Some structural lines are dramatic and clear, while Hidden by the game, since a normal journey through these lands is gradual, Occurs in two stages each descent occurs in two stages. There are three forks in Dark Souls 3: three majorĬrossroads where the player has the option to go higher or deeper. It was quite challenging to describe the structure without offering my own interpretations of the emergent symbolism! But the purpose here is to present the model on its own terms, and hopefully it is of use to whoever is interested in deepening their understanding of Souls lore and symbolism. It is a hidden structure that is apparently relatively unknown even among lorekeepers, but is very useful in making sense of the surreal environments of this game and its mythologies. This essay presents a model for use in interpreting the world of Dark Souls 3. Up and Down Three Times: The Hidden Helical Structure of Dark Souls 3 Responses that are typically the primary concern of conventional media. Phenomenological field even more intimately subjective than the ethic/aesthetic This is, ofĬourse, because video games are primarily haptic and somatic experiences, a It is very difficult to convey the sense of what a game is like. Some utility through familiarity and association, but even by compounding them The genres that we do have named-FPS, moba, bullet hell, RPG-provide However, we can barely begin to discuss theme or genre in any We can talk about some details: the specs, the mechanics, the assets, There is an incredible poverty of language for analyzing It is informed by the following concepts, elaborated in other essays: This essay examines how we collectively neglect the true subject of gaming, and what this neglect means for our conception of the medium’s artistic potential and psychological effects.
When you play Tetris, for instance, the Other may be felt in the force that seems to be competing against your interests, accelerating blocks and deciding which pieces you get. The Other is constellated throughout all of this, even in the most apparently solitary games. Games typically present some kind of challenge, or at the very least, the tension of response to player action. As in life, the Other is elusive and mutable.Įven if there are not characters in the game to project upon, the Other is present. We may do the same thing for supporting characters, NPCs. Players met online, enemies, bosses-obviously I am not them, so they must be Other. Just as it is typical to project one’s identity into the player-character of a game, it is also typical to project the Other onto adversaries in the game. The more strongly distinguished from oneself, the more other the Other is. What is the Other? Whatever I feel I am not. Short essay on player identification in complex visual fields, from a psychological perspective.Īll games are about the negotiation of the Other. Casting the Curtain: the Other in Danmaku
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