimately the choice doesn't matter to the story. Another excellent example of how powerful minor narrative interactivity and those kinds of choices can be is a game I just recently finished "OneShot." If you've never played it I highly recommend it. It's such a unique experience and uses player choice brilliantly. Anyway, thanks for another awesome analysis! Can't wait to see what's next!

[@classyyoutubechannel]

Me and kenny were practically a couple in my playthrough

[@thedecentgamer7818]

Only slightly related to the actual video, but I got hype the second I heard the piano in the outro music, since I immediately knew what song it was

[@GameProf]

Always nice to see people recognizing Miracle of Sound! I love his music, and insert it whenever I can.

[@thedecentgamer7818]

@@GameProf this video is 5 years old, and you probably get hundreds if not thousands of comments daily, and you come to my comment to reply. Absolute legend

[@GameProf]

lol this channel is not nearly big enough for that. I get like a few comments a day if I'm lucky, aside from the days I upload a new video. So I'm happy to reply and geek out over Gav's music!

[@duckfilms3662]

After finally playing through all 5 seasons i literly ugly cried. If i ever have a daughter her name will be clementine.

[@umairzia8914]

You are criminally underrated. How do you not have a million subs?

[@GameProf]

Unfortunately that'll probably never happen; even the big game analysis channels like MatthewMatosis and Errant Signal don't have that many. I appreciate the sentiment though. ^_^

[@WorthlessWinner]

An interesting defense of the choices that don't go anywhere, but I think your choices not having any lasting effect undermines their introspective value, at least once you know they don't have a lasting impact. If you're presented with the Trolley problem, but you know a second train will come along and kill everyone whatever you do, it's hard to take the problem as seriously as you otherwise would.

[@houseplant8540]

Yeah, i agree I also love having a different experience to other people when playing the game

[@enigmafairy]

this is one of the best videos i have ever seen. very well made, good philosophy, and great observations and connections. you have real talent. this is one of my favorite videos, and i’m hoping to see more like this.

[@Miller09095]

I'd love to see each of the Telltale (now Skybound) walking dead games analyzed in this way. Even if you skip A New Frontier and skip to season 4.

[@multiminecraftguy23]

You should make a new video based on the new twd games especially season 4

[@peepeemgee1656]

One of the most amazing video essays I’ve ever seen about the walking dead. Truly amazing content man

[@Jaconllllll]

Just watching this made me want to cry again. Thank you so much for following your passion. This episode gave me an odd sense of closure to something unrelated. TMI, but that's just one example of how something may seem superfluous to one person but is exactly what needs to be heard to another. That's why I encourage everyone to act on their most inspired desires. You don't need to control everyone and everything to save the world. Doing what you can given one's circumstances can make all the difference for those you influence and, hopefully, inspire. Congratulations on hitting 12,000 subscribers. I never doubted you for a second, man :)

[@BaphometBeck]

Amazing video. I thought I’d seen them all on this game until I found this, and you really made me think differently about the choices that ‘don’t matter’, which I didn’t think was possible after playing it 10 years 😅

[@2442MTS]

I really do appreciate these insightful videos. However, if I had one general criticism, it would be that you often seem to spend the first 2/3s of your videos on mostly summary and the last 1/3 on direct analysis. But, again, the analysis you do have is always very insightful.

[@GameProf]

Yeah, that gets difficult. I designed this series from the beginning to be accessible to experienced gamers and clueless parents alike, which means I have to assume a viewer not only may have never played the game I'm analyzing, but even any game ever. So I want to keep the summaries, and while they're here I try to use them to point out important scenes so I can reference them later and lay some groundwork for analysis. I've been trying to cut down on detail during the summaries as best I can, since I also am not a huge fan of the ratio, but I'm still figuring out how to best manage that. Glad you enjoy them, in any case!

[@james_sabin]

One thing that is so sad to me that someone pointed out was that duck had to see his mother die. Like I didn’t even process that when I first played that episode

[@mill4318]

I haven't seen any telltale content in quite some time. I only started getting back into it after seeing the wolf among us 2 trailer, and being absolutely hyped for it. I started to go back and watch all of these videos about how telltale....well, tells their tales. I legitimately forgot how amazing season 1 of the walking dead truly was, and you my good sir did an equally amazing job at reminding me. Just seeing that final scene almost drove me to tears...again. This is an exceptional video, and the fact you don't have more subscribers is criminal. I really hope your channel gets picked up on the algorithm, because you deserve so much more support!

