it seemed to be a game-narrative about abusive relationships, especially clear when you disobey or act contrarily to the voice. But much like real bad relationships, you become safer and the world becomes easier to deal with when you obey your own instincts.

What I find really interesting is that when you obey, the game becomes progressively easier to play: many of the steps become slopes which you can walk over without needing to jump. At one point this even helps you since you don't need to make a long jump all the way over a chasm. On the other hand, if you do follow the voice, you need to kill yourself just after passing a tricky spot which you then need to do again. And equally, taking the lower route in the beginning is more difficult, but the voice tells you to take it anyway. So I would interpret that as a (possibly slightly warped, especially with the "do I own your body or mind" question) parent/child relationship: the voice pushes you to test your limits, not take the easy way etc. And this makes you stronger and thus the advancing easier.

Quite telling of course is also the ending if you obey the whole way through: the voice acknowledges you as an adult, and you are able to literally climb a mountain and reach ... whatever it is you reach in the end.

On my first playthrough I disobeyed in every way possible, and immediately thought the game represented an abusive husband/wife relationship. Especially with it ending in pleas of wanting to start over etc. I found the colored squares to be distracting, and a hindrance. I saw them as a representation of the protagonist freeing themself from that abusive relationship, and seeing the world outside of that relationship.

red squares that follow the character are frustrating and creepy. I felt as if I was being clung to by the voice that wanted to control me

Always disobey. I said I was a man the game said I was a girl. I asked to be told how to play the game said I didn't deserve it. What a jerk, Im not listening to you. Ended in a cave and asked me to re start

Always obeyed. Black and white world, not to bad.

Only obeyed if it didn't adversely effect me. No suicides and took the easier path in the beginning. Still got the 'You're a man' ending with the coin on the mountain.

if you follow the obedient all the way to the end, is there a difference if you skip the coin?

After several times, it can feel almost stiffening.

I played it through following the dictates of the voice, and I played it through contrary to the voice. I found it interesting that submissive or rebellious at the end of the game either way I was loved. So, for me at the moment of this game, the message I am choosing to take away is have faith in my own path, because at the end of the game I am a lovable person :D

No matter which path you take, I think it was about systematic stripping away of you, the player's, identity, and ultimately total invalidation. Starting from the very first with "No, you're a boy/girl." Even the "disobedient" path is one of total manipulation by the voice, because you can't choose to do something else entirely: only obey or disobey. Sometimes obeying is the more natural thing to do (that is, if this were a normal platformer without instructions), and sometimes disobeying is.

To me, being assured that you're loved at the end is a final invalidation, because no matter if you're obeying or disobeying, you ought to feel creeped as all get out by that point, not loved. "No," says the game, "you are loved." Invalidating again.

Initially, I wasn't sure what to expect. Reading the comments added the scope of a "relationship" to consider, however I thought it could be about mental health. Perhaps an individual with schizophrenia or maybe a struggle with depression. The mind can create its own reality, while your own expectations of how you want to be can be fulfilled or distorted. Even the frustration experienced with these negative thoughts, a reflection of self esteem, and the steps one takes to either feel worse or better...

some kind of bad, or abusive relationship, be it parent- child, or a couple, main point being one side plays power-games on other side - the detailed spikes and lack of colour might indicate bad, but familiar setting, which leads to "bad" ending where you

and disobedience leads to

The first time I played it through, I obeyed all the commands, and found I had this really strong desire to obey and to feel validated by the voice. I didn't have any sort of emotional connection at all when I disobeyed. It was just another game. It probably just has to do with my personality, but I really wanted to listen to the voice... Anyway, great, if slightly disturbing, game.

When I played it I thought it was probably a statement about religion or God, but what about religion it was trying to say, I had no idea.

When you look and think about it for a bit it could easily be about religion. more specifically Christianity. Christianity demands that you give up everything and strip yourself down into humbleness. (You are not a man you are a girl). It demands sacrifice (throw yourself into the pit). And offers forgiveness (touch the statue and i will forgive you). As you proceed through the game following instructions everything becomes easier and more clear, as "god" shows you the truth that cannot be revealed through science (Faith). If you proceed in disobedience, things become unclear, but beautiful with color (That might be digging a bit).

When you finish regardless "God" says he always loved you. He offers you a chance at redemption (Will you go? or will you stay close?). If you were obedient, you are now regarded as a man or woman (of your choosing) and "win".

The things that seem to really drive things home is when you are offered forgiveness, and the portrayal of undying love, and the chance at forgiveness at the end of disobedience. Also when you are asked to die on the spikes, the sacrifices demanded by a "God".

I also thought of it as a religious interplay, but from someone who has a very negative attitude toward God, not representing what I think any particular religion is about. I think the author may feel that if God exists, he/she is:
1. demanding (all the requests)
2. insulting ("Ugly creature")
3. manipulative ("Do it and I'll forgive you" - meaning you owe me something for forgiving you even though I told you to do it in the first place)
4. controlling (telling you what you are and making it the opposite of what you claim)
5. clearly incapable of actual love and just wanting to toy with people (cats? lol)

I'm a bit turned off since I do believe in a God who is absolutely nothing like this. I find it very sad that a)some people think this might be the reality or b) some think that a major religion actually glorifies such a God figure. The fact that the world becomes more colorful with disobedience implies that disobedience is liberating and more exciting while obedience means you're just a mindless drone that wants something to make everything easier in your life. This view of religion makes me sick to my stomach.

On the other hand, I also considered it representing an abusive relationship.

Interesting how only listening when it won't hurt you get's you the "your a wo/man" ending, however, that will only work if you have confidence in yourself to not fail to much at the end, and confidence is something the game does it's best to take away, what with the insulting voice and the shaky controls. I believe it to be about an abusive relationship, and it is so artfully created that it is close to being IF in its ability to tell a story. A truly beautiful game in all regards.

Maybe it's because I just played Hey Baby earlier today, but to me it definitely felt like an abusive relationship, with the voice being sometimes hostile and sometimes just sort of disengaged, like it had its own version of the story and was sometimes paying more attention to that than to me. The final declarations of love, in that interpretation, are downright disgusting.

It's times like this that remind me I have a slightly more positive outlook toward religion than perhaps is normal. No G/god of mine is going to call me disgusting, period. The critical speaker could be a parent/friend/lover/benefactor/voices in my head, but automatic disqualification for any deity.

I guess a lot of the gut reaction to the game depends on if you believe obedience leads to better outcomes (especially since the voice is high-handed, belittling, cruel, and mysterious.) I do not think it does.

The game becomes more sharp and defined as the game goes on, but does it become more real? You see spikes because the voice tells you they are spikes. Fundamentally though, they do not become more or less dangerous.
As you become more disobedient, the world becomes more vibrant: you make the air shimmer and the world take color with every motion you make.
In the end, you get a coin (treasure?) if you are obedient, and freedom if you are defiant. The voice doesn't strike you dead or throw more challenges in the way with either choice. And in both cases, you are loved.

When I first played the game, I disobeyed in every way possible. The message I got was that disobeying makes the world more colorful, and more interesting.
Conversely, obeying makes the world all black and white, but it allows you to see the details of things.

What really got to me was the coin, for me it felt like an analogy for prostitution. I got paid for doing everything I was supposed to. I guess this relates back to the whole relationships viewpoint, which is how I was viewing the game.

If you follow orders, life is easy but a bit dry and dull. If you are disobedient (especially to those who are domineering and abusive - "you are a girl!" - right you are mr. oppressor) then life will be full of colour, movement and challenge. In the end, it's all love.

If I thought that the author was religious and pro-God, then exactly what Amy was saying is why it didn't work for me. Being a Christian myself, I could not see a fellow Christian who has any understanding of God characterise God in the way they did in the game. Although I could recognise aspects that did fit, there were characterisations that were blatantly not the Christian idea of who God is.

Yet when I thought of the author as anti-religious or anti-God, the representation of God as seen by someone outside of religion who does not have the same understanding of God made a bit more sense to me, and this is what I thought it was when I was playing it, until I got to the end, and expecting an ending that portrays such a view, was surprised to find my character receive acceptance and love, both whether I obeyed or disobeyed.

Perhaps, IF this is supposed to be about God, the portrayal is of someone who has been religious and believes in God, and has deep feelings towards God that isn't contemptuous, but holds some bitterness towards God because of something in their life, and so their reprentation comes off as somewhat ambiguous, as they try to come to terms with how they feel about their own relationship with God? There's no need to assume there's a message here that we're supposed to take on board; perhaps it is just a personal expression by the author, exploring their own personal feelings.

It is a way to see whether you are a pessimist or an optimist, because if you are optimistic, you play it through both obediently and disobediently, and are glad to know that no matter what you choose you are loved. If you are a pessimist, you will find this game to strip you of any personality whatsoever, feeling like you are always choosing the wrong thing. I am an optimist, so in this game, I lived to serve master, and I loved him, and he loved me.

