Becoming Afflicted, Becoming Virtuous
Darkest Dungeon and the Human Response to Stress
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7781434 |
|---|---|
| Authors | James Cartlidge (0000-0002-0276-9142, Central European University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 170-188 |
| Publication date | 2023-03-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Games and Culture (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1555-4120 • E-ISSN: 1555-4139 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/15554120221084450 |
| OpenAlex | W4223961908 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
The developers of Red Hook Studios’ 2016 gothic horror “Darkest Dungeon” said that they wanted to “capture the human response to stress.” This paper analyzes how the game does this with its “stress,” “affliction,” and “virtue” mechanics. With reference to research literature on stress, I show how these mechanics, which could easily have been cheap gimmicks, approach the topic of stress with admirable detail, offering a complex reflection on the various aspects, positive and negative, of several possible human responses to stress. They show how different responses include similar symptoms, how stress impacts the people around the stressed person, and make the case that stress can break people, but also fuel heroism. It is a fantastic example of how video game mechanics can be used to educate people about complex subjects without explicitly saying this is what they are doing
Aesthetics · Art · Epistemology · Multimedia · Stress (linguistics · Studio · Video game · Virtue · Visual arts · Computer Science · Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion · Leadership, Courage, and Heroism Studies · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Philosophy · Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2023 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |