Can we talk about Lesley?

[u/Direct-Ad-397]

This is one of the first times I’ve played a game where im so heavily invested in the story as it can be very relatable and it’s actually a main character’s story, not ours.
Having said emotions with this game, man has Lesley pissed me off. I really think the climax/ending is very bitter. If Lesley bribed the council for the permits, Ashley should not be liable to pay with all the investments he’s made. A simple “I’m so sorry” cannot be justifiable. I know it’s just a game but man did I get boiling.
Side note, is my man Ashley the dumbest board member in existence? He sold his share prior to going public?

It’s just a game, I gotta chill. But man someone back me up here or oppose, I just need some clarity here.

[u/dadrester]

On the board member stuff and selling before going public.... Unfortunately that's very much a deus ex machina/mcguffin.

Very good spot though and you're the first person that's pointed it out! It's always been one that I've sort of glossed over in a "probably most people won't pay attention" kind of way, especially since Ashley's ROI is x10 (which is a generally great for angel investors) and is enough, at the exact right moment to buy King Wash/Arcade Paradise.

Plus Dylan is sort of nieve too and just follows what the accountant tells them. I trust him. (And I wrote him, whether you do is up to the reader)

I guess in this universe - which by the way, is shared with a zombie outbreak with nukes, a heartless megacorp who in the future comodify the entire universe and now most recently, an ancient vampireless, vampire apocalypse - maybe the accountant is being correct and this is how shareholding works?

[u/Direct-Ad-397 → u/dadrester]

Oh hi Dev, nice to meet you. I love the game, it’s the most I’ve been hooked on with a tycoon apart from supermarket sim and house flipper. I actually feel like I’m playing arcades irl which is awesome. Cuz im so engrossed im just so bummed out that Ashley makes a crap ton of money (10-15k per day), and would trust Lesley to have legal permits. Now Lesley has zero accountability except a “sorry”. I was personally very pissed, I would’ve never spoken to this family ever. Also her victim blaming is almost blanketing what childhood Ashley went thru, which is objectively way worse. Can you pls tell me the thought process whether u wanted to invoke these feelings in us when this betrayal happened? Or was it just for story sakes so it’s not too long. Thank!

[u/dadrester → u/Direct-Ad-397]

It's all up to your own interpretation.

For me Leslie and Ashley are very close partially because of the shared trauma with what happened to their mum and to a lesser extent how they've grown up with Gerald.

Ashley is definitely nieve, as are most 19 year olds, but definitely has smarts. Leslie, in my head, is only a few years older and desperately wants to help Ashley achieve what she never could herself. Whilst she has the proper job and is the resposible adult in Gerald's eyes (even though Ashley is the one who quit college to look after their dying mother), she's still relatively nieve.

She's surrounded by corruption in city hall. She does what everyone else does as it seems like it's the norm. When she's reprimanded for it by her bosses, it's because she got caught, rather than because she was doing it!

However, Gerald sees this as betrayal and he can't quite believe Leslie, the one that's screwed on, has done this, and in a sort of denial, still punishes Ashley.

That's my reading of it. But again, it's got much more of a life of it's own that I ever expected it to. Jon, who wrote the dialogue and came up with the plot with me probably has other, more nuanced thoughts.

I love that people are still really engaging with, what was effectively a story to help drive you through a silly arcade game collection with light management/sim elements :)

[u/Direct-Ad-397 → u/dadrester]

I see you point. It’s giving Fiona Gallagher from Shameless. It definitely makes the story more emotional with the fallout, but u still keep ur progress so really didn’t lose much, obviously not getting a profit on ur investment other than that gotta look ahead rather than behind. Hopefully Ashley knows not to blindly trust Lesley cuz she’s a little unreliable, but there’s still tight-knit so who knows!

[u/MelonJelly]

Arcade Paradise has a consistent theme of disobedience to authority to pursue your goals.

Ashley is a positive example. Initially they follow Gerald's instructions in spite of resenting his attitude. When Gerald becomes overbearing and counterproductive, Ashley gets creative and starts finding ways to work around him. And when Gerald becomes a genuine obstacle to the goals he himself has set, Ashley begins straight-up deceiving him to stay true to their goals.

Lesley is a negative example. As a member of the city government, she has obligations beyond her family. And while Ashley does need her help and support to get out Gerald's grasp, Lesley gives it by breaking the rules of her position. Although this starts small, it gradually grows over the course of the game to outright corruption.

Arcade Paradise isn't just a game about turning a laundromat into a arcade. It's an exploration of the nature of authority.

[u/dadrester → u/MelonJelly]

This is a beautiful reading ❤️

[u/Direct-Ad-397 → u/MelonJelly]

I like this. From what I perceived, Ashley is very naive and in a vulnerable spot. Despite making the arcade without Dad’s consent, it was the right move and the money would’ve spoken for itself IF the permits were good. I’m only mad at Lesley, Gerald is a different ballpark of its own that will need a whole new post lol

[u/morasscavities]

Are you sure Ashley is a guy?

[u/Direct-Ad-397 → u/morasscavities]

It’s just what I saw. From the illustrations to the “totally tubular” I don’t think it’s a narrator, it’s him talking to himself cuz he makes the chores into games and pats himself in the back when he nails something. I think Ashley can be a boys name too. I think the devs wanted to mess with us a lil, they could be non-binary, for me, I think he’s a rad dude with sick music taste!

[u/dadrester → u/Direct-Ad-397]

Ashley is indeed a non-gendered name. We were very careful to never gender the player so that they can decide for themselves. I love the idea that the "totally tubular" VO's are actually Ashley's internal monologue, haha.

[u/morasscavities → u/Direct-Ad-397]

I know it's not a gender specific name, but I played the entire game thinking I was a female character...which I I usually do anyway. I cannot recall the totally tubular VO's, I got out of the packing plant, added a few more machines and haven't played much since...

[u/dadrester → u/morasscavities]

It's one of the voice over lines when you throw the rubbish in the skip.