How Stray Subverts Violence in Video Games | Video Essay on my Game of the Year 2022
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- čas přidán 2. 12. 2022
- Let's look at How Stray Subverts Violence in Video Games. This video essay is all about Stray and why it's my Game of the Year 2022 because of it's themes, storytelling, lore, and subversion of combat in modern-day video games. It's among a lot of GOTY lists with games like God of War Ragnarok, Elden Ring, Tunic and Sifu which are all pretty violent. So Stray really stands out from all of its 2022 contemporaries. The Kowloon Walled City inspired cat game from Anapurna Interactive is more than just a cat game. It's a cyberpunk game that makes us question the place of megacorporations like Amazon and Google in our lives. It also makes us question if we need violence in video games in the first place. Combat video games can be a lot of fun, but the creativity on display with Stray's lack of combat is phenomenal as well. It follows in the footsteps of indie titans like Journey and Abzu and even Limbo in some ways to be game that could change a lot of things for the future of gaming.
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⚔ Games Featured ⚔
Cult of the Lamb www.humblebundle.com/store/cu...
Sifu www.humblebundle.com/store/si...
Tunic www.humblebundle.com/store/tu...
Rollerdrome www.humblebundle.com/store/ro...
Scorn www.humblebundle.com/store/sc...
Stray
Destroy All Humans! Remake www.humblebundle.com/store/de...
The Callisto Protocol
Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice www.humblebundle.com/store/he...
God of War Ragnarok
Resident Evil 2 Remake www.humblebundle.com/store/re...
Ghostrunner www.humblebundle.com/store/gh...
Bloodborne
Steelrising www.humblebundle.com/store/st...
Stardew Valley www.humblebundle.com/store/st...
Metal Hellsinger
Horizon Forbidden West
Elden Ring www.humblebundle.com/store/el...
Outer Wilds www.humblebundle.com/store/ou...
Abzu www.humblebundle.com/store/ab...
Ori and the Blind Forest www.humblebundle.com/store/or...
Sonic Frontiers www.humblebundle.com/store/so...
Gotham Knights www.humblebundle.com/store/go...
The Pathless www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Hell Let Loose
This War of Mine www.humblebundle.com/store/th...
🎶 Music Featured 🎶
Cult of the Lamb OST: Eligos
Stray OST: Town Square
Stray OST: Hatching
Stray OST: Inside the Wall
Stray OST: Dead City
Sifu OST: Judgement Day
Cult of the Lamb OST: Shamura
#stray #videoessay #gameoftheyear
![Fear And Hunger Hard Mode [Outlander S-Ending NO EMPTY SCROLLS]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/iCj3G00Wel4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fear And Hunger Hard Mode [Outlander S-Ending NO EMPTY SCROLLS]](/img/tr.png)
MEOW! Hey y'all. What's your Game of the Year for 2022?
God of War Ragnarök is my personal GOTY. It definitely benefits from being the most recent and least problematic game I've played, but it also very nicely subverted most of my pre-conceived expectations of what that game was going to be.
Good job on another insightful video! I'm really digging the opening montage
@@KomradeQuest thank you! That montage was super fun for me to make. 🥰
Stray cause skrunkly kitty cat.
@@Parky64 so true! I love that lil kitty!
This is a tough one but for me right now it's a tie up between Elden Ring and The Callisto Protocol.
I told my therapist about Stray. Finally a game that teaches empathy and duty where your final mission is won by showing love.
Oh nice! I wish more games were like Stray tbh
@filmotter SOOO TRUE! It's so boring and empty like almost all fucking media these days.
This is exactly why Stray was such an amazing gaming experience for me(and many others). I have no problem with shooty shooty bang bang magic sword shing shing magic kaboom. But Stray’s lack of “combat” is what made it so unique and so creative and so enjoyable. You still have “conflict” but it’s all about evasion rather than confrontation. It’s just such a great game.
Totally agree with you! I hope we get more games like this in the future
@@filmotter same here. I’m looking forward to whatever B12 Studio puts out in the future. What they did with Stray was pure magic. I hope they left some of that magic for future games.
Stray made me cry way too hard and I love it so much.
