Assignment - Talking about the Double Entry Log

For my first assignment dealing with Project Two I was tasked with looking at some work of fiction and analyzing it to get a better understanding of it. Because I have a problem really enjoy the Dark Souls video game franchise I chose to look at one of my favorite games of all time, Dark Souls. For this assignment I both played and watched some gameplay of Dark Souls. I played up until about the halfway point of the game because I can do that without having to put in much effort but I decided to cop out and watch some footage to review the later sections because it is a 30 hour RPG and I didn't have the time to invest a full 30 hours into one paper.

The full assignment will be located below this section. This assignment just made me enjoy a lot of the subtleties of Hidetaka Miyazaki's work. I find that I REALLY enjoy games. movies, and just stories in general if they have a very rich lore incorporated, and my god does Dark Souls have that in spades. One of my favorite pieces of lore which I do touch on in the Log is the Sorcerers of The Duke's Archives. I love how the player can find a couple of them scattered throughout the world and it foreshadows The Duke's Archives from very early on in the game. Also the environmental storytelling is just fantastic and doing this helped me see much more than I originally saw on my initial playthrough of the game.

Double Entry Log

Writer and/or director

Hidetaka Miyazaki

Rhetorical Information

Describe background information about the writer/director.

Miyazaki started as a programmer for the game development company From Software in 2004. In 2010 he was given his first opportunity to direct a video game with a game of his own creation, Demon’s Souls. He was promoted to president of From Software after the release of Dark Souls, a spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls, in 2011.

Miyazaki has stated that his major inspirations were The Legend of Zelda, Ico, and many other games. He also took a lot of inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft and George R.R. Martin.

Describe background information about the story or film.

Dark Souls itself took much of the design philosophy of Demon’s Souls and improved upon it. The European architecture, difficulty, and most importantly the use of environmental story telling. Dark Souls came out in 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. A Remastered version of the game is set to release May 25^th, 2018.

Describe the story or film’s genre.

Dark Souls is an Action Role Playing Game. The player creates their own character and then explores the fantasy land of Lordran.

Describe the audience. Who is the audience for this story or film? What expectations do they have about the story/film? How do you know this?

The audience for Dark Souls is Hardcore Gamers. The game is very difficult, and it is advertised as such which led to many casual gamers being afraid of it. Many people online have said they put the game down due to its difficulty and only the truly dedicated ever finish the game.

Describe the social context of the story/film. When and where was it published/released? Describe any significant social events during the time.

Dark Souls has left quite the social impact on gamming culture. The game created its own subgenre of RPGs known as “Soulsborne”. At the time of release the gamming industry was in its “Quick-Time Event” phase where games loved to take control away from the player in order to do a cinematic event where the player would press a button at the right time in order to simulate participation in the game. Difficult games were very rare in 2010 and 2011 and the Souls series made many gamers realize they loved the challenge of harder games like Dark Souls.

