The celebrated literary critic and theorist of popular culture Paul A. Cantor predicted that the next greatest work of art in the history of world civilization will be a videogame. In the opinion of many gamers, Dark Souls is the video game that has come closest to fulfilling this prophecy. This action-adventure RPG features some of the most astounding artistry and visual imagery throughout its complex storylines. The creators choice to intentionally direct players' focus onto individual character development through the usage of exploration, interconnecting environments, and rebirth has made Dark Souls one of the highest grossing video games of all time. Its cyclical world views make it ripe with philosophical elements and inspirations, making it truly unique and launching an unparalleled empire of gaming. Now, modern-day philosophers explore the deeper topics and issues lying within Dark Souls lore, delving into its twists and turns to identify insightful and thoughtful discussions, idioms and thematic elements to inspire the everyday gamer.
This is book #4 in our series, Pop Culture and Philosophy.
Among the path-breaking chapters in Dark Souls and Philosophy:
Imran Aijaz, Is There a Right Way to Play a Souls Game?, critically
examines the controversy that erupted over Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice when
James Davenport confessed that he cheated to finish the game.
Joseph Dunne, YOU . . . DIED? The Nature of Death in Dark Souls evaluates
the nature of death in Dark Souls by reviewing the worlds lore through the
lens of contemporary philosophical approaches to the proper definition of
human death.
Sébastien Hock-Koon, Sun Tzu in Lordran studies the relationship between
Sun Tzus Art of War and a players journey to reach the end of Dark Souls.
Dan Larkin, Git Gud: Why Every True Dark Souls Player Lives to See the Words
You Died, investigates the appeal and benefit, of the difficulty of Dark
Souls through Nietzsches doctrine of the Will to Power.
Ryan Smock, Be Wary of Mimicry: The Dangers of Rage-quitting. While we seem
to enjoy watching people throw tantrums when they lose, we end up imitating
their angry behavior, and the resulting harm we do to ourselves far outweighs
the pleasure we receive from this entertainment.
Dylan Popowicz, We Must Imagine the Chosen Undead Happy explores what Dark
Souls has to teach us about how we can escape the absurdities of existence,
and to embrace a playful, humorous, and inventive approach to life.
Tailer Ransom, Skilled Perception and Dark Souls. Encountering bosses in
Dark Souls is generally an exercise in discovering how something initially
taken to be impossible is actually quite achievable. From a phenomenological
perspective we can see how learning how to beat a boss is not merely a matter
of pressing the correct buttons, but developing skilled perception.
Ryan Smock, Dark Souls as a Forge for the Soul. In a weird way, the
overwhelmingly punishing nature of Dark Souls teaches many of the same
lessons passed down by classical Stoicism.
Bennet Soenen, The Death of God and the Age of Darkness scrutinizes the
player killing the gods of this universe and putting out the fire in the
second endingand how that relates to Nietzsches ideas concerning the death
of god and the formation of the world in our own image.
Dylan Popowicz, Death, the Lordvessel, and Losing Your Identity in Lordran
unpacks the notion of personal identity through a discussion of the Chosen
Undeads repeated deaths, rebirths, and other transformations.
Nicolas Michaud has edited Batman, Superman, and Philosophy: Badass or Boyscout (2016), Discworld and Philosophy: Reality Is Not What It Seems (2016), and Frankenstein and Philosophy: The Shocking Truth (2013). He co-edited, with Jennifer Watkins, Iron Man vs. Captain America and Philosophy: Give Me Liberty or Keep Me Safe (2018).
