Alan Wake 2 has a moment in the first act where the titular character is exploring "The Dark Place," a realm shaped by his own thoughts and creative will and mixed with a healthy dose of otherworldly evil. As he wades deeper into an area represented as a subway station, he comes across signs that display the following: "It's not like your stories are any good. Not like they have any artistic merit. You're a lousy writer. Cheap thrills and pretentious shit. That's all you're good for. Just look at me. Look at your work."
Regardless of whether this is a manifestation of Alan's insecurity or just spooky shadow ghosts trying to make him cry, you still have to wonder: are these signs right? Is Alan a mediocre hack? And if he is, does Alan Wake 2 itself know that? And either way, in a game all about writing, what the hell are we, the players, supposed to make of that?