It's SO good. I haven't felt this excited about a lil cat in ages!
same 😢🥺
As someone who's main interest in videogames is story and ambiance I usually love games that don't ask you to engage in too much combat, It helps me enjoy those things so much more, Alien Isolation, Death Stranding, Silent Hill games (the original ones) are some of my favorites for that reason
This is reminding me to play Silent Hill someday! But I totally know what you mean Mos. I feel like I'm very similar in this way.
I bypassed violence today and instead chose to watch this amazing video.
Wow that is incredibly noble, noob. I might even call it nooble.
Stray ! is a masterpiece, In addition, it is the first humanitarian game which transfers part of its earnings for the cause of the cats in associations, a world premiere ! He has so much quality this game, it is fabulous to see him finish 3 rd of the Goty with 2 prizes won!! for me it's Stray the Goty this year 2022 the rest is only speculation of AAA! As you described very well Stray has entered the history of video games and in 50 years we will remember Stray and we will have forgotten the Gow and Er
I feel a little disappointed when someone who gushes over this game only gushes over the cat, and barely seems to notice the gorgeous world, the characters, or the game’s messages. Still, I would riot if this game didn’t have a dedicated meow button.
What a cute game!
_legions of eyeballs show up on the walls and ceiling_
Oh.
Great video as always, Otter!
YOU'RE a cute game. Or something.
Had to come back and watch a second time to really get my thoughts in order ahh. I actually didn’t read Stray as a pacifist game or as intending to subvert violence but it’s super interesting how you’ve presented the evidence for that interpretation!
To me, I think what makes Stray so great is that everything is built around the idea that you play as a cat. And that sounds obvious, but what I mean is that instead of “this is our story, here’s our protagonist” it’s “here’s our protagonist, let’s build a world and story for them”. And building the world and story around the main character to let them shine Really lets unique gameplay shine, such as the jumping/platforming.
So I think looking at it this way, there’s no way Stray could have traditional video game combat. I mean cats do fight, but in short, violent bursts, not like what seems fun in most games. But what do cats do that can be gameified? Stealth and speed! Absolute genius move on the devs part! I’m mostly speculating how I would approach making a cat game and how Stray works, I don’t actually know if this was their process, aha.
As for violence in games in general, I think intent matters a lot. Like, what kind of game is it, why are you putting combat there, what is the purpose? Even if it’s just “have fun battling” that’s an intent! How can you make your battles fun? So like if game dev is asking questions and answering them thoughtfully then it can be like any other aspect of the game and be pretty cool (or if they’re not being so thoughtful, might fall a little flat).
Stray was definitely a huge game for me, I loved it a lot and it pushed me to play outside my comfort zone which was difficult but rewarding. I’m glad so many people are noticing the love and care the devs clearly gave it! Thanks for this video!!
I love what you said about the intent of combat in a game, I totally agree with you!
And your take on Stray is really interesting as well. It really is unique gameplay packaged in a unique way, which is why it stuck out to me so much.
It's interesting that you mention Scorn's combat. Because the truth is, most of the combat is optional. Simply avoid most enemies, and they never attack.
Interesting! I never realized that. I may have to go back and play it again now
Okay was I the only one who thought Otter should own Momo's plant shirt? Also I was so excited to see you talk about this game, Stray was absolutely soul restoring this year (even though it makes my friends cry) and I would like to continue being a cyberpunk kitty indefinitely.
I would LIVE if I could find a Momo shirt tbh. I need that in my life immediately.
Okay but momo has DRIP!
Truuuuue
Here from the Stray subreddit. Great video and stray is such an awesome game
Thanks so much! And I agree. Can't wait to see what the devs do next.
Another game in the Stray universe(or maybe even a book or graphic novel/comic) would be so cool
@@charliev4156 agreed! That would be incredible
Having never played Stray, I thought this was a very insightful essay! Such a cool topic and I think it’d be interesting to see if more games come out with similar takes on violence. Nicely done!!
Papaya! Thank you so much, I really appreciate that. I'm sorry you didn't get a bingo this month, though. 🥲
(Also you should play Stray. You would love it tbh)
I don’t understand how you haven’t blown way up yet. Such good thoughtful videos. Keep it up
Thank you so much! Probably because people don't share the videos.