It is a way to test submissiveness and loyalty. If you played obediently, you are loyal, and submissive. If you played disobediently, you are rebellious and (to a certain degree) disloyal. I am very submissive, and have always been loyal, so this game made me feel very happy, and somewhat fulfilled.

When I first clicked woman, and it said "No, you are a man." I instantly was just like.. wait what? Why can't I be who I am? When I said I wanted to learn and it turned me away, again I go why can't I do what I want to do?

It instantly made me think of the many times in my life when people have tried to repress my personality, and I just instinctively rebelled. If I hadn't before in real life, I wouldn't be the way I am today. I felt almost gratified and relieved when the colors started speckling the screen and I ended up escaping.

I don't know, it felt like my personality and creativity being repressed all over again, and that's something I just can't stand. The voice made me feel so weird and angry..

After the disobeying the voice's command to "Do not touch touch the statue", fall down and take a left. The wall will melt away, the spikes disappearing, and a passageway will appear leading to a one of those "voice statues".

Please don't take this the wrong way, but anybody who interpreted this as a commentary about God and Man, particularly in light of Christianity, is missing entire scopes of Judeo-Christian background. Judiasm vastly differed from the pagan religions it sprung up surrounded by in that it insisted that God was 1) All-good and 2) All-powerful, whereas pagan religions interpreted their gods as having limitations, either in power or in goodness. As such, the *reason* behind all of God's commandments has always been forthright - Man was given 100% free will, chose to elevate himself above God, and after sinning against God, turned on his fellow Man and sinned against them. God, in turn, gave the Law to help bring people back to Him and away from sin. Remember that the first sin was disobeying God, and the second was murder.

This game completely frustrates that interpretation in several ways. First and foremost, the narrator is vindictive, angry, and constantly changing his mind about what is and is not allowed. Judeo-Christian faith has always held that God is steadfast and unchanging. For example, God gave the commandment, "Thou shalt not murder" (frequently mis-translated as "kill," but in the original Hebrew it was "murder," with murder having the connotation of killing an innocent person). To the Jews, this was clear-cut and shown through Gods works - if enemies murdered, they were stopped, either through repentence (book of Jonah) or by being fought in legal battle until the enemies were stopped (Book of Numbers). The Christian faith expanded on this by going further - pray for your enemies, turn the other cheek. Steadfast and clear-cut.

Another frustration to the notion that this is God talking is the cruelty in the wording. Again, reference the book of Jonah - instead of turning the Jews against their mortal enemies, God sends a prophet to their enemies, to have them repent their sins, so that He can save all of the people, plus their animals (reference the last page of the book of Jonah). No cruelty, only a desire on God's part to bring all people back to Him. Fast forward to the New Testament, and Jesus is approached by a woman who is not Jewish, begging him to save her daughter from demons. Jesus points out, "I'm here to save the children of Israel. Should I take food away from the children and give it to the pets instead?" The woman remarks, "But even the pets get to enjoy the crumbs the children drop!" He rewards her by saying her faith is great and heals her daughter. No cruelty, no malice, just a desire to do what is needed to bring the children home.

Naturally, there's no saying one way or another about a person's interpretation about such an open-ended game as this, especially with things not spelled out at all, but I've never cared for knee-jerk reactions that imply something negative about religion, particularly Christianity and Judiasm, when the person having the reaction isn't a scholar of Judeo-Christian history or the Bible. This is why I'm suggesting that it's not likely to be tied to religion, or if it is, it's badly tied - because such a negative reaction to the game is likely coming from a source that hasn't made an extensive study of the Bible. And reading "The Divinci Code" doesn't qualify as Bible study. :p

So before a chorus of anti-Christian replies pop up, I'd suggest stopping a moment and really thinking about whether the game actually has the right kind of ties to make that claim.

The Voice refuses to teach you how to play the game in the beginning. When you ask to be taught, it says you don't deserve its help; When you don't want help, it says you will fail without it.

Yet all throughout the game, the voice does teach you. It reprehends you for pressing things other than the arrow keys; to jump safely over the barbs and that the statues will "forgive" you.

The Voice thinks you rely on it. You want its approval and fear reproach. You depend on it's guidance and should count it as a blessing to have it.

Tough love? Abuse? Control freak?

The Voice changes. It tells you one thing and then deliberately tells you to forget what you learned before, and learn this.

You will fail; you don't deserve to succeed.
Move with the arrow keys.
Jump over the barbs.
Touch the statue.

Then it changes.

Don't jump over the barbs.
Don't move.
Don't touch the statue.
Do not fail; do NOT fail.

1. Get as far into the "cave" as you can by normal walking.
2. Hold left so that you're pushing against the bit of ground that's on level with your head.
3. Still holding left, press and hold down.
4. Release the down key. You'll be standing, but with your head stuck inside the ground that was previously blocking you. Release the left key.
5. Press down to duck and fall - you should juuust miss the spikes to the left.
6. Enjoy the feeling of satisfaction gained by breaking the rules.

Alternatively, you can NOT duck, and press left/right alternately to move through the solid ground. Unfortunately, the very first spike pit will prevent you from "escaping" the world.

The first time I played through this game, the motive behind most of my actions was to gain respect from the voice.
Like others that have posted here, at the start after being repeatedly denied I instantly wanted to rebel. But it wasn't just about wanting to go against what the voice was telling me to do because of the way I had been treated. I wanted the praise, just not for being a mindless drone. I wanted to be respected for being able to think for myself. And if that was going against what I was being told to do, then so be it.

If you click the screen when your character first appear, the game will say "Not that, you will CONTROL nothing", and if you...

That the secret area on the left of the fall after the 'forbidden statue' is revealed if you are chaotic, but you can walk safely left from the fall even if you are lawful?

I thought the voice was, like dora said, self doubt. But I also think that it represents other people putting you down. And the little guy we were playing represents you and shows how you have to be above all of that, and just keep going no matter what.

Perhaps, if this represents religion (which I actually doubt), it doesn't represent the author's idea of how the world actually works. I thought the author could be drawing out, "IF the world was the way certain religious figures say it is, THEN would that be a good thing or a bad thing?"

The voice matches some conceptions of God:
-It is kind and respectful, but only after you have demonstrated perfect obedience.
-If you obey the voice, good things happen to you, if you disobey, the world becomes chaotic and hard to navigate
-The voice claims to always love you, though it treats you with no respect, as someone far beneath it.
-God loves you. All god asks of you is your worship, and you will be rewarded. If you fail to worship god in the exact way he asks, however...

I contend that (under this interperetation) the author isn't saying that this is true, but is rather demonstrating the moral ugliness that such a view of god represents.

Before reading these comments, the possibility of this game being related to a relationship seemed like a small one. When I played this game, it reminded me of "The Metamorphosis" of Kafka. This game may be about the individuals role in capitalist system. The voice is... well Im not very good at explaining things so just think abut this possibility. And you migth like to watch this too:Google accro animation, click on the first link.

i played first as disobedient, and got increasingly annoyed at the voice not wanting me to make my own choices. when the world turned into colourful pixels i saw that making your own way makes life more beautiful, but also so much more complex and more difficult.

i then replayed as obedient, and found myself wanting more orders to follow to get the burst of approval. i also wanted to be able to get through to the voice, to interact with them somehow, make them see what they were doing.
when the game got easier, i started finding the voice more creepy, and at the end when it claimed to love me, i felt happy to be loved, but tinged with regret that the best love i could find was from someone who wanted to control every aspect of me-i wanted to deny that the voice loved me or say that i didnt want its love. either way, a very creepy but amazing game

I saw the voice as female. Does that mean anything?

Animal abuse is one of the things that came to mind. A dog, especially, will love unconditionally and do anything to please its master and get a treat/affection (coin at the end). A dog will suffer for love. If a dog goes against its owner's commands, it will be put through hardship, but it can run away like at the end of the disobedient path.

The voice asks you at one point if you will be excited or frightened when you get to meet. If you select frightened, the voice tells you that will make things more enjoyable. Immediately I thought less of an abusive spouse and more of a sadist with his prey. The interpretations can be shaded on whether this prey is willing and enjoys being tortured, which could really fit either path, or unwilling, and either fighting back or given up and broken in spirit.

I tried several different combinations, obeying all commands, obeying some commands, disobeying, as well as the different answers to the questions. Am i the only one who noticed that the more you disobeyed, the slower you got the the smaller your jumps? All in all, the game is wonderfully creepy, I liked it.

I don't know if anyone else ever watches CSI (the Las Vegas one), but there was an episode where a woman had died and her body was found on a mountain. Her husband was at first accused of murdering her, and some of the evidence pointed to him being abusive.