[@darkzarkaster93]

The day you do an analysis to one of the games of the souls series, will be the day I'll be able to die peacefully. PD:Good video, btw.

[@mishmeshmonster2482]

This analysis is absolutely stunning. You really paid homage to such a fantastic, gripping game in a way that is both engaging to watch and respectful to the source material itself. As corny as it may sound, I will never forget how this game has influenced my outlook on life, family, parenting, loss and my own personality. Even to this day, Season of Telltale's The Walking Dead is the only story to emotionally effect me on such a deep, personal level and reduce me to genuine tears by the end of it. Thank you for this video. I thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

[@mrhufflepuff6443]

One of if not the best long form in depth analysis/reviews of the walking dead game series I’ve ever seen!

[@Claramata]

I absolutely loathe most zombie films and games, but my friend (who was also the one who pushed me to play The Last of Us, which I also didn't want to play because of my aforementioned distaste for zombie games) told me that I HAD to play the Walking Dead. Again, I don't like the show, I don't like the comics, but myself, this friend, and another friend spent HOURS at his place playing this game together. What I took from it and what that says about me is kind of disheartening. There were a lot of times where we were seriously debating why one or the other of us made specific choices. We learned that I am much more... heartless I guess... than I want to be, since I would almost always call for what I saw as the practical choice ("Lilly's dad is a goner end it!" "The world is brutal now, don't soften anything for Clem, it'll only hurt her in the long run") whereas my two friends were on various scales of trying to do the good, compassionate thing. The only place that flipped was Ben. I was the only one who wanted to pull Ben up. And to this day I honestly don't know why. I think it was that there really was no survival excuse for letting him die. He wasn't a potential danger to the group (which is what i thought of Lilly as) or more useful alive (my excuse for choosing Carly and also trying to save the farmer's son). It was either revenge or mercy with no other excuse. The two guys I was playing with saw Ben's death as a chance for him to atone for his mistakes and I saw it as a waste of someone who could be useful down the line.

[@kiadimundi3610]

For some reason 23:39 always gives me goosebumps

[@d.i.y.a.b]

This is the best analysis of this game I have ever seen. Amazing work!

[@flyingfist4203]

Man, this was great. I'd love to see you tackle the later seasons of Walking Dead.

[@eatme982]

But all the succeeding sequels are piss.

[@lukemimnagh2594]

The play through I went for is that I showed mercy, I killed no one unless necessary or a mercy, the only I person I killed in any way was the woman in the Motel. The rest I spared, the St. Johns deserved life as a punishment, nothing else, and then the stranger I spared because an example had to be set, and also I understood that my group was in the wrong there.

[@atlas4628]

It good to see a another video from you, especially talking about one of my favorite games.

[@MrFoxxz]

Lee was going to the prison that Rick ends up in so he could of been with the other prisoners trapped in the kitchen I think so yea lee and Rick could’ve met but Clem might of died

[@TacticalLoL]

The production, the work, the quality, the lovable nature, the intelligent analysis, subbed

[@MaryJane-tp3qd]

37:44 I had to stop and just repeat “an immediate effect, but not a lasting one” I felt that one in my chest

[@AgentZ46]

This is the first of your videos that I've watched and I'm sold. You're awesome and I've subscribed. Would love it if you did videos on other Telltale games btw.

[@haowig]

12:50 “it took 3 episodes for this option to become available” -GCN - Everything Wrong With The Walking Dead Season 1

[@azuraslegs]

The theme of tts twd season 1 isnt just loss but also familly, and by extension, the losing of family and what that does to you. Everything, and i mean everything, comes back to family; Lilys only family was larry and she fell apart when she lost him, kenny was doing everything for his family and had to refind his way after losing them, the Saint Johns were doing literally anything to hang on to family, the Stranger losing his family is what led him to you, ben not knowing what happened to his family and feeling guilty over making someone else lose their family, Christa and Omid were starting a family, and finally Clementine and Lee becoming a family and then learning of her own parents death. Hell even hershell. There is also a vague sense of the stages of grief in each episode although thats more of a headcanon admittedly

[@zemineriver8043]

You should do a games as literature analysis of "Night in the Woods"

[@ethanhayes3474]

I vividly remember playing this game when it first released. I was roughly clementines age while playing the game. I just recently replayed it and dear god it hits so much harder. It’s crushing

[@amai1690]

About the part at minute 32-38, I actually let Lilly come with "us" again because i wanted to give her "a last chance", I was shocked at the end of the episode as i saw how many people let her stay at the roadside, I really thought everyone would give her "a last chance" even after the really cruel thing she did, I mean it was a hard decision, it really was, but i also liked Lilly a lot since the beginning, It was interesting to hear your reasoning for that choice, I really enjoyed your analysis, Thank you~

[@bishbosh4815]

Yes I've been looking for something like this for years!