So unique i love games without violence because there are already enough wars in the world its sad people like this! Stray is a relaxing game with a warm and moody and story driven vibe its also nice that its made by a studio cosisting of 80-90% cats and a few people. Its also fun that its made by ex ubisoft artists and is inspired by a real place and has a lot of eastereggs in it and lots of refferences to games and movies. The devs put lots of work and love into the game. Its not only chill, the scenes with the zurks or the sentinels create some tight moments but the rest is pretty chill, its probably the first pretty realistic cat game
Glad I'm not the only person who feels this way!
I've been looking for some good essays about videogames and having a hard time of it. This was a good find: Thoughtful, universal, quality, and with no over-the-top vocabulary, or grammatical flubs. Right in the the gold zone.
I appreciate it! You might also check out Razbuten, wizawhat, and eurothug4000 for similar styles too.
@@filmotter
Hey thanks.
Jacob Geller is fun, too.
In my head canon, "Stray" is the fourth title of the "A Plague Tale" series, after the Macula plague in its fourth incarnation happened in the 28th century, after the 7th, 14th and 21st century. And that's probably because "Stray" is a French title, released in 2022 after the 2019 release of "A Plague Tale: Innocence". If you play both games, you can see similarities in their core structure.
Very interesting video! Parts of it had me thinking a lot about Outer Wilds, probably because I finished my first playthrough of the game about a month ago. This is also a completely non-violent game. Or at least doesn't have the player engage in violence. Still, it does address some very heavy topics, such as the inevitablity of death and responses to fear. It subverts expectations many times and I think your core thesis holds true: Not having a combat system and focusing on other gameplay aspects can strengthen the message of a title and leads to truly unique games and experiences.
(also, I had to rewrite this comment because my cat walked over my keyboard half way though, which is hilarious imo)
Woah you have addressed many points we never actually think about it before. Great video essay!
I call it the Zurk Zapper LOL
Absolutely loved the montage in the beginning of your video! I just got Stray and this make me even more excited to play. Great video, as always.
Awww thank you! I do my best. 😅
Your video made me realize that, in my own video essay on Stray, I should've framed the Zerks and the Sentinels as not just "the only things in the game that can kill you," but more specifically, they are the only *perpetrators of violence*. A subtle but significant distinction.
With your comment on The Pathless I finally have a way to articulate why I found the combat so satisfying! (Beyond the fact the boss battles are EPIC.) There's no distinction between "exploration mode" and "combat mode," you shoot the arrows either way.
I also appreciate the idea at 18:07 about pacifist playthroughs not being the "real way" to play a game. I appreciate it when the option is there, but yeah, sometimes I feel like I'm not doing things the way they were intended. (Notable exception: Undertale)
I learned a surprising amount from this video!
Awesome! I'm honestly just glad I could add something to the conversation :D
So glad I found your video essay! I agree with everything you said for Stray, I love that game and it's definitely my GOTY too!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I think Stray doesn't really ask the question "Does violence make video games worse?" but rather "Is violence necessary for most video games?"
The answer to that question mostly varies on what kind of games any particular individual enjoys playing. If you're someone who enjoys shooters over everything, violence is obviously completely necessary. But for someone who enjoys racing games or maybe relaxing indie titles, that answer becomes a bit more ambiguous.
Your point about modern games' message towards violence also kind of aligns with the whole ludonarrative dissonance issue that a lot of those games have. The Uncharted and TLOU games are the easiest targets for that criticism. The believability of the player character's actions during cutscenes is called into question after just having murdered dozens of people. those types
Stray is such a refreshing experience, and its success is something that I really hope other studios took notice of. Which isn't to say give us fewer violent combat games, by all means keep 'em coming, but to give serious thought to how necessary it is for the experience you're crafting. I have a friend who exclusively plays gritty shooters and still adored every second of Stray, stating at one point: "A good game is a good game man, the great ones give you cool weapons but the best ones know when to take 'em away."
