Diego Morteo

ENG 1301
Dr Sharity Nelson

A Deep Meaning into Videogame Covers

This image is from a game called “Elden Ring” and it was released back in 2022

developed by “From software Inc” (Fig 1), and apparently this game genre comes from

a well-known saga that they been doing almost the same thing to attract attention to

gamers that know this videogame, which is the medieval fantasy image that they always

portray in their game boxes, making them already look challenging for the audience as

that is what they are looking for in this type of videogame, a challenge and extend

gameplay for the players. Moving on to the analysis this image it seems like

videogames can portray a whole set of imaginary places as it seems in this one, where

at first sight it seems to be some types of big halos in the sky, which is also the only

source of light that it can be seen in the image, since it looks as it is set in a medieval

era where in the background it seems to be what it is to be a castle, sort of destroyed,

and at the bottom a person, the only living thing portrayed in the picture, and amazingly

he is wearing an armor, but he sems like if he lost something, although his surroundings

does not look like he was defeated either.

Shifting focus to the halos, as seen portrays some sort of deity going on around in this

world that looks at first comes from some fantasy set up , also they seem to be the only

light source that is coming from the sky’s image, but what could the halos really mean is

that the game in general might have to deal with a theme of goddess, angels or just
Diego Morteo
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Dr Sharity Nelson
powerful entities that are god likes in the game, as for the rest of the background

everything that is in the back appears to be darker than the halos, for instance this world

might not have any sun as we know it, probably this deity took it and know the

background is set up to be all gloomy and mysterious, as the sky has the colors as a

dark green, the grey from some clouds in there, the yellowish or gold color that comes

from the big halos , and a lot of white mist on the ground. Perhaps, the halos could

indicate the end of this era where it is a possibility that the kingdom of this world is

battling against the deities, where probably is some sort of punishment against the

humans in this dark world.

Movin into the knight, he is being portrayed on his knees holding onto his sword, as he

sort of using it as a cane probably, since he seem tired in a way that he might have lose

something or somebody, and the knight itself in a videogame set battles as we see hints

of it withing the bodies around him and its sword, also as to protect something this could

be the cause of the battles, this what could the role playing game style comes into the

videogame, as role playing conveys a dynamic of creating a character that the player

controls, which also the part of controlling means almost every action that it can be

made with the characters even important choices, for instance it is a probability that the

knight or the player could be ending up in the position is portrayed due to the choices

that it may be marked his terrible path leading to the destruction of those castles in the

background as well as those bodies lying around the knight, giving a final that this

knight would never forget as said before he may looked like he won the battle but to the

poor choices that he made his destiny within this “world” is more devastating than
Diego Morteo
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Dr Sharity Nelson
rewarding. For instance, this knight, lead to think that it may be the winner of that battle,

perhaps he fought until kneeling down because of the tiredness, making the viewer

believe that winning as it seems it is not always glorious as can be portrayed

sometimes, somehow this knight portrays more of a devastation feeling coming from

this achievement, as in the background it seems that this battle or war, came with more

cons than pros that lead to the destruction of these lands or by any means the kingdom

from this knight.

To conclude, the video game “Elden Ring” can portray a whole set of imaginary places.

In this case the game portrays a place where a fantasy war like is going on around,

making the viewers and players believe that a war is going to be conducted in this

game. Although players would be excited with this thinking, the reality is that perhaps

the set of a war is not always the best for people to engage with, since everyone knows

that with war comes a big devastation throughout the world and people get hurt, which if

they take a moment to think, the game poster is actually portraying that, probably not

realistically as could be in the real world, since in this type of game. When gamers

“roleplay” they might really don’t think about the consequences of their choices within

the game, as it is just as easy as level up your character and be stronger, besides they

don’t always lose something, as it is common for a game that once the player is

defeated or killed the character starts over again or revives, but is not the case for a war

that is on the real world, since people does not count on “power ups, or “reviving”

mechanisms to end a war, it requires more sacrifices of human beings and

infrastructure which they do not always can comeback to normal.

Diego Morteo
ENG 1301
Dr Sharity Nelson

Appendix

Fig 1 Game cover from videogame “Elden

Ring”
Diego Morteo
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Dr Sharity Nelson
Work Cited
Game cover for video game Elden Ring. Fromsoftware Inc, 2022. Accessed 1 March
2024, https://assetsio.reedpopcdn.com/elden-ring-cover-
art.jpg?
width=1200&height=900&fit=crop&quality=100&format=png&
enable=upscale&auto=webp