In truth, the woman died of natural causes, and he was innocent, but what got me was that one piece of evidence initially linking him to the death was his "abusive" behavior, which was actually preparation training for extreme sports. They were extreme sports fanatics, into extreme wilderness survival. The neighbors thought he was being abusive because, during training, he would yell and curse her, but it was done in the name of motivation, to encourage his wife to push herself to the limits.

He would yell, she would complain about being in agony, and he'd yell things like, "Good, you deserve it, you're not working hard enough." The natural causes that killed her weren't related to accident or injury either, just to clarify. He really had *nothing* to do with his wife's death.

So, to tie this all together, imagine the voice being rough and encouraging you to push yourself. Do what I tell you. Are you annoyed with me? Good! Maybe you'll work harder to succeed!

At the end, your choices depend on if you cooperated or not. Cooperate - the world becomes clearer, with more detail. Dangers are more easily spotted and can thus be avoided. There's a certain beauty in the designs of the walls. You can see the path clearly ahead of you. Obeying the voice can be a form of spite - you think I'm going to fail? No, I'm not! I'm going to succeed! You mess up, it yells "disgusting," at you, making you work harder to succeed. You pass with flying colors, you've gone above and beyond the expectations, and you're stronger, more aware, and better off.

Disobey and the hazards ahead become difficult, if not impossible, to navigate. Spite the voice and you're cutting off your nose to spite your face. The "beautiful" colors obscure dangers ahead of you, making the path rougher and more frustrating, because you have a harder time surviving to the next part of the level.

Say you're afraid to meet the voice, the voice mocks, "Well, that'll just make it more fun for me!" Like a personal trainer getting on your back. Say you're excited, the passion flows between you two, and you're both in a positive frame of mind.

If you deliberatley disobey, the voice asks why you hate it, and will you go or stay. Stay, and things can be renewed. Go, and the voice begs you to stay, but it's never stated *why* the voice begs for you to stay.

There's a chance that this story doesn't *have* to have negative qualities. That it could have a positive light, given another point of view.

I suppose I saw this as an examination of faith in general. Not necessarily religious faith. Obeying the voice does make the world more defined and easier to navigate, but who knows if it's any more 'real'? The voice gave explanations for the red pixels. If you obeyed then you believed that the pixels were spikes. If you questioned the voice you'd be left with the mystery. The pixels/spikes would hurt you either way, but the voice gave you a method for ordering your world.

Disobeying made the world a stranger place. The changing colors were unexplained, and your attackers were red and ill-defined. Doubting the voice saved from death, but it also made you avoid a not only harmless, but helpful statue. Navigating was more difficult, but it allowed you to take an easier path.

In my opinion, the world is like ours. If you are always doubtful you'll look before you leap and perhaps avoid a few pitfalls. If you achieve certainty, other things are simply easier. You don't have to make and question your own decisions. You follow the voice, even when it harms you, because it's better than living in an unpredictable world. People need stability, and going without it is difficult. If you disobeyed completely you were left in an endless tunnel. If you question absolutely everything you'll end up mired in doubt and unable to act.

So essentially, complete faith is mindless and sometimes dangerous while complete doubt is paralyzing and you need a little of both to live well? My two cents.

contrary to other here, I didn't see any obvious meaning. All I know is that, while playing this game, I kept having flashes about childhood, past relationships, choices made, good or bad (or if they were actual choices ?), impressions... When the "voice" said "I love you", I wanted to scream "so why are you so bad with me ?", bringing along more flashes about people interactions in general. Is the voice a manipulative maniac ? Why do I resent the "voice" although I know it's a program ? Am I talking to myself ? Why am I torturing myself then ?...

Basically, this creepy little thing talked to my subconscious.

self doubt

I might just be the type to take things like this at face value (one can understand how this made high school English classes difficult -- no, dammit, that tree is a tree and that is all) but I felt like the game presented its own world, its own universe, which was beyond (possibly parallel) to interpretation and the events themselves were the interpretation. It was like those dream games, like what was it? Yume Nikki? No one knows exactly what's going on, and there's so much to think about it and yet it's still the same effect if you take it for what it is.

The thing about Loved is that it brought about this atmosphere that was very compelling and very disturbing all at once. While I felt immediately repelled at the very first thing the mysterious voice said (the denial of my gender really got me, as someone who has gender identity issues already) I also had a deep desire to continue on with the game. I didn't want to interpret it. I was so caught up in experiencing it that my experience was the story.

I don't know that Loved is about anything. I think we'll all end up with different stories for it because we have all had different lives and that voice is going to be something different for each of us. For me, I think, it could have been my identity issues. My depression. Trying to know who I am and having that stripped away by self-doubt and other people and society.

Not abusive as such, but I got the impression of the game as a platforming representation of a bondagist relationship. Everything is black. You're unfit to receive instruction, though you end up getting it in an indirect sort of way. Thanks to unlimited continues, you can make supplicative displays of pain. Will you give up your body, or your mind? If you're afraid, that will only make things sweeter. As you follow your orders, things become much clearer, whereas being an ugly creature makes you see bright colours. In the end, you're pushed harder, with close attention paid. It sounds callous, but does not want you to fail; it wants you to succeed. When you do, you are acknowledged, and may accept your reward.

It's a platform game, not a sandbox or maze game. You don't explore, you get to the linear end. If you follow the path that's set out for you, you get to see things in their black and white: you're just completing a set of predetermined challenges. If you'd rather look around and think for yourself, then the game makes fun of you for exploring or trying to find freedom when you're really just supposed to head to the right, like in every other 2D platformer. However, things get colourful and ambiguous, giving your imagination more room. Unlike other video games that actively make fun of the player, you are allowed to defy it to the end and escape, without it mocking the futility of trying to do anything other than what was programmed. So, do you follow instructions and get things set out better for you, or go off on your own, show that you don't need instructions, and get more colourful, imaginative fare?

GLADoS?

the choices we make throughout our lives? Those who follow what society tells them to do become more aware of their surroundings, wiser, whilst those who break the rules have a life that is freer, but more chaotic and sometimes harder. The voice could be interpreted as death, but I'm not sure about the checkpoint statues, or the endings.

While I initially disliked obeying the voice, I loved the black and white artwork, and found the colours a little overwhelming. I also thought the endings were creepy.. both use the past tense ("I loved you." or "I loved you, always." Brr.

I agree that this couldn't be about God. The very first statement shows this: God claims to be truth (and, to put my cards on the table, as a Christian I believe He is). So why would God contradict an obvious truth like the gender of the player? I do, however, find the idea that someone could see God this way to be fascinating.

I think the idea of representing a controlling, unhealthy relationship is correct, as self-doubt doesn't beg you to stay or want you close. Self-doubt tries in every way to distance you from yourself.

I'm leaning towards parent-child being the intended relationship due to the progression of the game: First the entity controls the environment far more than you do and is trustworthy. As you learn the game (grow up) and become more capable, the entity becomes more bitter and manipulative (and controlling, abusive parents often reach a "peak" as their kids become teens, from what I've seen in life, trying to hold on and get "under their skin" before the child leaves). Near the end, you are told "do NOT fail" - did anyone feel like this was a controlling parent with the underlying "don't make me look bad by failing"? Since I stink at platform-jumpers, I couldn't get the gold coin and "You are a man / woman" - out of curiosity, does the gender match the one you try to claim, or the one the computer assigns you? That could imply final acceptance of you, if it uses the gender you state at the beginning.

The final takeaways for me were that the entity never loved you (or its validation of you being a man / woman and not a girl / boy would not be contigent upon your success). However, at the very end, I found I *did* want to love the entity - but it would be the love of pity. This creature had done to much to get a fake semblance of love from me, and I now had the power to give or deny true love, now that I was beyond its control, so long as I made sure I stayed beyond its control (except, of course, that the game ended). I found the idea that I could give it real love -something even better than it was hoping for, and something it probably didn't really believe existed deep down - empowering.

Although the core the story is a parent / child relationship IMO, I think the vagueness is intentional, so it CAN take on all these other shades of meaning to us - and can help us compare and contrast our own relationships with our lovers, parents, children, and - yes - even deities and Saviors.

I have to wonder if the author of this game was writing at some level about a specific relationship experience. The entity is just so real to me - strong flashbacks to my own past, like others said, as well as stories I've heard from others.

I was surprised (and a little disturbed) to find that a lot of the commenters actually followed the orders in their first playthrough. Maybe it's just because I'm a rebellious teenager, but the voice's attitude really disgusted me. Do what it says, and the voice has no reaction. But disobey, and it proclaims, "disgusting." As if the character is only a tool for its convenience...

This entire thing could just as easily be taken in a religious context. The voice would be God and the cat-humanoid (I see pointy ears, I assume cat!) would be you / anyone.