Kind of surprised Dishonored wasnt mentioned or no conparisons were made to it. Great video, great points made. The Pathless comparison was great, but Dishonored does the exact same thing you mentioned towards the end.
You have brought about an interesting point about non violent games. I've never really thought about it but you are right, most games released nowadays are all violence based.
I think in the late 90s and early 2000s when games' design languages and genres are still extremely experimental, is where we see a suite of interesting non violent games. I can easily think of many more interesting games series whose hook is about an interesting gameplay rather than violence as the gameplay, something we don't see as much nowadays. Games like tony hawk, sports games (ssx tricky esque?), rhythm games, visual novels/adventure games, point and clicks. These genres that are no longer dominant in the gaming landscape in 2023, at least they no longer take the spotlight anymore, rather giving way to even more violence based games.
Not that it is a good or bad thing either way, but it is an interesting thought, that every part of the gameplay is all designed around the combat.
Yeah, exactly. The popularity of violence has definitely taken center stage recently. And there's plenty of combat-heavy games I love. But mixing it up every now and then is really refreshing.
It's more to do with companies. They just want cheap easy cash grabs that milk your wallets. As a fan of fps games myself I feel most games are terrible I'm the fps genre with the few accepting like doom eternal. Hence why you don't see many games like stray or the ones you mention.
It's hard for me too because I loved games like Rock band but those genres are gone now and sure we have fps but most of them suck so we don't really have them either
I have been kicking a ttrpg campaign about rebuilding a village after a fire type for ttrpg around in my head for a few months now, but I've always defaulted to running it in dnd. But dnd's mechanics default quite heavily into a combat focused story. There are plenty of other systems out there that are almost certainly better suited for what I want to run and the themes/messages I want than dnd, ones less (or not) focused on combat.
Nice vid, thanks for making and sharing
Thanks for the kind words! Glad you dig it.
As usual, amazing work
Thank you so much! I appreciate that.
Great video. Thank you for this
I'm glad you dig it!
As someone who is tired most of the game mechanic nowadays, Stray is a breath of fresh air. IMO, Stray should be GOTY 2022.
I totally agree with you! It was so unique and different and exactly what I needed
without contest
ok, you broke me I'm buying stray right this moment
It's so good! And surprisingly repayable for such a linear game. Hope you love it. 🥰
Stray clearly had violence. Look at how you could scratch the leather couch like an absolute menace. You wake up and choose violence 😂
This made me think about the Dishonored games. You can choose violence, which is super fun and the kills can be creative, but it comes with consequences. If you choose avoidance and non-lethal takedowns you get much better results and positive ending. It even makes the game more challenging to bypass combat.
Such a good perspective here - excellent. Agreed - IMO Stray should be the 2022 Game of the Year
Thanks so much. I feel like Stray really made me think more than most games that came out this year.
Another wonderful video essay.
(I'm a monthly subscriber)
Awww thank you so much!
(And I super appreciate you!)
This is a great video! I love stray and all of its choices, even made a video on it myself. As a fellow small creator, great work man!
I'm glad you dig the video!
Great video!!!
Great video. I enjoyed it and agree with everything
Thanks so much! It means a lot to hear that. 🥰
Stray is definitely one of my favorites games of the year. I plan on making a video on it and covering it briefly in a video I'm making soon.
Oooh nice! I can't wait to see your take on it.
beautiful beautiful video!
Thank you so much!
3:52 NAH, WE'RE NOT SKIPPING OVER THIS TRANSITION.
I think you're the first one to notice and THANK YOU!
id be kitten if i said stray was a bad game
LMAO Thank you that got me
whats the game at 0:22 I cant find it in the description
these robots lasted a long time without any updates , unlike my damn laptop which feels the need to update every damn week and then proceed to perform worse as time goes on, but we all know why it does that.. dont we .
aaaaa your vids are so nice
tunic is def the goty for me. ive never played or finished any combat centered or zelda-like game before. so it was very satisfying when i beat the bosses.
im not saying stray is bad though. i just havent bought stray yet unfortunately. one can only buy so many great games qwq
Aww thank you!
I was originally going to call Tunic my game of the year before playing Stray. But the cat game really blew me away!
