Brainy Gamer

I try to avoid making posts that only function as links to other posts, but this one is too saucy to pass up...especially given my recent "Girls play games" essay. If you haven't played Portal, be aware that this story contains spoilers.

For what it's worth, "reading into" games in this way is an entirely legitimate and, in this case, captivating process, regardless of whether we all see the same things when we look. In fact, it's better when we don't. But what about the designer's intentions? Interesting, but no more authoritative than anyone else's point of view. Once a game/novel/song/film is out there, no one can claim full ownership of it ever again.

Just my 2 cents, prompted by the mini-backlash such interpretations inevitably provoke, as the discussion here amply illustrates.

Full story here.