Doodles

THIS IS OPEN TO COMMENT UNTIL JULY 13, 2026

disco elysium is one of the best examples imo of how massive a gap can exist between a piece of media and the conversations around it. if you’ve never played it i think you’d be forgiven for thinking its some sort of fun gay buddy cop romp from how ppl present the story online

i still can’t get over the choice the developers made to give harry amnesia at the start. which is par for the course for rpgs ofc but instead of building him into something from a blank slate like you would in other rpgs you have to gradually uncover what a monumentally creepy violent fascistic pathetic piece of shit he is. and at every turn you have to contend with the fact that the public sees him and knows him as he “was” instead of how you might want to play him. and the game tells you outright that what breaks harry psychologically isn’t even the violence he enacts as an arm of the state its the dissolution of his relationship (these things are not disconnected sure but the brutality of his role as a cop is not the catalyst for his breakdown). its not about guilt or remorse for what he’s done, it’s up to you whether you feel guilty or remorseful on his behalf. also its just so ballsy to make a game about never giving up fighting for a more just world for everyone and your entry point is You Are A Cop And Everyone Here Rightfully Detests You. And You Didn’t Give A Shit About That A Day Ago. and even if you choose to give a shit about it now (if) it doesn’t mean all is forgiven it doesn’t mean you get to feel good about yourself. you’re still a cop. and if you want to pretend to be a Radical Communist Cop go ahead but we’ll take the piss out of you for it. man its such a good game