Tunic is nothing like Zelda despite its looks.
It's a soulslike
@@EriesAston whoops my bad. ive mixed up my terms 😭
@@nyuh All good! What matters is that you had a good time. That's what it's all about. And genre names aren't really all that important.
@@filmotter ^_^
perfect example of the disconnect between gameplay and story: Kingdom Hearts 3. Story tells us Sora is the weakest he's ever been and has to build up his strength. Yet gameplay he's the strongest right from go, with skills he never had before. Shotlock, Attraction Flow, super spells, running up walls, keyblade form changes
Yeah! That's a really good example, actually. 😅
yes
I 100% agree with this statement
I am SO glad you agree. Yes. Totes.
0:06 Anyone know the names of these games?
An indie made, artistic game with no violence and doesn't need combat mechanics? Have your heard of Journey?
Yep! And abzu! Great games!
my GOTY is for sure Elden Ring, altough I didn't play stray sooo... I'd like to add that maybe the player will focus on combat more because we've been conditioned into thinking fighting equals moving forwards in a story? like if there was the choice of fighting in stray, people would do it, not because you had to but because people expect that to be the correct solution?
Oooh I highly recommend Stray (obviously 😅)
But I think you're right. It definitely comes down to conditioning. I've noticed that's what I default to when I'm stuck in a game actually.
@@filmotter i think I'm lucky that I grew up with a lot of puzzle games, my first instinct when I get stuck is to see if I can break a game/chest the system to move forwards 😅
Oh for sure. To be completely honest, I think my brain is not built for puzzle games. I always end up feel discouraged when I play them.
@@filmotter for sure they can be frustrating, starting off at portal was probably a good thing xD but hey might be a puzzle game out there for you as well!
Oh that's a point, I need to play portal sometime!
Yes! When I was younger, I used to play video games. But, one day, I understood, that I dont like "violence" games. Like GTA series. GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas... That the plot of the game? Stealing cars and kill someone?
When I complted GTA San andreas story line, I felt boring - There is NOTHING to do! Racing cars, flying planes, gambling, exploring city? That's all.
Then, I've been playing Gran Turismo 3 and 4. No Violence, just racing, but... boring. You have to win every time.
Some years after, I came back to gaming, Installed GTA 4, but I cant complete it for three times. Because of violence! Kill to complete 😒
Played Gran Turismo, but still - boring. Win to complete... you're racing, making laps and finishes, but I don't feel happy.
Kerbal Space Programm is my choise! No killing, no fighting, just exploring. A bit boring game, but, I decide what to do in the game. Build a plane, to explore a planet, or explone nearby planet with a rocket ship.
But for the Stray... I din't played it, but I was watching game play, like movie.
Poor cat. Sometimes, my eyes were wet, and teardrops were falling.
Great game, with sad moment's.
- Go cat! Run!!! Please survive!
***
Now I'm playing an flight simulators. Just for relax.
No achievements, no fighting, no killing, just fly somewhere you want.
Yeah but imagine if the cat had a super shotgun strapped to its back and it went around killing demons to a hardcore metal soundtrack......
Doomcat
Stray is a great game
Your cat can get eaten alive. Sounds pretty violent
Moon: RPG Remix Adventure did it first
Never played it but maybe I should!
Cult of the lamb is the best game ever though, I have played it every week for a year
Cult of the Lamb was really great!
Humans love combat and the art of destruction, but in the real world there are consequences so we have video games to act out our needs safely.
:3
uwu!
I didn't like Stray. I hate nothing more than having to run away from enemies
That's totally fair. What's your pick for Game of Year?
If you didn't like it is that you don't understand anything at Stray's depth, and unfortunately we can do nothing for you
@@lllAstridddlll Nah it's just a shitty game and I don't like cats.
@@filmotter Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Stray has no any meta commentary on violence in media whatsoever, though. It's just shitty game that's only popular because main character is a cat
Can't take the opinion of someone with a anime pfp serious
@@jUQMtDmf ad hominem
Sent here by kolpeshtheyardstick
My favorite variety of yardstick!
Game is still boring though and heavily linear. It's cute and has good music that's about it