A BRIEF RESPITE

I THINK IT’S SAFE to say there are few inviolable elements in videogames. It can often seem like anything goes, as in the pure chaos of each new world, players are tried, duped, terrified and thoroughly tested – we play games, and they play us right back. It could be weeping as you repeatedly stomp an already dead jump-scare Necromorph, worrying about your heart rate as you face off against Ornstein and Smough yet again, or watching, transfixed, as the causality of your in-game decisions is brought to bear in the most tortuous manner possible. Games take their toll, whether through intensity, horror, emotion, or simply sheer visual noise. Enter safe rooms, the wonderful answer to the question, “How do we get players to take breaks if they won’t stop playing the game?” But that seemingly simple purpose disguises their true depth. Safe rooms are utilised in all sorts of ways – they can represent an element of progression, a method of travel, or a hub for player interaction, like the bonfires in . They can be. And yes, they can also be a respite from the chaos of the game world. But no matter how varying their function, most of all, safe rooms are a rare element of security in worlds where few things are sacred.