You have the freedom to do as you wish. If you disboey everything the voice / God asks (that is, according to whichever religion you're using as an example's set of rules), it dislikes you throughout the journey. The increasingly garish colours probably represent a slightly more turbulent path through (what the game's journey could be viewed as) your life, ultimately you start at A and end up at B, but you're loved whatever you do (although it doesn't show / say what happens if you keep running away after disoberying everything.

Basically vice versa for obeying everything, God-voice loves you but gives more encouragement, makes the world along the path easier and more serene to experience, with what was a plain black and white with simple shapes becoming a more exotic interpretation.

This is how I saw the game anyway. I'm not even religious, I have a more spiritual overview of reality, but it could just as easily apply to any other situation than the one I proposed, and I think that's the idea.

Love this sort of game, gets you thinking.

abusive relationships as everyone is saying, but I thought it could be an abusive friendship as much as it could be a romantic (for lack of a better word) one. You seek approval from your friends more than anyone else, and just wanting to be accepted. But it doesn't always work out well. I didnt get the religious aspect people have been talking about, but I dont have a religion so that could be why.

Another thing about this game is I think they way you interpret it says something about you, or what you think of control as being. I dont know if that is true or not but reading the comments I think it is.

I find this game kind of creepy. Even when it says it's loved me at the end, I want to say "f**k off, I don't need your love". During my first play through, I disobeyed almost all commands, and the color squares were overwhelming and annoying. At the end it begs me to return and it feels like I've finally gotten out of the mess. Almost like an abusive relationship. I've read some interpretations here, some say it's like a parent teaching a child (do the difficult thing first and the road later on will be easy), I kind of agree but to me it's still an abusive relationship. The voice is always controlling and I can't see anything positive about it. There should be other ways to teach the kid without being so commanding.

The first place where the game really struck me was the question "Do I control your body, or your mind?" Until then, it seemed like the same "you vs. omnipotent narrator" fare as Tower of Heaven or Beacon. But when the voice asked me this, I actually had to stop and think. Which would be worse -- a brainwashed mind, or a free mind trapped in a slave body? I was actually worried about what answering would do to my character.

The answer is, of course, "not much." And here's why that's interesting. The gameplay premise is that you're presented with a highly controlling narrator whom you have the option, at certain points, to obey or disobey. And it's actually quite easy to fall into one of these two traps -- perhaps thinking that you're playing the game "correctly" by "rebelling" or "following," perhaps trying to see where they lead you. But once you assume that these are the two things you can do, you've fallen into a false dichotomy, and I believe this body/mind question is a tantalizing clue.

See, when I read that question, my gut reaction (as I'm sure many people's was) was "Neither, of course!" But you can't choose neither -- you're forced to pick one or the other to continue. It's like holding up a green tie and asking if it's red or blue.

But in fact, both options hold, another possibility not acknowledged by the question. You're unable to move out of the screen or through walls or through spikes (without dying). So the game controls your body. And I'm guessing most of you, aside from a little side exploration, proceeded from the start to the finish. You only thought of standing still when the game asked you to, you probably tried to get to the end (maybe 2 or 3 times), and, oh, you probably thought of your character as yourself (and I've been referring to the two of you as the same for most of this post). So the game controls your mind.

Obeying the voice vs. disobeying the voice is a false dichotomy. All of the things I mentioned (not interacting with the game, not playing the game, dissociating from your character) are ways of escaping the voice's "love." I think that, at least in part, the game is a commentary on these dichotomies as a method of control. (It doesn't jibe with me to see the voice as just the game, on the other hand. The "I loved you" lines seem to suggest otherwise.)

I was also reminded of a few other texts. In "The Taming of the Shrew," Petruchio forces Katherina to say that the sun is actually the moon and agree with him on several other blatantly false statements. It's a demonstration of abuse more psychological than physical. I was reminded of this first when the game tells you you're a boy instead of a woman or vice versa (which the player could choose to reject), and second when your choices to obey determine your worldview. I was confused on my first playthrough because I disobeyed the order to fall into the barbs and so never saw them as barbs. If you obey the voice, your world becomes more detailed, perhaps more beautiful, though it also fits the voice's specifications. Again, this is more insidious than just ordering you around.

Another thing this made me think of was Annie Anthropy's "Redder," which I think JIG reviewed. (Putting this in spoiler tags because y'all should play it before you read about it.)

Finally a comment on some of the other comments -- it's somewhat of a narrow view of God and religion to interpret God as issuing commands which we can choose to disobey. Not all religions have Gods that command, and I think you'd even find a substantial portion of Christians who believe that we always end up obeying God's commands, no matter what our intention. (Which ties back in to my statements on false dichotomy, I guess.)

When you click and it says "Not that, you will control nothing." If you press ANY button it says "You are wrong." Not just the ctrl key.

But there's nothing up there: http://i322.photobucket.com/albums/nn407/Blueagle13/Stuff/Loved_Kongregate.jpg (Also, if you must remove this I understand and apologize)

It denied my gender-- the skin I was born into, and instantly, with the then strange scoff at my essence, Voice allowed me to be guided. I personally wasn't getting hurt, and the little critter didn't seem like it minded the barbs too much, so I followed what Voice said. Voice guided me through life, death, pain, illusion. I didn't question its demands-- there was no need to capsize my perfectly happy situation --and despite my many deaths it seemed placid, polite, firm. A kinder teacher, maybe a parent, maybe a god, maybe a conscience. Either way, I listened as best I could since I was not being hurt and in turn it's best to be as mannerful as possible, and I failed Voice once by accident when it told me not to fail. Funny, yeah? The sudden squares of colors that appeared right after my first failure were interesting items, almost terrifying in their quick multiplication of the otherwise black and white environment, but in the end only different. I held a whimsical neutrality for them, regarding the colors like happy accidents-- I didn't particularly want them to go away, and I didn't particularly lust for more color. The squares were there and it looked like more were coming but they didn't hurt me, and I believed that I wasn't hurting them. How did I come to that latter conclusion? Because Voice didn't say otherwise, and from the obedient path I'd taken, Voice was truth. I ran, and fell down a bright chasm. I was given the option: was I a boy or a girl? I chose girl, Voice rejected that statement but revived my first answer, at the game's start: "No. You are a woman." How curious! I hopped a hill and tackled a spinning coin, and I was loved.

Voice loves me! Voice loves me! But will it ever mean anything? I think so, because I listened to a self, and a self is likely me, and if I listened to me then I trust me. Then I am my truth and my truth molds me, and ultimately I realize, yeah. Yeah, I am loved. I'm loved by me. And to love the person you are is something so mindbogglingly precious that it hurts my heart to think of the people who don't love themselves, who don't love who they are.

I agree completely that neither ending is particularly good or bad. It depends entirely on a person's point of view and the context in which one places the game.

For example, from a purely literal perspective, the game works like many others. If you follow the rules of the game as best you can in order to win and avoiding those that might damage you, you can most certainly "win," without really finding a meaning in the game.

Assuming a relationship between two people, obeying creates some difficulties in the beginning, both in gameplay and to those players who, like me, had to quell an itch to rebel just for the sake of rebelling. However, in the end, the frightening unknowns of color have been exposed for what they really are in black and white, and the player can achieve an ending that feels like a success. There are certain those, as evidenced by the comments, who felt comforted and soothed by the guidance and enjoyed "winning."

Disobeying, on the other hand, makes the game more difficult (I agree with those who noted that the blocks of color are disorienting and can confuse gameplay), yet rewarded those players who felt that the splashes of color and rebellion against the controlling voice WERE a sort of victory, the same way those who rebel for the sake of rebelling feel a victory in simply having the choice to do wrong. When I played through the first time and disobeyed entirely, the brightly lit cave at the end felt very much like a victory: I was trapped, but surrounded by brilliant dancing colors, something that the black-and-white obedient player never experiences. I suffered, but saw something incredible and unique.

Translating this to bigger or more specific issues, then, reflects the duel nature of order and choice. There is safety and comfort in the black-and-white rules of good and evil, right and wrong, and law and order. However, as generations of writers and artists have pointed out, a world of black and white has no beauty or splendor because it has no complexity and nothing is uncertain.

I feel that the message at the end of "Loved" is that life is a sacrifice, either way. One has a CHOICE in how much of the comfort of black-and-white one is willing to sacrifice in order to see the color in the world. (Or sometimes no choice, since some of the orders are nearly impossible to obey or disobey.)

It's a beautiful metaphor for life.

the more you disobey, the more pixels appear. They cover the landscape and constantly change color. This could represent chaos. If looking at it relationally, the chaos could mean abuse or turmoil in the relationship.

Do the first thing the voice tells you to and jump over the barbs. Then do everything wrong after that. Later when you make the long fall and your standing on the platform surrounded by spikes, the spikes to your left will disappear and reveal a hallway there will be a message at the end of it.