[@johnnyboeck8952]

God I hope he does the rest the series and more telltale games in the future. They fit perfectly for his type of analysis.

[@TheTrueBatBrain]

When will games make us cry... Well Zombies down right seems to work (Both the Walking Dead and the opening of The Last of Us got the tears flowing in me) it's kind of hard for games to make me cry unlike movies where I'm more open to tears. Hmm, I think the reason is what really connects the games and the movies that get me going. Kids, or rather, a character that the main character has to care after or someone who we really sympathise with. Hearing Clementine break down when Lee starts to turn, Joel sobbing over the body of his daughter, the idea of nostalgia and in real terms childhood passing on into adulthood in Toy Story 3 (yes that got me). So while other sad moments can affect, it hurts more to me at least when I have had to care for them (but NOT been burdened with them *glares at AMY*) and sympathise wholly with them, kind of manipulating a base sympathy and paternal reaction. Kind of long anecdote but the phrase got me curious

[@NicoGonzalezEstevez]

Fuck, man. I'm proud of this video, i haven't done anything to make it happen but it makes me feel proud of how far we've come in the industry, and that includes the maturity of it's criticism. Keep it up.

[@fightingdan3407]

This is by far one the best analysis of a videogame I've ever listened to

[@lightningmonky7674]

Thanks for analyzing these games for the real artfork they are!

[@johnalessio7050]

Annnnnnndddddd now I'm a subscriber. love the analysis. please keep doing these amazing games.

[@GameProf]

Oh, you'd have to be like five minutes into the video at the time you commented? I'm glad to have made such a good impression that early! :P

[@ElRobin]

Fucking awesome video, might be my favorite one along with the last of us and bioshock ones. I appreciate trying to keep your content for all ages but it is also important to cover mature and dark themes, since it shows a very different perspective and dives a lot deeper into who we are.

[@darkincarnation]

I've only just stumbled onto this channel by accident, but dear god, why don't you have more subscribers? Brilliant stuff here, well thought out and eloquently put. Looking forward to more! :)

[@GameProf]

I ask myself that question every day. :P Glad you liked it though!

[@HoboraMax]

The bell tolls for thee, brotha. The bell tolls for thee.

[@rhondahoward8025]

You hit the nail on the head and I've been saying this too: Telltale choices are about _personal_ choices. The kind of person you choose to _be_ in such a fucked up situation. I'll give you an example of a personal (and surprisingly!) unpopular choice: *I left Clementine at home.* Or how _I_ would phrase it, *I didn't let her come with me to Crawford.* And to me, this was a test of my parenthood. How willing was I to put my foot down and finally leave her _out_ of a dangerous situation regardless of my desire to keep her close to me? Yes, in Episode 3, Lee told her earlier that they were a team and Clem definitely took that to heart, but I remembered Christa's warning as well. Before this point I had been very accommodating to her, but before, they were mostly with small things. "Yes Clem, I'll help you find your hat" "Yes Clem, you can help me move that desk" But the last time I said, "Yes Clem, you can come with me" to an unknown, abandoned place, we were attacked by walkers and she was trapped in a cage with one. One mistake with the keys or not reaching her fast enough and I could've lost Clem. Now I had to ask myself: Is it worth taking that risk _again?_ And I said no. It's not. Crawford was dangerous for children. Molly laid that out pretty clearly. So the answer was no. And it felt responsible. I left her with a gun too. Also, the stranger will call you out if you DID take Clementine with you to Crawford even though she'll come out relatively unscathed with either choice.

[@wongoli]

I really wish there were more videos like this dissecting games and bringing out their inner value! Glad I found this video.

[@graysongdl]

The fact that the choice to save Ben is purely determined by his past actions makes his eventual rant feel extremely earned, because by choosing to save him, the player has already decided that they agree with what he says in that rant, before he even says anything. There's no "choice" to agree or disagree with his viewpoint, because the player already made that choice by choosing to save him.

[@ShehrozeAmeen]

I personally do not have much to share. I simply think your analysis was spot on, and I'm glad I attended this class. Cheers :)

[@octavio.santos]

When I played this game, I chose to leave Lilly behind as well, but my motivation was to keep the group safe from her (and also because I sided with Kenny from the very beginning, so I had to be coherent in this sense). Still, would I be that rational if I myself were in such a situation? I don't know. Maybe this is the moral trap of videogames: we can always make up a better image of ourselves than how we actually are.

