Video Games Need More Suffering Slay The Princess Devs Say

There are countless reasons as to why we play video games. For some of us, video games are a means to connect with others--a way through which we can participate in a community, or carve out time specifically reserved for nurturing our friendships. Some use games as means of escaping reality, while others appreciate the hobby's competitive, skill-based nature. However, far too few of us are using games for one of their most compelling purposes: to experience suffering.

Much like Black Tabby Games co-founder Tony Arias-Howard, whom I interviewed about this very topic, "I'm only half-kidding" when I say this. I recognize that, for many of us, times are hard and the very notion of playing something to suffer sounds unappealing, to say the least. And yet, as I recollect on all my favorite games and stories, it's the ones that challenged me emotionally--that led me through hell and towards catharsis--that occupy the largest recesses of my mind.

Through games, film, and various other forms of art, we are offered a relatively risk-free space to suffer--to delve deep in our feelings and reflect on loss, trauma, and perhaps even the parts of ourselves we'd rather turn away from. So why do we--and game developers, for that matter--all too often shy away from suffering despite knowing what rewards it reaps?