GLaDOS, the voice of Aperture Science, in the puzzle game Portal. Bet that's no big surprise. (But compared to this voice, GLaDOS looks like a kind, sensitive woman. *shiver*) This especially makes sense, because according to some interpretations, GLaDOS has either a mother/daughter love or a romantic love relationship with Chell (which would of course be entirely one-sided).

As for the religion explanation: At the beginning of my first playthrough, when I obeyed everything, it really seemed to have religious undertones. "Sacrifice yourself. I will forgive you. We will see each other soon." And how the more you obeyed, the more defined and black/white your landscape became: it's like, the deeper you venture into religious explanations of the universe, the more you think of the world in religious terms.

When I disobeyed throughout, though, the game seemed more about a search for identity. The pixels when I disobeyed were exciting, refreshing; the color was a nice change from the black/white. I thought this represented the player's "soul," especially since it grew stronger directly around the person, and faded away when he left. And the playing-field objects (the statue, the blocks, the spikes) staying their plain green/red colors was like the player was keeping his mindset free from the voice's, from the "establishment."

Well a few people have mentioned this one but no-one's really gone into much depth about it. The idea of the voice as a portion of one's own psyche, strongly associated with feelings of doubt and inadequacy, holds a lot of merit. The game can be seen as a portrayal of a person trapped by the idea of h/is/er own weakness, reaching some sort of coming-of-age decision point in life. Something I have seen evidence of in my own life: failure is comforting. Self-hatred can become an addiction as bad as any other, and more difficult to break out of. The world is a harsh place that often presents a face of danger, and listening to the voice in your head that says 'you're not strong enough to do this' can become a comfort on which you depend. If it's even possible to break out of such a mindset, it typically becomes significantly more hindering before one's life improves: you're shattering something that has slowly grown into the foundation of your understanding of the world around you. Nothing is going to make sense anymore. You'll start seeing things in ways you have never conceived of; it can be beautiful, but also frustrating and even terrifying. At the end you may escape in a sense, but you will always know that part of you is still there. How far can you really run from yourself? How hard would it really be to let it take control and love your own failings again?

The above can also be extended fairly easily to be a look at addiction of any sort - but substance abuse in particular.

The last idea I had, which I don't think I've seen mentioned anywhere, is the possibility of the voice portraying an external captor or jailer. The game shows a prisoner undergoing a process of conditioning designed to break down their ego and make them amenable to control from an external force. Could be a captured soldier or spy, could be someone in a totalitarian society undergoing rehabilitation. One either grows to depend upon the 'love' of the opposing force, or rejects it and goes through further oppression and torment. It may be possible to rest easy in the strength of one's knowledge of oneself, but even so, the fundamental tenets of one's beliefs are being called into question. It will present a confusing and dangerous mental landscape. In this scenario, it is strongly implied that the 'escape' achieved at the end either comes at the cost of completely sacrificing one's individual identity, or is in fact a total illusion in which one simply goes on to further degradation.

I felt very uncomfortable at the start, with the invalidating questions, and before long I was disobeying the voice at every turn. I liked the colors, and felt that I was doing the "right" thing by disobeying the clearly abusive and manipulative voice, no matter how confusing the colors made the later areas.

On my second playthrough, I had an impression much closer to Gar's idea of a BDSM-type relationship - and the more I played it with that impression, the better things seemed to fit for me. In particular, the hidden area that is only accessible for the obedient is strangely moving when you think of it in that framework - the surprise and affection from the voice when you go out of your way, into danger, without even being commanded, for its sake.

It's worth considering that no matter how frightening, seemingly abusive, or painful BDSM play can be, the submissive partner typically holds the actual power: they can stop the scene at any time, and it is by their consent that the scene even occurs.

Nobody forces you to play Loved. It was your decision to click the link and start the game. You can quit as soon as you feel uncomfortable... or you can choose to keep going.

I should note that, replaying Loved and viewing it through the "consensual BDSM" lens, I found it to be a much less uncomfortable and much more fulfilling experience than before. Very interesting.

of the most evil thing possible to exist on the multiverse:

BLACK LOVE

Love is well known in many media as a good thing.

Fusing evil and love together , you'll get Black Love

It has all the properties of love, except all good side of love is flipped

It is the most evil thing possible to exist, as it has only 10^-(infinity) good portion

Even the evil will be feared of it as it can disrupt the very balance between evil and good (which must exists together). It is somethign beyond evil that is even worse than evil

There's only one thing that evil hates, not its plans being destroyed by good, but the threat to the balance of good and evil (as, ironically, both good and evil depends on it to have it's value or meaning in the multiverse, like a extremely abusive relationship, they want to be freed from each other yet want to stay together)

When I started playing, with that "Are you a man or a woman" "No, you are a boy" thing, I was really freaked out by The Voice thing.

I decided, however to do as The Voice said as soon as I heard the first instruction (obviously, I wasn't going to jump onto the barb things).

What made the game really insightful was the way I reacted to The Voice when it asked me to kill myself, which I ended up doing, just to hear it say "Good boy".

At the end, when it told me not to fail, I was scared at how much pressure I felt under to succeed.

Being a bit hopeless with platformer games, I slipped up almost immediately, and I actually found myself completely devestated with myself for failing.

When I tried again and succeeded, I was so happy that The Voice had forgiven me, and it still loved me.

There was something very unsettling about it all. I agree with the others who say it was like being in an abusive relationship. The scary thing was that I actually did what The Voice said, even when it would hurt me, just because it had said that it loved me. Obviously, this is all just a game, but it really got me thinking "There are people out there that are in a relationship like this, who will do anything just to love and be loved".

Overall, I loved this game, gave it 5 stars, as it really gave me an insight into my own mind.

that the game can refer to a teen/ parent relationship in that teens do not like to be told what to do all the time. In the ending if you disobey the Voice then it asks why you hate him/she/it, when it loved you, (or "What have I done to you that makes you hate me?") which is what parents have asked their teen children when the children have done something bad or are acting cruel towards their parents.

It is maybe seen from a teen's view in that they reckon that their parents are very controlling even though the parents only want to protect their children.

The part where the Voice asks you to jump into the barbs, and therefore makes you go through a hard part of the game again, could be that the parents do not always know what is the best to do even though they are just trying to protect their kids, for example rejecting the teen to do something, and the consequence is more pain for the teen or possibly a replay in a previosly recent painful scenario/ event.

One of the most evident points can be in the beginning where, as mentioned by others, if you press the mouse button when your character first appears it sais "Not that, you control nothing" and if you press any button after that then it sais "You are wrong", whereas "control" and "wrong" are both in bold. The teen child will try to control some parts of his/her life but the parent will deny it, hence the "you control nothing"; and the part where it sais "You are wrong" could refer to that when the teen tries something the parent immidietly rejects it and tells his/her child that he/she is wrong.

The fact that the place becomes easier and that all the objects become clearer, can show that obedience to your parents makes life simpler and clearer, while disobedience will make life harder and will drag you behind (I think that disobeying in the game makes you slower and jump lower) but will seem more like a journey and possibly be more fun; more like a dreamworld as the surroundings become obscured. So obedience = straight-forward, less of an adventure and simple, while disobedience = adventure, challenging and fun.

I got more to it, but to sum it all up; teen's see their parents as control freaks who do not know what they are doing, while the parents are just trying to protect their kids from the bad things in the outside world, and obedience is shown to be easier in the long term but less fun. The moral of the story could be that no matter what your parents do, they do it cause they love you.

this game taught me a lot about myself. I found myself personally attached to the Voice, only to come back and play it again and again.

After it told me to kill myself, I had mixed feelings because I had just come after a hard part in the game, only to lose the progress after I jumped, but the "Good Girl" made it...easier?

I ended up following the Voice's instructions all the times I've played, only teaching me how drastically I want to be Loved.

found a secret passage at the end, before the final jump? In one playthrough, I think I did everything the voice told me to, and after running through the "gauntlet" and "not failing", as I jumped into the final hole I saw a white opening to the right, as if there were another hidden passage (like the one near the spikes). I haven't played through that way a second time to look for it again and make sure I really saw it, but there were two friends watching me and they saw it too, so I'm pretty sure it's there. I just don't know how to get into it! Anyone else seen/done it?

players' responses are fascinatingly disparate. It's about an abusive romantic relationship, a parent/child relationship, a god/mortal relationship? Even more interesting are people's different reactions to the same phenomena. Some found disobedience to feel liberating, others reported feeling uncomfortable. Some take the final "loved"-ness that obedience earns you to be intended as a positive feeling, others as a creepy damnation. Applying this pop psychoanalysis to myself, I find it interesting that disobedience didn't occur to me until I noticed Kongregate's "A man chooses, a slave obeys" badge—perhaps poorly named, since it immediately colored my view of what the game was supposed to be "about." I concluded it was a somewhat abstract statement about authority and individualism with an overtone of abusive entrapment. I find it interesting that the "God" interpretation never occurred to me until I read the comments here—perhaps the fact that romantic, or parental, or deistic interpretations occur to people says a lot about how they view romance, parents, or God? (Also, a side note to those who say "This game can't be about God because...." The question is not whether it accurately portrays God but whether that might be an interpretation that the author intended. (Same goes for other interpretations, I guess.) Personally, I too believe in a God whom you can't please simply with obedience, and who assures me I am loved in much more pleasant ways. But the question of the game's "meaning" has no more to do with my beliefs than the meaning of Pac-Man has to do with my belief in ghosts. Besides, I strongly suspect the author is one of these that would rather die than reveal any symbolic meaning he might have had, preferring all the personal interpretations on display here. If he had a symbolism in mind. Which I also kinda doubt—maybe it's just an abstract exercise in the concept of "the tutorial" and of following directions.)

