Silent Hill and Resident Evil get (psycho)analyzed

Posted Feb 6, 2007 at 1:07PM by QJ Staff Listed in: PS3, Wii Tags: Capcom, Konami, Psychoanalysis
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Deep Doo Doo. - Image 1

Here's a stupid pun for you guys to flame us for: What do you call a psychoanalysis of Konami's Silent Hill 4 and Capcom's Resident Evil 4 games and the situation of being stuck in a room filled with zombies?

Some deep doo doo.

Well, it's the "deep" part we're more interested in as it discusses the latter. The Game Career Guide website has a thought-provoking article up about the RE4 and SH4, talking about their differences from a psychoanalytic point of view. Of course, those with short attention spans need not apply, but if you can stand it, you should take a look.

Just in case, here's a sample paragraph to see if you've got the (reading) skills for it:

The Resident Evil series conservatively positions a player as a defender of Lacanian "symbolic order," the psychological force constituting subjectivity (discussed further below). On the other hand, Silent Hill subverts our anticipation to occupy this position. If Resident Evil comfortably positions us as analyst, then Silent Hill mischievously collapses the distinction between analyst and analysand-undermining with it the surrounding symbolic order upon which such distinctions rely.


If you didn't understand that very much, you may want to just look for a cross-review of the RE and SH movies instead.



 
 
 

Comments

by - 2007-02-06 03:38:02
Oh dear Lord!

I read the entirety of it and to think that I took the time to read that psyco-babble. At least I didn't waste any paper by printing it out.
by Koru-Kun - 2007-02-06 06:28:04
o_O

so basically, playing as the protagonist in RE4 you are a good guy trying to maintain order and protect innocent... typical good guy scenario. In SH4, the line is crossed between when doing the right thing is actually the "RIGHT" thing to do or is it truly wrong with the deception of being thought of as correct, never really knowing full well that you're a hero or an anti-hero.
by Annony - 2007-02-06 19:07:36
Well said

That's a good generalization of the two. Reading deeper into this analysis, the author also psycho-analyzes more discreet aspects, like how save points are used: In both games, your save point is literally your savior. But: - In RE games, you have to make a life-risking choice of saving with the tape-ribbon, or having an extra inventory space for ammo and health. It's a choice between two benefits, but choosing the wrong benefit can prove fatal in the long-term. - SH Games are a little more psychotic, and have the intense-red save points that act as 'stains' (abnormalities, breaks) in either the normal(?) or Otherworld. The flash of red light and the blank face of our character staring at us briefly interrupts the security of our (the player's) own symbolic orders (see the Zizek reference, it%u2019s crazy). All in all, I don't know if Capcom and Konami INTENDED their horror-survival games to be this deep, but you can't deny that there's a subversive genius in both franchises.

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