How I learned to stop pretending to enjoy Elden Ring and start enjoying social circles in games
Mouthful of a title. Chew on it!
Elden Ring is looking to be the biggest game of 2022. After launching to stellar reviews in February, it quickly became FromSoftware’s best selling title and took the internet by storm. Everyone was talking about it, everyone loved it, and it’s almost certainly going to be hailed as one of the greatest games ever made.
I had never played a FromSoft game before Elden Ring. The fantasy setting has rarely appealed to me, and I’m not a fan of overly punishing, extremely difficult games. It also has a very long runtime(most playthroughs seem to take at least 90 hours), and I prefer much smaller experiences.
But part of what I love about playing games is the conversation; talking to friends about games, listening to podcasts about games(here’s three examples!), reading books about games(here’s three examples again!). So when the entire gaming community is not only talking about a single game, but also hailing it as one of the greatest ever made, it’s tough to ignore. If I wanted to continue to be a part of the conversation, I should finally give a FromSoft game a chance.
This article isn’t a review of the game. There are many other places to read much better writers share their thoughts on the game itself. I’m writing about a phenomenon I have never really felt in the gaming scene before, and it took me by surprise.
Elden Ring is the seventh game in FromSoft’s “Souls-like” genre. It’s a style of game that they may not have invented, but definitely made mainstream in the gaming community. When Demon’s Souls released in 2009, it gave players something they haven’t had in a long time; genuine, brutal, at times unfair challenge. While most games at the time would be willing to hold your hand, teach you how to rule a game space, and practically pave the way for you to do so, Souls-like games were different; they were more likely to cut that hand off, throw you in a ditch, and laugh at you for even trying. Gamers loved it(and loved hating it)! Thirteen years later the genre, the company that brought it mainstream, and their games had created not only a massive community, but an entire culture of terminology, memes, and loads of fan content.
I was late to the series. Way late. That’s not normally the case for me, as I like to stay in the know on what’s popular in the video game culture. Somehow Souls-like games, and the community with it, were a rare corner of the gaming scene I was only aware of, watching from afar. I decided now would be a good time to dip my toe in!
But dipping a single toe into Elden Ring is not easy; It is an absolutely massive game. Everything in the game has options; starting classes, equipment, where to go first, when to go next, which bosses to fight in what order, which quests are vital, which aren’t. With a game as huge as this, experiencing everything in the game takes hundreds of hours. When you’re new to the series, this is a staggering amount of content, and an overwhelming amount of choices to make.
”I am so goddamn excited for you!”
A coworker of mine was thrilled when I told him I was going to give Elden Ring a try. He was also astounded that I had never played a Souls game in the past. He couldn’t wait to talk about the game with me, and it showed in our conversation as he hurled questions at me.
“What class did you pick?”
“What equipment are you using?”
”What stats are you focusing on?”
“ Have you found this secret yet? How about that one?”
I rattled off the answers, clearly unsure of myself. For starters, I wasn’t sure if I picked the right class for me. How could I? I don’t know what works for me in a Souls-like game! Was I leveling fast enough? Were my stats terrible? Was I dying too much? Should I restart as a different class? Even after looking up tips for a complete beginner, I still felt unsure. My coworker had suggestions, though. Lots of them.
”Focus on Strength first, then Vigor and Dexterity.”
“You’re using a shield? Absolutely not, waste of time and weight(huh?). You’ll be rolling more than blocking, anyway.”
“Get a good long range weapon instead. Bows are a godsend.”
“You definitely need to increase your magic, learn some spells!”
I left with more questions than answers. He had such a clear vision on what worked for him, as he had played nearly every game in the series. I was going in completely blind. I turned to some close friends who were also deep in the game. Their suggestions were, at times, the exact opposite of what my coworker had said!
”Absolutely have a good shield, blocking is imperative in this game.”
”Long range weapons aren’t useful with your build, don’t bother.”
“Don’t bother going to this dungeon, it has an item that isn’t for your class.”
I was baffled. Surely I was doing something right; I was progressing, after all! It just didn’t feel like substantial progress for how much time I was putting in. Was that part of the game? Or am I doing something wrong? Depending on who I talked to, it felt like I was either screwing up horribly and wasting my time, or I was completely crushing it and ahead of more casual players.
People have said that Elden Ring is a culmination of FromSoft’s past thirteen years. They’ve taken a little bit of each of their previous games, and put the best of them all into one game, creating the best of the genre. For a new player like myself, it left me unsure about the many rules of the game. More specifically, there were systems in the game I didn’t understand.
“Why do I need to have an item to play co-op with you? That seems over-complicated.”
“The game wouldn’t work if you could just summon me whenever. In previous games, they tried doing it this way…”
“Why do I need a guide to find things in this game? I feel like if I didn’t google anything, I would find nothing!”
“Past games had a way of doing it, but with this game being open world, they had to change some things. Guides are the best way to…”
I definitely wasn’t a fan of some of the rules in Elden Ring, but what did I know? The game is considered a master class in design, they must’ve put months or even years of thought into every inch of the game. Whether or not I understood it(or liked it), there was almost certainly some concrete reasoning behind it.
I began to doubt myself; Everyone else is adoring this game and everything about it. Why aren’t I enjoying it? What am I missing? I kept pushing on, trying my best to get sucked into the world, the combat, hoping for some spark to ignite my undying love for Elden Ring. That spark never came, after fifty hours. I finally put the game down.
This is a feeling I’m not sure I’ve ever felt while playing video games. To be so out of the loop on a game while so many others are so passionate about it is a new sensation for me. In the past, I’ve always been on the other end of the conversation. Friends finally giving Pokémon a chance, a coworker wondering what the Animal Crossing fuss is all about, someone asking for a good game in a specific genre. When the tables had turned, I felt out of my element and very overwhelmed.
My friends and coworkers were disappointed I bounced off of the game, but credited me for at least giving it a real chance. As we continued to talk about the game, I realized that what I enjoyed more than actually playing the game was talking to folks about the game. I enjoyed seeing fan content, I enjoyed the drama of the internet(“Let Me Solo Her” was so much fun to watch happen in real time!), and I just enjoyed being a part of the community. Everyone was excited to share this game with me, so passionate and willing to share their knowledge, so friendly with my questions. I know other social circles may not be as welcoming and I was grateful to be in one that was excited to share their experiences with me. I put the game down with a new appreciation for communities and social circles in games.
After years of me begging her, my fiancé is finally giving Fire Emblem a try. Before she started, I worried that she might become overwhelmed with the many options she has and choices she has to make while playing. The shoe is back on it’s original foot, and I’m trying my hardest not to stress her out with tips and questions. I may be a little too passionate for my own good. Hopefully my experience with Elden Ring keeps me in check.
Thanks for reading, and happy playing!