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Dracula Defanged: Empowering the Player in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Fernández-Vara, Clara |
| Copyright Year | 2010 |
| Abstract | The Castlevania games are not designed to scare the player, but they resort to elements from horror literature and film, including references to Bram Stoker’s novel and using characters from monster movies as level bosses. Horror conventions are used as cues to build the gameworld and to understand the game design, and how the player appropriates some of those conventions to empower herself in the process. The article focuses on the figure of the vampire in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and how the conventions set in previous media are integrated in the design of the game. Dracula has been divested of his vampiric powers; rather, he acquires typical videogame boss powers, launching fireballs and teleporting himself within the screen. The powers lost by Dracula as a videogame boss are picked up and amplified by the player character, the half-vampire Alucard. This shift is the result of a process started in other media. The powers of the vampire have now been appropriated by the player as a means to empower their interaction in the gameworld, making the vampire a desirable character to the player. *** Bien que les jeux Castlevania ne soient pas concus pour effrayer le joueur, ils ont recours a des elements de la litterature et du cinema d’horreur, par exemple en faisant reference au roman de Bram Stoker et en utilisant des personnages de films de monstres comme boss de niveaux. Les conventions de l’horreur sont utilisees comme indicateurs pour construire le monde du jeu et pour comprendre son design, ainsi que la maniere dont le joueur s’approprie certaines de ces conventions pour accroitre sa puissance. Cet article s’interesse a la figure du vampire dans Castlevania: Symphony of the Night et sur les modes d’integration des conventions etablies dans les medias precedents a l’interieur du design du jeu. Dracula est depossede de ses pouvoirs vampiriques et acquiert plutot des pouvoirs typiques de boss de jeux video, lancant des boules de feu et se teleportant ailleurs dans l’ecran. Les pouvoirs que perd Dracula sont recuperes et amplifies par le personnage-joueur, le demi-vampire Alucard. Ce renversement resulte d’un processus initie dans d’autres medias. Les pouvoirs du vampire ont ete reappropries par le joueur pour augmenter son pouvoir d’interaction dans l’univers du jeu, faisant du vampire un personnage desirable pour le joueur. This issue was generously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and published in partnership with Ludicine. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Volume Number | 4 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://dspace.mit.edu/openaccess-disseminate/1721.1/100408 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/download/88/85 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
