So I guess I should welcome you to this nice little virtual world and also give you a quick thanks for playing (unless your name is Jon and you are a professor and are forced to play this game in order to give some sort of grade).
The Stanley Parable: a game driven by narrative and the consequence of choice. A narrator speaks and you, as the player (AKA Stanley), can choose to listen or disobey him. So, without further ado, let's get you moving. Why don't you head off to the next room?

Player walks forward through a white hallway into a second room facing two hallways at the opposite end: a red hallway on the left and blue hallway on the right.

[Narrator from The Stanley Parable speaks in a British accent] When Stanley came to a set of two open doors, he entered the door on the left.

This is one of the first pivotal choices a player is given within the game. The player can listen and enter the door on the left, or they can disobey and enter the door on the right. When a narrator provides the player with a choice the person has to ask themselves, do I really have a choice? what if I just stood here? what if I ran around the inside of the room for the next six hours? what if I never go through either of the doors? I could turn my game off right now, but then we fall into the dilemma of “are you really playing the game?” So, just like the Stanley Parable, I am going to give you a choice. You can proceed down the blue hallway or you can take a stroll down the red hallway. Why don't you go ahead now. Make that decision.

 You see, the Stanley Parable is riddled with choices. Some of them change the outcome of the game drastically. Others, however, don’t change anything. Kind of like the “choice” that I just gave you. You might have found yourself thinking, ‘Yipee, this is exciting! I can’t wait to see how this is going to shape the rest of the...yada, yada, yada.’ This is an essay, after all. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I couldn’t possibly give you any power here. That would be unheard of. Why don’t you--why don’t you go into the next room? I just need to fix something. 

 Player walks down a white hallway approaching a room with a map/flowchart on the facing wall]
 

I... I should warn you, the next room does hold some considerable spoilers if you are planning on playing the game.

Player walks into the room towards the map on the wall.

This is the  map of The Stanley Parable (unofficially). When I told you that this was a game about choice I wasn't kidding. If you look near the top centre you will see the start. You can let your eyes follow along any of the paths you like. The game has a collection of thirteen major endings, these are listed with red dots. There are also a bunch of orange dots on here. These usually signify Easter egg types of victory. Some, for example the broom closet, aren't endings at all but are just some witty banter by the narrator.

Laying out all the possible decisions in the game like this makes the concept of choice seem less significant somehow. In a game where someone is narrating for you, choice is less viewed as choice and more realized as a current option.

 

Why don't you head to the next room.

Player walks through a hallway into a room with two signs on the facing wall. Both signs are etched wood, the sign on the left includes the word ‘MAZE’ and three arrows pointing to the left, the sign on the right includes the word ‘PLATFORMING’ and three arrows pointing to the right.

Alright, I lied. I couldn't help myself. You get an actual choice (kind of). I will let you choose right now. You can solve the maze to your left or you can do some platforming on the path to your right. Both of these challenges lead to the same room afterwards though. You might as well get to play around a little bit here. Some form of actual entertainment should probably be had. But for now, you get to mix it up a bit and have some effect on what you are going to get out of this. So, pick a path and best of luck to you.

Platforming. This probably means you like a bit of a challenge. If you are anything like me and you have played through The Stanley Parable then you chose to hunt for every ending. This might have even included the Art ending where you are stuck pressing a button for six hours. That's not an exaggeration either. That's actually part of the game. It was terrible. Anyways, break a leg out there! Not literally though. You won't die if you fall, nor will you break your leg. Uh... have fun.

A maze, like The Stanley Parable, is just a series of choices, whether you are conscious that you are making them or not. A person can never really be sure they are going the right way. Choosing to go right or left off the start might be the difference of how fast you solve them. Mazes are pretty good metaphors for life. You have a start and an end and everything in between is a series of decisions, twists, and backtracking. Well, best of luck!

Player exits either the maze or platforming section and walks down a white hallway.

Player enters another hallway with green walls and a red platform on a brown surface.

Well, congratulations on your accomplishment. You’re nearly at the end. There wasn’t a lot of choice here for you. If you’re craving more then take a look the Stanley Parable. Play through it, watch a playthrough if you don’t wanna buy it, just experience it somehow. What’s truly engaging is the story and how it’s told. You can start walking down this hallway now.

See, I could have sat down and made a fully-fledged essay-game hybrid, littered with choices and different outcomes, but what’s truly important is that you took the time to experience it. You witnessed the beginning, you made some decisions in the middle, and now, you’re approaching the end. It might have seemed a lot shorter than you were expecting and that’s the problem with a game involving a narrator. There are only so many choices you can make. So, why don’t you go claim your prize?

Player walks down a white hallway, enters a doorway, and walks onto a platform.

Yeah, that’s it. No prize. End of the line. The end. No more story to be found here. I can’t reward you with anything besides a heartfelt thank-you. Though, honestly, thank-you for taking the time to play this.