The achievement was named after Bioshock 1, in which "A man chooses, a slave obeys" is one of the central themes. "Loved" serves to illustrate this concept in a similar way, albeit much simpler.

I am very familiar with the bible and consider that god, if it actually existed, would be a manipulative abusive devil. Which is why the game, if interpreted from a religious perspective, makes perfect sense. The fairy sky friend was quite cruel for no reason.

An omniscience, omnipotent god would have to not only know in advance that horrible things were going to happen to you, but since he could stop it if he wanted to then he's also negligent and responsible for letting it happen. So he just committed EVIL!!

According to "god's plan" two year old babies are raped to death and that's a good thing, 'nuff said, please stop supporting that crap.

http://godisimaginary.com/

When the Voice asked me if I was a man or a woman, I stared at the screen for a moment, trying to decide what to say. When I finally clicked the gender I identified as, male, it told me, "No. You are a girl." And I nearly cried.
Hearing the voice call me "good girl" when I did the right thing made me angry and disobediant. Much like my relationship with my mother. But I quickly realised that if I restarted the game and was decietful, disguising my true nature, the game would call me a boy. I was willing to lie to the mother figure make my life easier and gain the acceptance I wanted in the end. This made me more complacent to the Voice's commands.

I also found the BDSM interpretation interesting. It made the Voice somehow easier to tolerate, realising that like a submissive in a healthy D/s relationship, I could leave at any time. In fact, I almost grew to love the voice back. >>

If you are a kid, the voice congratulates you by obeying and is disappointed/insulted if you disobey. Either obeying or disobeying is natural to a kid. The voice sounds like a parent whom we dread disappointing because that "gut feeling" of our conscience advises against it. If you are an adult or older, this game reminds you of your childhood, the voice acting once again as a parent.

I got three endings. Always obeying=voice happy. Disobeying and leaving=voice sad. Disobeying but agreeing to stay=voice happy/wanting to start this thing over.

First, my playthroughs. On the first playthrough, I obeyed everything except for the order not to fail. I only disobeyed that one because of those damned starfish spike things. Even though I was choosing to obey, every time the Voice would say "Good girl," I would feel VERY creeped out. This especially became noticeable after the Leap into the Pit command. I had just killed myself, and my reward for obedience was having to repeat a groin-grabbingly difficult platforming sequence, and the unsettling praise of the Voice. In most cases, I would give up on such punishing platforming. I continued, mostly because I wanted to see it through. However, I was almost creeped out to the point of stopping after the Voice asked if I was excited or frightened to meet it, and I responded that I was frightened. Good lord, that was disturbing. The "excited" response wasn't much better. The "I loved you, always," sounded like a lie. Oh, really? You LOVED me, Voice? Your demands that I KILL MYSELF, your disgust with my failure, and your delight with my fear meant that you LOVED me? WELL, then! At the end, all I was promised was a continued relationship with the Voice. Joy.

The second time, I disobeyed as much as possible. The ending was better, but the Voice sounded almost sarcastic when it begged me to stay. "No, don't go. No. Stop. And so on."

I found it strange that at the beginning of the game when the Voice asked me if I was a boy/girl it told me No, you are a girl after I chose boy (which I am a boy). Even so, I found myself obeying every request that the Voice made, even when it told me to kill myself.
At the part where it asks you to take the lower path, I kept trying to do it, even though I became frustrated and kept dying. I kept trying, just to be told I was a 'good girl.'
Further in the game when it asked me not to fail, I found myself terrified that I might fail the voice. I tried so hard and I didn't want to fail the Voice, and surprisingly, I didn't, I survived. At the end of the game when I was told that he/she/it always loved me, I believed it, at I found that I kinda loved it back.
When it asked me a second time if I was a boy or a girl, again I chose boy, and I was replied with a 'No, you are a man.' and I felt that the voice loved me no matter what I chose to do and the only reason it told me to do difficult things was to see if I loved it back.

this game seems to separate the idea of 'love' from a sense of positivity. The initial denial of gender and adulthood is demeaning and undermines your self-confidence, and the Voice (although I never heard it) is immensely cruel, and yet somehow extremely compelling. The point is that when he (for me) told me he loved me, I believed him, and despite myself somehow felt that connection. The gender games made it very sexual, but that personal love was nothing to do with caring about me. I felt insignificant, and yet lucky to be considered even that by this ?person? who made me feel so excited when he promised to see me. Even disobedience felt like I was following a part of his plan. So this (for me) was about whether love could exist without empathy, and with this imbalance of emotional connection. Does demanding suicide invalidate a promise of unconditional love, or is this bond still real? Are these just empty words, part of a game of emotional manipulation to deepen your sense of obligation?

self-doubt/self-loathing,

Dream Lord.

I personally am a recently discovered bisexual. I'm constantly discovering new things about myself. I came into this game remembering parts of it, but not much. When I chose that I was a man at the beginning, and it denied that, I felt offended in spite of myself. I felt like this voice (which, for whatever reason, I identify as male) was trying to provoke me. I proceeded to disobey his directives, and as I went, I couldn't help but think that the more I disobeyed, the more diverse the world became. I simply ignored the voice for the majority of the game. The only one I didn't disobey was the "do NOT fail". As I fell, I couldn't help but feel guilty. He still loved me, despite the fact that I had disobeyed him at every turn.

Restarting, I decided to go the obedient route. When he called me a girl this time, I oddly didn't take nearly as much offense to it. I almost even slipped into the role. I submitted to his demands, and I felt a perverse pleasure doing so. Going through this time, I became much more attached to him; I didn't see him as an antagonist, but instead as a domineering ally. It made me question a lot about myself. I can argue that it has made me identify with my latent submissive nature.

As I finished the obedient game, it asked me if I was a boy or a girl. Without thinking about it, I chose girl. It then said, "No. You are a Woman." This shocked me. Am I a woman? I am clearly male, but am I a woman? This is the question that was repeating in my mind for an hour after I finished playing, while I was reading the comments here. Am I, in fact, the submissive?

I suppose this has made me discover a lot more about myself that I would like to acknowledge. Thank you for having this game on your site, because it allowed me to see it and play it again and discover more of it's meaning.

If you disobeyed, even though it was the stronger thing for you to do as the player, it made the game much harder. Your pathway was blurry, pixelated, full of those distracting colored squares, and the "enemies" showed up as hard-to-see red squares. Conversely, if you were submissive, you felt slightly dirty but the game world was clearer.

To me this says something about human relationships and needing to be defined by submission.

I'd like to make note that when I played this game, yes, I was one of few, like Kangra, that have suffered lag and losing the capacity to jump and run as more squares changed colour. I'm of the opinion that has nothing to do with the game, but only now, in retrospect, due to the many comments devoid of such a mention. I believe that may just be lag suffered due to more memory necessary to load the colours and track them each time one moves or they change.

As such, my personal take on this game initially reflected the lag and includes it:

I also made note of the other ideas people have had.

@joye: I'd beg to differ. Obey or disobey might seem like the only options, but there are moments where one is allowed or affords himself an exploratory role. When taking the high road, one can travel left at the top and descend back to before the fork in the path. Likewise, when one is told to stop, leaping down after takes him to an area where traveling left leads to steps that reach back up to the top. Furthermore, there is the secret passage and various methods for "not failing" the last areas, being that one can jump from different combinations of platforms. In the end, I feel as though its each person's own limitations or perspectives on available freedoms that dictates the choices. With the lag I suffered, I found myself hoping for any possible shortcut, which then allowed me to travel along those paths.

@Acidifiers: Actually, the secret passage is there all the time, which is how I arrived at the "trust" concept. If one disobeys, he may be granted a "peek" at what could be another route and can choose to ignore the spikes or "red blocks" to arrive there. However, it is there regardless and I myself discovered it in an attempt to destroy myself once after minutes of lagged failure in the following sequence, therefore being startled by the discovery of not dying.