[@yelsahblah3270]

Look I left her too, but I left her because she killed a perfectly alive human in cold blood because she lost an argument. A viable member of the group. Not even Kenny showed himself to be capable of that level of horror.

[@spanishnameisjesus]

You talking about your decision to leave Lily reminded me of a similar experience I had. Spec Ops: The Line. SPOILERS. At one point in the game, one of your two teammates gets separated and wounded, so you and the other member go to rescue him. When you reach him, you find him hung by the neck from a pole by a crowd of anger civilians. You cut him down and try to save him, but he's already dead. The crowd of people are screaming at you, throwing rocks and calling you names. The game gives you control, but you can't walk past the crowd because they push you back and punch you. When I played this scene, I unloaded into the crowd with my assault rifle. I mowed down dozens of civilians, even as they ran away screaming. It hadn't occurred to me until later, that there was another option: shooting ABOVE their heads, also makes them flee. I didn't even recognize that as an option, because it's not like the game said: "Press A to commit war crime, press B to give mercy!" It just gave me a dead friend, a crowd of angry people, and a machine gun. To this day, my decision in that game worries me. The fact that I didn't think twice about it, that I saw the immediate, satisfying option and took it. It's one of the reasons video games have me hooked like they do, they can put you as a person into situations you'd never (hopefully) actually live and gauge how you'd react in those circumstances. And in a horrible way... A lot of Vietnam and Iraq massacres make a lot more sense to me, now.

[@charlesguillergan8759]

your way of thinking is so critically flawed it’s sad

[@kingofgrim4761]

@@charlesguillergan8759 sounds like u just dont understand how disstress impacts the brain

[@iwannabeyahtzee8056]

Please do am analysis of the second season! This is so AWESOME and I would love to see your take on the second game!

[@burnt_ramen9757]

I would love to see you cover the Persona games, specifically 2 because I feel as though there isn't enough people talking about it

[@georginakaye1021]

Your review of Last of Us brought me to this review. This review will take me to another review. And so on and so forth... LOVE your channel.

[@Pixel_Code]

Great analysis; what you said was exactly how I was thinking but I didn't really know how to put it into words

[@Vrinara]

Love the video! In my eyes. The game is basically. What would you do if you were in Lee/Clems shoes? Which choices would you make. Would you help kill Larry to protect clem? or would you see it as wrong because he could be alive. Would you leave Lilly or take her with you? Would you drop Ben? It's all about YOUR choice. What would you do in the situation. I find it interesting! Everyone is different. When I played the first season. I was asking myself "Would I do this? If I was in their shoes. Would I make this choice. Or that choice." It makes you question yourself. It's quite interesting and I would suggest to everyone who wants to replay the game to make choices on how you think you would make them. Not based off of good and bad. (Cause a lot of people do that.)

[@phaznac]

You made a lot of good points about thematic impact on the player, but in my opinion, these strengths are ultimately negated on any repeated playthroughs. Once I saw that all the decisions basically led to the same conclusion, it removed all emotional investment any time I tried to play the game again. People have said the same thing of the Mass Effect series, but I see this problem far more vividly here. I will never be in the same emotional state as my first playthrough, figuring out the best decisions for myself and Clementine, and that's only amplified by a dissonance with the lasting weight of every choice. I really enjoyed playing the game, but I have no real interest in playing it again, or any other Telltale game for that matter because their structure is indicative towards this level of player immersion that is inevitably hampered by foregone conclusions.

[@WorthlessWinner]

"These strengths are ultimately negated on any repeated playthrough" - not only that, but they're negated in other Telltale games that try to do the same thing. The company suffered because the "illusion" of choice was needed, but they kept doing the same magic trick over and over, ensuring everyone would see how it's done.

[@schmuckmcgee7294]

That look of “Oh sh*t” on Ben’s face as the balcony breaks away should be funny but in hindsight is just… deeply sad.

[@01ChaosWarrior]

I can't really say anything about this game as I've never played it (I'm not really into zombies in general), but I eagerly await the episode on Dust. Keep up the good work!

[@dadefrost2059]

i NEED you to do a literary analysis of mass effect, as a whole ideally. but also broken up into parts! please please please. i'm sure you've seen this before. i hope i can add to the wave of desire for this content. love your work!!