Written by Weitian
It’s common sense for people who are gamers and who are not that games should be offering fun and pleasure. However, it looks different this way if you look at popular video games, such as soul-like games, indie horror games, etc., which offer discomfort and unpleasure. Paradoxical as it may seem, or we can broaden our definition of “pleasure,” it can refer to not only “positive experiences” but also “positive negative experiences.”
It’s not difficult to understand why people are obsessed with extremely challenging games like “I Wanna” and “Dark Souls.” Despite the stress and existential crises these games deliver, there always emerges a distinct and exhilarating sensation—an adrenaline rush that accompanies their aftermath, which makes the negative experiences accepted positively.
Here’s more discomfort, which delivers positive and negative experiences in more subtle ways. For example, according to Kristine Jørgensen’s study on Spec Ops: The Line, this game deliberately creates experiences of regret, guilt and nausea. For instance, in a quest of Spec Ops: The Line, after the player gassing a group of enemy soldiers, the player needs to walk through the camp, realizing that there’s a container full of dead civilians. Also, here’s a scene in which if they search underground for corpses, they may find things they did not expect. By techniques like subverting genre expectations through fabrication and highlighting negative consequences, Spec Ops: The Line conveys a sense of discomfort, both bodily and mentally, to its audience. “[I felt] a little tired, actually, like weary and drained. But at the same time, there were a lot of thoughts”, described by Tony, a player who participated in this study. Jørgensen concludes that the essential of this positive discomfort is oversteps detachment’s safety, but by making the player responsible, emotional security in the “play” context also wavers. When players are complicit, this risk to emotional safety becomes intriguing, just as Aristotle said: the purging of the emotions of pity and fear that are aroused in the viewer of a tragedy. This may also apply to horror games; while the player is experiencing threats in virtual space, the fact that they are safe can turn this strong emotion into positive feelings.
To conclude, “Positive negative experiences” in video games defy the notion that games must always offer enjoyment. Games like “Spec Ops: The Line” intentionally introduce discomfort and negative emotions that players willingly accept. This concept expands our understanding of pleasure in gaming, demonstrating how games can be thought-provoking and emotionally engaging. It showcases the medium’s potential for complex storytelling beyond simple fun.