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Why pain is addicting—our brains explained through Dark Souls and video games
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Ask any player if they like the game Dark Souls. Chances are, you’ll get the world's weirdest reaction. Simultaneous sheer rage… and elated almost-addiction. Games like Dark Souls comprise an entire genre, almost entirely based on their oppressively painful difficulty.
We spoke to Professor C. Thi Nguyen, professor of Philosophy and Tech, to understand exactly what goes on in our heads when we commit ourselves to something wonderfully painful… and we uncovered the good and the bad.
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Thank you so much to Professor Nguyen for sharing his research and knowledge with us. You can find him at objectionable.net and check out his book, “Games: Agency as Art” from Oxford University Press where books are found.
Professor Nguyen also mentioned Natasha Dow Schüll's book “Addiction by Design,” Bernard Suits’ “The Grasshopper,” and Jane McGonigal’s work, which you can find at janemcgonical.com.
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