How Souls Games Save You | Psych of Play

Until 2 months ago, I was a stranger to souls games. As an outsider looking in, I understood two things… they are extremely difficult and they change you as a person. Time after time I saw people say that Miyazaki’s work, in one way or another, has saved them. Depression, anxiety, and the like are something that we all often deal with, but how could such a brutally unrelenting series remedy the mental health of so many? Today on Psych of Play, we dive into the psychology of how exactly this happens.

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▶Games Shown

Dark Souls (2011) - FromSoftware
Dark Souls II (2014) - FromSoftware
Dark Souls III (2016) - FromSoftware
Bloodborne (2015) - FromSoftware
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2019) - FromSoftware
Elden Ring (2022) -FromSoftware
Demon's Souls (2020) - FromSoftware
Inscryption (2021) - Daniel Mullins Games
Hollow Knight (2017) - Team Cherry
Metroid Dread (2021) - Mercury Steam
NieR:Automata (2017) - PlatinumGames
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) - Nintendo
Ghost of Tsushima (2020) - Sucker Punch Productions
Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020) - Square Enix
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (2022) - Game Freak
Before Your Eyes (2021) - Skybound Games
Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019) - Intelligent Systems
Journey (2012) - That Game Company
Life Is Strange: True Colors (2021) - Deck Nine
Gris (2018) - Nomada Studio
Before Your Eyes (2021) - GoodbyeWorld Games
Celeste (2018) - Maddy Makes Games
Haven (2021) - The Game Bakers
Super Smash Bros: Melee (2001) - HAL Laboratory
Guilty Gear Strive (2021) - Arc System Works
Deltarune Chapter 2 (2021) - Toby Fox
Metroid Dread (2021) - Mercury Steam
Super Mario Odyssey (2017) - Nintendo
Super Smash Bros: Ultimate (2018) - Nintendo
Astral Chain (2019) - Platinum Games
Monster Hunter Rise (2021) - Capcom
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020) - Omega Force
BioShock (2007) - 2K Games
Octopath Traveler (2018) - Square Enix
Persona 5 (2016) - Atlus, P Studio
Kingdom Hearts 2 (2005) - Square Enix
Hades (2020) - Supergiant Games
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) - Nintendo
Resident Evil 4 (2005) - Capcom
Max Payne 3 (2012) - Rockstar
Cyber Shadow (2020) - Aarne Hunziker
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) - Respawn Entertainment
Detroit Become Human (2018) - David Cage
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) - Nintendo
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) - Eidos-Montréal
Genshin Impact (2020) - miHoYo

▶Media/Clips/Considerations:

NakeyJakey - “Dark Souls Saved Me” - https://youtu.be/iSJkxLdIlyE
Writing on Games - “Dark Souls Helped Me Cope With Suicidal Depression”- https://youtu.be/viP4psS3MUQ
Joe x0f - “Sekiro Saved my Life” - https://youtu.be/VKttr9y-z2M
Maestro - “Dark Souls Changed My Life” - https://youtu.be/qgA4fjezv2E
ItsPara “How Dark Souls 2 saved my life” - https://youtu.be/JVK-TLUbz_I
ItsPara “Dark Souls and Mental Health” - https://youtu.be/ExAT42tE4Qk
Mez - “How Bloodborne Helped With My Depression” - https://youtu.be/TIFBcezPwy8
Chris Morris - “Dark Souls Helps My Mental Health But I Don't Know Why” - https://youtu.be/4dXjBhPB4t0

Other footage used: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwABHajSLTc93iB2bBaar1qgFXBrY-0G7

▶Music Sources:

Legend of Mana OST - World of Mana
Tenno - Imaginary (https://youtu.be/nQC5755G54Y)
Sekiro OST - Emma the Physician
Unravel OST - First Steps
Rising Thunder OST - Dauntless Theme
Demon Souls OST - Character Creation (Souls of Mist)
Rising Thunder OST - Chel Theme
Dark Souls OST - Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
Tenno - Imaginary (https://youtu.be/nQC5755G54Y)
Daydreamer - Dark souls 2: Longing // lofi remake (https://youtu.be/EWpYuOABodw)

▶Research Articles Cited

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ub5Ek7cMyWEbP1lqe8TqEtk8dpfbdi9STCNKYBZeMfU/edit?usp=sharing

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