When you think back upon the types of media that have had
a profound emotional impact on you, what do you immediately default to? I would
wager nearly everyone has that song that helped them through a bad breakup, the
movie that changed the way they view the world around them, or the book that
helped them escape the monotony or turmoil of daily life. But what about video
games? Can gaming be more than just an entertaining diversion?
I think so, and I’m usually right on just about
everything. As opposed to a simple video game review, I’d like to look at games
that we already know are good and look beyond graphical capability and
entertainment to measure how good they actually are. And, of course, as a
direct affront to our fearless podcast leader, I’m going to start with Dark
Souls.
Dark Souls a 3rd person, action/RPG released
in 2011. As the spiritual sequel to the infamously difficult Demon’s Souls,
Dark Souls has continued in the tradition of being a rewarding, yet “hard as
balls” (yeah I quoted myself, so what?) game that revels in difficulty that is
all but lost in modern gaming. In a world of free respawns and near punishment-free
death, Dark Souls acts as a homage to the 3-life arcade games of old. But
really, how hard is it?
It’s hard. It’s incredibly hard. It’s punishment in a
gaming form. I have never been so angry in my life playing a video game. It’s
difficult enough to make the Dalai Lama throw his controller at a crying
orphan. The first enemy in the game will kill you. Then, you’ll get your
bearings and not be surprised by him, and he’ll kill you. Then, you’ll start
getting comfortable with the controls, and he’ll kill you again. Then, you’ll
learn his attack patterns, where to find openings, when to strike and how to
dodge. And then he’ll just murder you again.
This is Dark Souls. The game hinges on your ability to learn
and improvise, to be aggressive and patient, and to just be ok with fucking
dying all the time. You will die, a lot. And dying means losing a huge amount
of progress in a level, as well as the ‘currency’ you use to buy items and to
level your character. So why play the game? In return for playing one of the
most frustrating games ever made and continuously failing to it, overcoming
challenges is a deeply rewarding experience. Also, it’s just a damn good
metaphor for life.
Most modern games put you in the shoes of an ubermench-like protagonist. In Dark
Souls, you’re just a bro. A random dude who sorta knows how to swing a sword in
a world where EVERY enemy can and probably will kill you at some point. Now
there’s nothing wrong with the Master Chiefs of the gaming world. These
characters empower the player and can provide the best kind of escape from
normal everyday life. As a financial analyst working in a cubicle, sometimes
there is nothing I like more than coming home, plugging in, and just saving the
world before my girlfriend gets home and turns on “Revenge.”
However, playing a game like Dark Souls is rewarding
because of the departure from the normal video game environment. You fail. You
learn. You fail again. You adapt. You fail again. You reanalyze, strategize,
focus, practice, hone your skills, prepare for a challenge until you feel like
you can overcome anything. WHERE THE FUCK-ALL DID THAT SECOND GARGOYLE COME
FROM?
(Spoiler Alert: ^)
Thus is life. No matter how educated and experienced you
are, you will screw up at your job. No matter how well your relationship is going,
something will inevitably fuck up. Sure, you've been walking for 23 years now,
why the shit did you just fall face first on the pavement. But the rewards wouldn't be so sweet if it wasn't for the crushing failures.
Thus is Dark Souls. If you’re looking for an escape from
your daily grind, this is not the game for you. However, if you’re looking to
be truly challenged and feel legitimately successful playing a game, Dark Souls
will chew you up, spit you out, back over you with car, and spray you down with
an agitated skunk. But, as with life, pick yourself back up, duct tape that controller
back together, apologize to the cat, and get back into it. It is truly one of
the few games out there that will have a profound impact on your life and the
way you appreciate both the many failures, and the few truly wonderful
successes.
~Grim
~Grim
Really if you were being honest, I turn on 'Hart of Dixie' most the time :) Great article, love the life lesson.
ReplyDeleteExcellent analysis. There definitely is a difference between simply progressing through a game and wrenching sweet victory from the hands of intense difficulty. I'm reminded of the following comic - just replace DF with Dark Souls
ReplyDeletehttp://dwarffortresswiki.org/images/4/40/FunComic.png
Yes sir, that's a pretty good illustrative description of the game. The other portion of Dark Souls that I would like to look at but didnt really have time, is the incredibly open ended story. The story is incredibly deep, but is hidden just enough underneath the surface that you really have to dig for it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll do another post on Dark Souls in the future. Next week, however, I will write about the best game in the Final Fantasy series. Numero 8.
Dark Souls has gotten me through some pretty tough times. Every time I feel like things couldn't get any worse after a tough day, I come home and the game makes me realize just how wrong I am. I guess what I'm really trying to say here is... "FUCK YOU ARTORIAS!"
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, Dark Souls really does teach you the value of enduring in the face of impossible odds, and there are few better feelings than watching someone else during their first playthrough and knowing that these once-insurmountable challenges are now something you could do with one eye closed.