Dark Souls

Podcast: Can Normative Inquiry Become Gaming’s Next “Lore Analysis”?

Could storytellers like Miyazaki push players' motivations beyond crafting timelines—all the way to crafting theories of value?

By Dan Hughes, 2 months ago September 15, 2024

Discussing Lies of P as a "soulslike" fairy tale, the narrative evolution of the Final Fantasy series, and the permeability of fourth walls!

By Dan Hughes, 7 months ago April 18, 2024

Kafka's "Before the Law" offers a new lens for meditating on the relationships between avatars, bosses, developers, and players in gaming.

By Aaron Suduiko, 2 years ago October 31, 2022

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

By Dan Hughes, 3 years ago April 18, 2022

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

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago April 18, 2022

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

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago April 14, 2022

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.

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago April 14, 2022

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.

By Dan Hughes, 3 years ago April 14, 2022

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

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago September 12, 2021

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

By Aaron Suduiko, 3 years ago September 10, 2021