I feel like I'm reasonably good at picking at a game on the gameplay level, as per what works and does not and why and surface videogame essayist stuff like ludonarrative dissonance (or the rare examples of ludonarrative harmony).
I may offer you my finest insight into video games such as "Lara Croft has some sort of father complex going on" and "Shadow of Chernobyl is unintentionally about life in the collapse of the soviet union" which even by my own admission feels shallow and trite. You watch someone like Jacob Geller or Noah Caldwell-Gervais and they have fascinating things to say even on games you wouldn't expect it, like NCG on Quake.
How do I become that knowledgeable? Interesting? Analytical? about video games?
I've read those, actually and they're fascinating, allthough I disagree with the usual takeaways in the sense that I think Druckmann either didn't want to or fell flat on his ass trying to do a direct allegory. I lean towards the latter on account of being too much of a coward to get either real, weird, or real weird with it. All the "ohhh she finally forgives her tormentor" bullshit did not land at all after I've spent my time axe-murdering both the WLF and the entirely uninvolved in the Ellie / Abby conflict Seraphites, especially considering the entire plot hinges on the fact that all those unnamed NPCs you kickshoot to death as Joel and Ellie previously also had families.
What takes it back from the brink of idiot plot to me is that once Dina divorces her and literally takes the kid the whole thing gets painted as most divorced man revenge quest energy on Ellie, which is novel.