The addicts in my life weren’t inherently hateful people that chose escape over responsibility. I couldn’t see past my own pain to realize that I wasn’t the only person hurting in the situation. The game’s effective symbolism made me consider for the first time what they were going through, as the game constantly showed the radical shift in behavior that came from a need to cope, not from a place of anger. I can’t think of anything more sad than not having control over your own actions, and it’s their need for a substance that overrides any of their other feelings.Ī lot of this change in mindset for myself came while playing Papo & Yo. While it’s true that addicts’ own selfish actions end up causing both them and their loved ones pain, they too are victims. I had little sympathy for those that suffered due to their own choices. Like a lot of people, alcohol brought out a different side to them (one I’d go as far to say was their true side), and many school nights were spent listening to two drunks argue while I tried to get some sleep.įor a long time, I held an active resentment against those involved in my childhood. Both my mother and stepfather abused alcohol, and I spent countless nights dreading that they were coming home from a bar. Things weren’t much better with the parents that were in my life. I don’t recall much sadness when I was informed that he had fatally overdosed on heroin, as I found it hard to have any real sympathy for someone who chose a quick high over a long-lasting relationship with his only son. My father (if he can even be called such) was never really in my life aside from a handful of memories I can recall, and ultimately what kept him away from me led to his death while I was in high school. I believe anyone who plays Papo & Yo would end up having an emotional response to the game, but its themes hit a little too close to home for me. He’s a figure that can destroy everything in its sight and is blind to the trauma that he’s causing others. Once he’s acquired his vice, he’s a different being completely. He’s not a one-note monster, but rather someone that can’t help but succumb to his own failings. The beast that symbolizes the father is seen as incredibly kind figure at times, but one that relies on alcohol after an unfortunate experience.
Papo & Yo portrays all parties involved as tragic figures.
0 kommentar(er)
