The “Git Gud” fallacy: challenge and difficulty in Elden Ring
The “Git Gud” fallacy: challenge and difficulty in Elden Ring
StatusVoR
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Authors
Felczak, Mateusz
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Date
2025-03
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Game Studies
Issue
1
Volume
25
Pages
Pages
1-27
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ISSN
1604-7982
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2025-03-31
Abstract PL
Abstract EN
Difficulty remains one of the key factors in discussions on inclusivity in video games. This article looks at the award-winning title Elden Ring and offers an assessment of its challenges in the context of the so-called “git gud” discourse present within the YouTube and Reddit gaming communities. The key argument of this study is that the latest installment of the Dark Souls IP is designed against the gatekeeping “git gud” attitude, that is the claim that the narrowly understood mastery of the game’s mechanics is a necessary and the most important component of the “authentic” gaming experience. With the help of the tool-assisted frequency analysis and the implied designer theory, I identify the most prominent strands of the “git gud” discourse, as well as the examples of resistance to and reappropriation of some of the exclusionary practices.
Abstract other
Keywords PL
Keywords EN
difficulty
Elden Ring
Git Gud
challenge
implied designer
intentionality
Elden Ring
Git Gud
challenge
implied designer
intentionality
Keywords other
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