Log your close reading of the text

What do I see?	What does it mean?
Describe an interesting or thought-provoking scene. Describe exactly what’s on the page or in action in the scene. Make sure you include page numbers and/or time markers.	Discuss how this scene is connected to literary devices such as plot, setting, character, theme, and/or narrative point of view. Discuss how this scene is connected to society and culture such as race, class, gender, environment, and/or history
The first time the player reaches Firelink Shrine at the start of the game. The calming music sets in and the player can finally explore on their own for the first time. The player can also talk to a fellow explorer and will point the player in the right direction.	Firelink Shrine is the main hub of the game. Many characters and merchants move here after meeting them in the world. Talking to the characters that are initially here gives off an eerie feel. The music is calming but the characters all seem like they’re on edge despite being in a safe area. Firelink also happens to be directly above the Kiln of the First Flame, the location for the final boss battle.
The Undead Burg, the area that follows Firelink Shrine. The Undead Burg is the first real area of Dark Souls. There are more enemies and much more difficult enemies than The Northern Undead Asylum, the tutorial area. The town itself is abandoned and is now just a bunch of Undead wandering with no real purpose except to stop the player.	This is the first instance the player can really see the effects of the Undead Curse on the world. There is one merchant in the Burg and even he is undead. The world is looking grim. Every undead the player slays is just another person who gave in to fear and embraced the hopelessness.
Anor Londo, the city of the Old Lords. What was once a thriving city and home to the Lords of old, now is a desolate palace with nothing but the old guards there to stay at their posts. The sun’s golden light shines on the city creating an eternal twilight. The city has a warm glow to it thanks to the sun, it feels like home.	Now the abandoned the city has been transformed into one final challenge to test the player to see if they are able to take on Gwyn, the Lord who once ruled over all of Lordran. It is the halfway point in the game and is also the toughest area by far. It also houses most of the lore for Gwyn. The player meets his daughter, Gwynevere who gives the player the Lordvessel, the key to Gwyn’s domain. However, upon further inspection Gwynevere is a mere illusion created by Gwyn’s son, Gwyndolin. Gwyndolin is the last remaining member of the royal family and created a fake sun in order to keep up appearances and make the world think the Lords had not run away. Defeating Gwynever reveals Anor Londo’s true, darkened form.
The Painted World of Ariamis. A world trapped within a painting inside of a large building in Anor Londo. The painted world is the only snow-covered landscape in the game and is home to many odd creatures and things. The world itself consist of a large fort-style building a top a high peak. It is home to Crossbreed Priscilla, the only peaceful boss in the game.	Ariamis was created by the Lords of old to hide what they feared. Within the fort itself lies may weapons and materials that all share occult attributes, an effect that the Lords are weak to. It is also home to many abominations, failed experiments the Lords did not want to see again. Crossbreed Priscilla is the only interactable character in the painting. She is the child of a dragon and some other being, presumably human. She watches over all the other exiles in the Painted World.
The Duke’s Archives. The home of Seath the Scaleless. This area is a gigantic manor filled with countless books. Seath was a scholar and inventor. This area is home to crystal-clad undead and strange sorcerers who patrol the halls. The Archives connects to the Crystal Cave, the arena where the player faces off against Seath.	Seath was a dragon born without scales, so out of jealousy he helped Gwyn defeat the dragons that threatened Lordran in its early years. Due to his contributions Seath was given the Archives which sit next to Anor Londo. There Seath discovered the power of crystals and their defensive capabilities. They boast strong defense and provide a challenge to any player who walks challenges Seath. The sorcerers native to the Archives can be found in many areas all around Lordran, upon further investigation it is revealed that they are Seath’s eyes and ears around Lordran.
Oolacile County. An old wooded area that would one day become the Deeproot Gardens. The player travels to this mystical land via time travel. The events that transpire take place long before the player’s character is even born. Oolacile is on the verge of destruction as a dark power known as the Abyss spreads across the land.	Oolacile is the birthplace of the Abyss, a dark power that is the essence of humanity itself. This area is brimming with humans in their true form. The disfigured beasts run amuck in an attempt to spread their influence. In response Gwyn sends one of his knights, Artorias, to deal with the threat of the Abyss. When the player arrives Artorias has been consumed by the Abyss and now fights on its side. Within the depths of Oolacile lies Manus, the Father of the Abyss and first human. Manus was sealed in his stone coffin but something caused him to break free and transform into a dark best. The player must defeat him in order to save Oolacile. Despite Manus’ defeat the Abyss still spreads into the modern day in the town of New Londo. Luckily it is sealed under a lake until the player is forced to defeat the darkness that lies at its depths…
The Kiln of the First Flame. An ash covered temple where Gwyn lives out the rest of his days. It is the final area of the game. The area is very similar to Firelink Shrine architecturally. The player has to take a winding path down to the area but in his way are the Black Knights, and elite rank of knights who defend Gwyn.	The Kiln is where the Gwyn linked the First Flame many years ago. The First Flame dawned the Age of Fire and the prosperity of humanity. But that was a long time ago, now an Age of Dark is on the horizon unless the player chooses to link the fire again and suffer the same fate as Gwyn, rotting in the kiln until the next hero challenges them. Upon entering the area Gwyn gives it everything he has knowing it will be his last battle, and so to does the player.

Summarize your findings

What is the central theme of the story/film? Describe how the writer/author uses creativity to communicate this theme.

Dark Souls is all about overcoming the odds. Miyazaki depicts his world as a hopeless one. Many characters are pessimistic about the world being saved and the player acts as a counterargument in that case. By putting difficult opponents in the player’s way Miyazaki teaches the player how to overcome any challenge, by not giving up.

Describe at least two creative ways you could communicate this theme to your audience.

One way to illustrate the theme of overcoming the odds is to have world be pessimistic. Miyazaki does this through environmental detail with the help of character dialogue but the same can be done in reverse. Having characters act pessimistic in the face of the protagonist trying to achieve their goal can show how bleak the world is but, by having the protagonist succeed, show that anything is possible.

Another way is to have the protagonist themselves be pessimistic. Although they want to achieve their goal, they can still have a reoccurring thought in the back of their head that what they are doing won’t work, similar to thought processes in depressed individuals.