From reading the comments, I found it quite surprising the quantity of submissions there were. There were so many eager to please the voice as if an overseeing controller, parent, lover, or god. There were comments about guilty pleasure in gaining approval and the need for the voice's brand of love. Even O.o, who started out similar to my route, utterly diverged later on in favour of obedience. If there be notation on this, I must say that it appears as though the majority would rather instruction or direction with support rather than pave one's own path in the face of scrutiny and abomination.

@The GLaDOS comments: Well, that's the premise in Portal so I can see where it correlates. However, this one is more refined to love and obedience while GLaDOS uses this in a general sense for laboratory purposes.

I got to the second level by being obediant and never dying, and it took me to a place that slopes up, but then I touched what looked like a coin and the game ended

My first playthrough, from the moment I heard the voice I hated it and I decided to disobey its every order. I'm currently in a power struggle with my parents, and I felt really proud of myself for disobeying even when it meant dying. I was actually really happy with my ability to sacrifice for independence, even when it wasn't in my best interest. In that case I felt that the relationship was really harmful, a hate-hate affair that neither of us seemed able to escape. Frankly, I was delighted with the colors. The ending confused me, but I personally felt that the screen had been turned on its SIDE, so my perspective had been shifted and I could escape the pit that the voice had dug for me.

My second playthrough, I was surprised when obeying the voice brought me similar rewards to the colors, although in a different format. I thought the drawings were beautiful, and I really did want to obey the voice, but every time it told me 'Good boy' I felt demeaned. I had done all this for it and it still didn't see me as an equal? In the ending, I saw the coin and I felt like an indentured servant buying my way to freedom. But I wished I hadn't touched the coin; it made me feel like there was more on the other side of the mountain? I want to play it again and find out.

It's definithey parent-child. It's a really nice game, I obeyed everything but towards the end when it said "do not fail" I accidentally died and I didn't get frustrated! I APOLOGISED!!! I don't usually apologise to The Voice :S

*whispers* I can't even get past the first part after I press that I want the game to explain the instructions to me. It says, you don't deserve to know or whatever.

I read some of the comments and chose my actions. I found it weird tht I had trouble with the controls now, but I played on. I tried what Acidifiers had said, about the disobeyance and the melting spike wall after the statue you weren't supposed to touch, and was amazed. When I first played this game, I felt really connected to the Voice, and, somehow, the Voice telling me that I was still searching for it after disobeying just left me dumbfounded. I was unable to say anything or move until I fully absorbed the situation. Thanks Acidifiers, for the observation, it pleasantly surprised me (although I didn't know it was pleasantly at the time).

When the game said I was the opposite gender, I couldn't helped but be distressed, so much that I restarted the game and lied just to get my real gender! As the game went on I decided I didn't like the voice, especially after it told me to jump into the pit of spikes. I scared me pretty badly, and I actually almost committed suicide when it told me to not fail, just to spite it. Some great insights in this game.

I though the voice was just kind of a dick, I didn't specifically ignore the voice or went against it, but instead did my best to get the character to the end, I mean the only emotion the voice elicited in me was mild annoyance, as for the game in general I didn't try too hard to interpret anything I just learned what I could and tried to explore my posibilities. I was sort of confused about the game's relation to "relationships" so I began reading comments. I guess in trying to find the relation to "relationships" in general I didn't stop to think about the game portraying a specific type of relationship, that is, relationships of power that imply some sort of sense of intimacy. I guess that's why opinions swayed between abusive relationships with a significant someone and god. The voice was rather incoherent, I have met people like this, who treat others like shit and then act all "oh but I love you", maybe I can't be manipulated that way? maybe I didn't care for validation? maybe I get my validation elsewhere? maybe the game is supposed to leave you with questions, maybe it tries to show the implications of confrontation? if you follow the voice the world becomes "clear" if you don't it becomes hazy but colorful, I even found a secret passage thanks to the colorfulness, in the end it's all more or less the same in terms of outcomes, so maybe the whole point of the game is to confront you with confrontation? people paint it with whatever they want god, other people, etc.

The ending of Orwell's 1984 where the main character is conditioned to love the oppressive Big Brother after originally opposing him.

I want to point out first that we've all been talking about a voice when there actually ISN'T one! xD There's no actual sound for the voice, but I agree with everyone who has said/thought something about the voice having a certain tone or quality to it. I know every time I play through it always to seem to be mocking or patronizing me. It's so annoying.

But I wonder how many people went ahead and obeyed the voice even though they didn't like it? I certainly did and it wasn't till after it told me, "I'm so glad your mine," that I realized what I had done. I had caved into something I disliked and borderline hated just because my gaming experience told me that's what I should do. I was horrified when I realized that.

And I don't know if someone has mentioned this yet (I didn't read all of the comments), but honestly the voice reminded me of society. Before the game really even seems to begin, the voice has already told us we are not who we think we are and has decided that we should be something else. Society does this all the time by forcing us to conform to fit in and meet its standards. We either do what it wants, even if it is self-destructive or harmful, or else it tries to make us feel awful and insecure about ourselves. If we do what it wants, it tells how good we are and how much it loves us. And drains out our individuality at the same time. To me, though, what's even worse is that society is an just an idea. We are being held hostage by a set of ideas and rituals that usually have no real benefit to us. And the voice is the same as society. We've all assumed that their must be a "person" behind that "voice", but for all we know the voice is just an automated program. And we put ourselves through all that pain in hopes that we would please the "person" behind the voice, when there's a good chance there is no person. Sad, isn't it?

that in that player's opinion, it was about religion.
If you followed it and had faith, in the end you knew the outcome would be good, but your world became colourless and static.
If you disobeyed it and trusted your reason, in the end you didn't know what to expect, but your world became colorful and everchanging.

I think I agree with that explanation, it makes a lot of sense.

But my first impression was of an abusive relationship.

I do NOT think this is about a BDSM relationship; a good Master won't demand you to do something lethal (jumping on the spikes) or to give up important means of safety (not touching the statue). This is the opposite of an healthy BDSM relationship.
Also, if you are truly frightened a good Master would be at least slightly worried, not cruelly amused.

female

The more you disobey in the game, the harder the game gets. I think this is about authority. Sometimes you may question it, and think it's wrong, but if you just lay down and do as you are told in life, life becomes easier, without conflict. It's just so much easier to obey. Every time you obey life gets more clear and detailed, simpler. Don't get me wrong, I dont support this idea, however true it may be in some cases IRL. I rebel just like the rest of you. Parents, teachers, bosses. However, I think what the game is saying is you have the choice to rebel against something you KNOW is wrong, and have your life become more difficult. (And colorful!) Or you can do it, no questions asked, and be on your merry way.

You are being tested by the voice. He is your master, and he loves you. When you disobey, he sees that you hate him. He just wants to see that you are his, and you love him as much as he loves you. His intents, as creepy as he seems, are good.

The first time I played I was angry at the voice for belittling me at the beginning, but determined to prove it wrong especially with the "you will fail" line. Then as I obeyed the first few orders bc they were logical choices beneficial to me, I realized the world became more clear and the game play became easier or at least felt easier, so I began to trust in the voice and follow. Than the ending came and I felt driven to "not fail" so that I could fully and finally prove myself to this voice that had led me along the way in hopes that I would somehow find or meet it. Overall with the title I came away with the idea that love in life is never easy. It may feel belittling at times, it may not make sense at times, but if you sacrifice for it and devote yourself to it, everything around you becomes easier and more clear, and at the end of the day you realize that the trials and hardships you may have felt or faced only made you stronger. Plus the statement of manhood and being loved all along at the end felt like a warm hug after a harsh trial, as if the voice was saying I'm sorry for the pain you had to go through, but I gave you what you needed to succeed, and I couldn't be more proud.

This time I wanted to see what the opposite route was, so I disobeyed every possible thing I could. In this way as the world become more and more colorful, but more and more vague, I felt as if my rebelliousness was a drug. It lightened up my world in every way possible sure, but at the price of reality. Dangers were hidden, details were hidden, the world felt farcical and far more difficult than it should be. As derogatory statements like "disgusting" kept being thrown at me, I was just motivated to "use" more and more through my rebellion thus making the world less and less real. Than with the ending I felt sorrow for hurting the voice despite the continual put downs as it felt like the voice had really been a motivating factor all along trying to help me succeed in life while I was giving in to my desires and pissing away my potential on the drugs of my own rebellion. Staying with the voice felt like a chance for redemption to right my wrongs, while leaving felt like an underground abyss that would never end.

This game seems based on more of an abusive relationship rather than a religious view. When I was sixteen, I was raped, and the man who did it would often say things like the game says to the player. If I disobeyed him (such as when he'd make an odd sexual request), he would call me names and punish me. If I obeyed, he would say "Good girl" and nothing more. No compliments, no reward.

Perhaps the world becoming blurry and pixelated is a form of "punishment" the game takes on. Or it could be a new reality that the player has broken into by disobeying, such as leaving the abusive relationship and taking steps to recover from it.

