It’s the end of June 2024, and the only thing anyone is talking about right now in the gaming sphere is Elden Ring‘s first (and last) DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree.

I am no exception to this! Since the day it came out, my life has basically been utterly dedicated to this enormous expansion, and by this point I’ve experienced pretty much all that it has to offer. I’ve enjoyed my time with the release thoroughly, both for its enjoyable boss fights and gorgeous new vistas, but also its additions to the already fascinating lore of the base game. Getting to learn more about the oft-ignored demigod Miquella, and theorising his place in the greater narrative with friends has been a lot of fun. Most of all, there’s just something magical about being present at ground zero for a From Software game, where everyone is still figuring things out. To enjoy one of these games with fresh eyes is always a treat.

However, as with every From release, there’s been a fresh wave of discourse to swallow amongst the Gamers, mainly about the game’s difficulty. However, the discussion has actually been quite surprising, in that the perspective has flipped. The expansion is currently experiencing a review bombing campaign by players who believe it to be far too punishing, a far cry from the usual gatekeeping about gitting gud you tend to see about Souls games.

It’s especially fascinating to me that Elden Ring of all games is in the firing line for this, considering that the difficulty curve didn’t feel especially surprising to me having played the base game to completion already. Back in 2022, I was one of the folks raising a hate banner against Malenia for being completely unfair and unfun. I was even prepared to admit that the game is, at times, too hard for its own good. I loved it, of course, but I wasn’t immune to tilting when I was trapped in an endless cycle of normal late-game enemies juggling me with a five-hit combo and stealing like 200K runes off my battered corpse.

I think that mentality of expecting a game to be a certain way is ultimately a form of entitlement, born from an understanding that because I spent money to play it, it owes me something in return. Cash goes in, and fun comes out. That’s the unspoken contract you sign whenever you process payment. However, in the two years since Elden Ring released, I think either my taste in games, or my general perspective on art and life, has changed, and I playing Shadow of the Erdtree brought me to an important conclusion.

Video games do not owe me a single thing.

Elden Ring is a game about a world brought to ruin, where everything is either dead or determined to make you dead, and it’s the persevering in spite of that which creates such a satisfying experience. The consequence of making a game world feel hostile is implementing mechanics that are cruel and outright mean. We like to think that the best competitive experience is one where no rules are broken and every fight has the possibility of being won, but if that were true every single time, Elden Ring‘s world would cease to feel truly threatening. We talk about fairness in these games, but to me, none of these fights are fair. You’re just a little guy in a big world, surrounded by bigger guys with health bars many times the length of yours. Elden Ring is unfair all of the time by design, because recognising that unfairness and overcoming it anyway is the most satisfying thing in the world.

I realise that this sounds like ane cause you could use for literally any time the game is bad in some way, but let me reframe it a little. Whenever you come across yet another poison swamp in one of these games and say, “nobody likes poison swamps, they’re awful, it’s not fun to go through these”, take a step back and consider the intent behind it. From Software is an incredibly talented and experienced team, so surely there’s a method to their madness. Perhaps they’re so fond of poison swamps for precisely the reason it would make zero sense to include: we hate them. It’s an unfun experience to slog through these areas, which it would be within the context of this world. Maybe it’s here because making you go through that experience and feel those negative emotions creates an incredible sense of place and immersion that mindlessly traversing an empty field simply wouldn’t.

Intent is the key word here. Artists make decisions for deliberate reasons, and part of the fun of enjoying art is getting to experience the world through their eyes. Of course, artistic intent can only go so far, and this is just one way among many to interpret art, but it is a helpful one in my opinion. Ultimately, the answer to most instances of “why would From Software do this” was usually “because it makes the game harder”, but I think detaching yourself from your own biases and looking at a piece through the eyes of another makes the whole thing feel a lot less daunting.

I’m at a point now where when I’m met with a particularly mean enemy ambush, or a seemingly unavoidable boss attack, I can’t help but imagine the developer who implemented it laughing about the pain they’re about to inflict on all sorts of unsuspecting players around the world. The game’s cruelty is basically funny to me now, and while that means I’m taking the whole thing less seriously which might rub some the wrong way, I’ve found it’s a good way to stop myself from falling into complete despair about my circumstances.

It’s a little like life in that way; sometimes the world is just so bullshit, you can’t help but laugh in the face of the absurdity. The cruelty is simply a punchline.