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SPOILER WARNING: Be warned - this week's soapbox contains spoilers for the ending of Walking Dead, so please don't read on unless you've played through Telltale's game in its entirety, or unless you really, really want the whole thing RUINED for yourself. I don't want to change the world, I just want it to notice me. Not my avatar, or whatever protagonist whatever developer has thrust into my hands and pointed at the nearest corridor. You can create the illusion of impact around a static character that you have complete control over. I want my autonomy to be recognised, and I want to be able to make a choice.
Games are interaction, and for far too long narrative has wrestled and struggled with that aspect of them, preferring to retreat to the safety of linear confines so that they can control the flow of the story. Status quo, disturbance, journey, conclusion, the Platonic ideals that can be tightly scripted to the action. They dictate what's going to happen, where you are, and limit your avenue of choice to which head to shoot first, or what piece of cover you're going to reload behind next.
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