As one of the biggest Dark Souls fan in the IGN office, I’m often asked to explain the series’ appeal: “How can a game with such obscure systems be fun? How can a game that’s so punishing be fun?”
In college a lecturer presented our class with a series of photographs. They all depicted the same man playing a video game, but in each picture he had a new facial expression. In some he looked outwardly happy, smiling and laughing, while in others he looked neutral, annoyed, and sometimes even angry. We were asked to identify in which photographs the man was “having fun.” My votes went towards the photos where he was obviously cheerful, but also those where he had a more stoic or sour expression – to me, the latter two communicated concentration and determination. He looked “in the zone.”
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In college a lecturer presented our class with a series of photographs. They all depicted the same man playing a video game, but in each picture he had a new facial expression. In some he looked outwardly happy, smiling and laughing, while in others he looked neutral, annoyed, and sometimes even angry. We were asked to identify in which photographs the man was “having fun.” My votes went towards the photos where he was obviously cheerful, but also those where he had a more stoic or sour expression – to me, the latter two communicated concentration and determination. He looked “in the zone.”
Continue reading…
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