But as for the being "loved" part?
From my experience, a relationship such as the one I am describing has no love. The one in power may say that they love the one who is under their control, but there is no love in their actions or words, other than saying the apologetic "I love you" from time to time. This game may be saying it loves the player so that the protagonist will stay. I mean, why else put up with these crazy orders, if not for love?

I interpret this game as a way of demonstrating just how truly helpless you feel when you are overpowered. There's the empty words of "I love you," and you, personally, have no identity. The voice tells you your gender, and what choice do you have but to obey?

It's rather dark, really.

oh man i wish i'd known about obeying making it easier! when i first played it it was at the end of a run of really creepy games, so of course i was expecting something to leap out at me.

the voice... i didn't like it from the start when it was rude to me and stuff. but i followed it in the beginning because i thought it was instructions. when it told me to do dumb stuff... i just plowed ahead.

even though the black&white was stark, it was also comforting to me. often when i'm feeling really panicked i switch my computer to greyscale or stare at some plain b&w stripes to calm down. the red naturally represented danger, so i didn't have to think about it.

i really freaked out when the color started coming in though. it was horribly distracting and it felt like a punishment from the voice for not obeying it. the whole game really felt like an escape, trying to run away from this rapidly dissolving world, and i was so glad at the end to get away.

(i also selected "frightened" not because i wanted to admit that i was, but because i was sure at that point it would tell me i was anyway, and being denied by the voice really sickened me.)

To me the game was perhaps about evaluating your reactions to things. I admit that i don't bother to puzzle things out and understand them just to barge ahead. I also know that i hate being told what to do by mostly everyone! so it's a pretty good test of "how you'll end up in life"... not really but pretty much! Will you just keep running ahead, trying to escape everything? will you accept the reward offered by obeying orders even if it feels wrong?

i'm also curious to know if anyone wasn't creeped out by the voice?? i guess the game is supposed to be about love, hence the title, but i didn't feel any love while playing it... *shrug*

do not fail, I always fail!

I thought it to be like a greater being, something less than a god yet still alike a deity, with a powerful love. It seemed to want to be loving butt have a temperament almost childlike in ways. I love this game c:

even if you disobey once or twice, you get the same ending. The ending mostly based on the majority of times you obey/disobey

Who is this creep and why is he (I interpreted the Voice as being male) denying my gender? Getting someone's gender wrong is insulting; deliberately rejecting it is deeply demeaning. And what kind of person would do the latter, if not someone abusive? But people can be abusive for different reasons: some aren't aware that they are (they have good intentions in their minds), while others are actively malicious.

The Voice told me I "didn't deserve" an explanation of how to play. That's not someone with good intentions. Withholding that kind of knowledge is antithetical to the basic intent/duty of a parent or teacher (or someone trying to help, in general). So I concluded that the Voice was malicious - some abusive partner or "master" (self-styled or appointed).

I looked at the character I was controlling. It seemed like a cruel caricature of an overweight person - it's basically an oval with short limbs, no neck, and animal-like ears (so, what, it's not even human?). Seeing that made me feel a little worse - it's not enough to have the demeaning Voice, but even the body we're given is one that would conventionally be called "fat" or otherwise ugly. This was amplified as soon as the Voice started calling me "ugly" and "disgusting".

Context is powerful. In virtually any other game, this avatar would be cute, maybe even cuddly. Here, it felt damning and dehumanising.

Unsurprisingly, I disobeyed the Voice. Words are words, and they don't have to be taken to heart. When I took the higher path early on to avoid danger and was called an "ugly creature" for it, that only reinforced the malicious/sadistic interpretation of the Voice, and therefore its untrustworthiness.

When the colours started appearing, I thought, "This looks promising. It's as if this black-and-white world were a hollow mockery of the real world, and the latter is now slowly bleeding through the walls, becoming visible again." But that real world was still far away, blurry (pixellated), and confusing. Spending too much time in a fake world makes us forget how to move and function in the real world, where things aren't so cleanly outlined (dictated) for us. I had to take a few leaps of faith when platforming on the coloured blocks, hoping that they'd be platforms rather than thin air.

When asked by the Voice if he owned my body or my mind, I wanted a way to answer "neither", but ended up selecting "body"... to which he responded, "Dance for me." Nauseating.

At the end, I chose to "go" (leave). "I loved you" sounds too much like a guilt trip, and after all the previous statements from the Voice, it rings hollow.

to make it hard to comply with the Voice, thus creating tension and exposing more of the emotional content even with the most obedient player intentions.

those who were raised in abusive households, or had any sort of abusive relationships.
To me, Loved resonates with me and not exactly in a good way. The narrator acted and sounded just like my mother had. Especially the continual belittling and degradation only to say at the very end, only after you've jumped through all their hoops and faced all their humiliating comments, that they've always loved you, that she was only doing this for you.
The first time, I did everything the voice told me to, even down to the suicidal crap. The second time, I made a conscious effort to disobey and found that after the first 'how disappointing' comment from the narrator, I couldn't do it. I had to step away for a minute to reorient myself and clear my head. The flash backs started hitting me hard and I wasn't expecting it. (Honestly though, the denial of the basic fact of my gender was the first clue and I should have figured it out from there, but either way...)

The first time I disobeyed and was called disgusting and there were all these weirdly coloured pixels I wasn't thinking it was colour or freedom or whatever, to me it was fumes of decay, it was the game reinforcing that I really was disgusting.

As I disobeyed more and the area around me became more distorted, I saw it more as the game punishing me for disobeying. It was like a trail of decay or distortion that followed me.

By the end of the game I decided it was about an abusive relationship. The voice tells you to hurt or undermine yourself, and when you don't, it makes things harder, by distorting and decaying the world around you. The more you disobey, the worse things get. The harder they make it to escape and continue.

Maybe the voice did love you, but it certainly didn't deserve you. Leaving was the most sensible option.

The first thing that came to mind when I played it, without having read any comments, was that the voice is of some kind of sadistic person, and that you are someone they've kidnapped. They're controlling simply for the sake of being controlling, as evidenced by the fact that they'll tell you to do something and later on tell you to do the opposite. They expect you to do everything they ask, whether it's going through a dangerous path or intentionally hurting yourself. They want you to be completely subservient to them. If you choose to disobey at the end they ask why you didn't love them, and proclaim that they loved you, so they clearly have a twisted view of the world and of what love is.

I thought some of the interpretations I read were really interesting, particularly the ones on religion. I hadn't considered that option, and while I don't really think that's what the message is here, it's a thought provoking concept.

It won't make any sense unless you know where I'm coming from. I'm sexually submissive, and I found the whole game really evoked the same sorts of feelings. The phrases the omnipresent voice uses are all very much what one might expect from a dominant with a submissive partner. Being ordered to challenge yourself (the lower path) or do something you know will hurt but not do lasting harm (throwing yourself in a pit of barbs and having to do a challenging segment over again), belittlement for failure...even the gender reassignment at the start (at least if you're into that sort of thing). Even little things like the terminology - most games would call the barbs "spikes," while barbs can be found on many corporal punishment implements. The aesthetics are similar in some ways: many BDSM implements (particularly for more strict forms of play) use a very limited color palette - black and red are popular choices, and sensory deprivation play (blindfolds, earplugs, etc) limit the submissive's ability to see everything that's going on. The pit at the end could be interpreted as entering what's called "subspace" in the BDSM community. (It's a bit of a weird concept, especially to vanilla people, basically a submissive feels a sense of euphoria that makes them somehow disconnect from reality (naturally, making communication difficult at best.) I've never experienced it, but even if I had, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing that can be easily explained in words. Both the obedient and disobedient paths can be framed in this perspective - most BDSM couples do "scenes" during which there is a dominant and submissive role, but are not always in such roles - and it's not uncommon fo such groups to plan a rebellious scene - one where the submissive, while ultimately cooperative and consenting, will pretend to resist, and earn more intense punishments as a consequence. (This tends not to fly with the couples that maintain the dominant/submissive roles constantly, though there may be exceptions).

One thing that makes me think of this as opposed to a truly abusive relationship (the difference may be characterized by nothing more than the fact that the BDSM couple is following any and all limits imposed by either party and both parties gave full, prior consent, while the abusive relationship is going by the abuser's rules with no respect for the wishes or feelings of the other partner) is the fact that, by playing the game, we are consenting to be a part of it. We have the opportunity to pull the plug at any time (an important point in most people's practice of BDSM - say the safeword and it ends immediately), simply by closing the tab containing the game.

I didn't feel invalidated when the voice told me "you're a girl." For some reason, I really wanted to obey the voice. I really wanted it to love me. The more demanding it became the more I wanted to please it. I actually felt comforted when it said "beg for me", or "I always loved you". That's weird, because in real life I'm rather headstrong.