Written by Taoan, 2021 Cohort
I have to say that I am not a big fan of horror or the violent game genre, but one of my favourite game studios is called From Software. It is a Japanese studio and I love the game they made: Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring etc. They belong to the action genre and contain violent elements like bloody scenes as well as killing actions, and I think they could not prevent this because it is one of the selling points of their game. The studio wants to provide a dark fantasy world to the players. This kind of art is one of the factors that attracted me because I like medieval knights and their plate armours in a simulated environment.
The good graphics can attract players’ attention, but they could not keep them playing. And the main reason I like these games they make is because of the amazing combat design. Sekiro is about the Japanese culture, involving samurai and shinobi, violent as it might be, I still think it’s one of the best games I have ever played. Can I detach from the negative psychological effects they might have on me? I am not sure, but I think the more mature we are, the better we will discern what is dangerous or not in our media.
Back to the topic. I do play violent video games. The reason that I play them is not for the violent elements, is for the design of the game. Of course, I do not recommend children to play these kinds of games.