With A Terrible Fate

The Outer Gods of Elden Ring aren't just extra lore: they're also the cipher to understanding the player's place in the Lands Between.

Have you ever played a game where a single moment changes your feelings about it from hate to love? A meditation on the first Dark Souls.

In Karen Travers, Scarlet Nexus tells the tragic story of how a character can become a villain by being cut off from the player's agency.

Where some JRPGs represent philosophical views, Final Fantasy IX tricks its player into actually doing philosophy without even realizing it.

What's the difference between a psychological story and a story about psychology?

The flavor text of EarthBound tells a story you may have missed.

Ni No Kuni quietly tricks its adult player into curing both herself and the White Witch of cynicism.

NieR: Automata's Ending E is a case study in how to completely erase the distinction between gameplay and story.

The Wind Waker's music shows us how a century-old literary phenomenon blends the lived experiences of player and avatar into something more.

The ending of Final Fantasy VII Remake has turned the storytelling formula of challenging fate on its head—and all it took was a Whisper.

Join With a Terrible Fate at PAX East 2022 on Thursday, April 21st, for a panel exploring the storytelling of Elden Ring!

The Outer Gods of Elden Ring aren't just extra lore: they're also the cipher to understanding the player's place in the Lands Between.

Have you ever played a game where a single moment changes your feelings about it from hate to love? A meditation on the first Dark Souls.

A reflection on the publication's past, and a look to its future.

In Karen Travers, Scarlet Nexus tells the tragic story of how a character can become a villain by being cut off from the player's agency.

Join With a Terrible Fate for two free online panels at PAX Aus this weekend, exploring the ethical and analytical dimensions of video-game storytelling.

A point-by-point rebuttal of Tyler Cowen's article criticizing the ability of video games to have cultural value within a literary canon.

Where some JRPGs represent philosophical views, Final Fantasy IX tricks its player into actually doing philosophy without even realizing it.

Join With a Terrible Fate for panels on horror storytelling and video game canons at PAX West 2021, September 3rd-5th.

What's the difference between a psychological story and a story about psychology?

Listen to an extended discussion about Dan Hughes' analysis of "the Gwyn Moment," how Dark Souls changed his experience of video-game stories.

Listen to an extended discussion about Aaron Suduiko's analysis of the player's role as an Outer God in Elden Ring.

Listen to an extended discussion about Aaron Suduiko's analysis of Final Fantasy IX's theatrical and philosophical content.

Listen to a brief update concerning the future trajectory of our audio content about the analysis of video-game storytelling.

This week on the podcast: analyzing Dark Souls and Silent Hill through the lens of a hypothetical mashup, plus PAX West 2021 reflections.

This week on the podcast: analysis and discussion of Bandai Namco's "brain punk" JRPG, Scarlet Nexus.

This week on With a Terrible Fate's podcast: a deep dive into the many ways in which video-game music can tell a story.

Listen in on a discussion of how maps can interfere with—or improve—the storytelling of your favorite video games.

This week's podcast focuses on mindscapes in video-game fictions, follow-up on the psychoanalytic interpretation of Returnal, and romance in Final Fantasy X.

This week on the podcast: what the Steam Deck could do for interactive storytelling; Netflix gaming rumors; Super Mario 64 at auction.