New York City is often considered a “melting pot” of cultures with various aspects that range from people and food to art and music, thrive in our neighborhoods. While a typical definition of culture is often interpreted as culture related to our backgrounds and food, it also depicts a wide variety of different aspects of our lives that most of us are unaware of. One such culture that I am a part of is the gaming culture, specifically the soulsborne gaming community. A culture is a very distinct and subjective word. For me, the word depicts a community where like minded people gather in order to celebrate what they possess. This possession can be a wide variety of things including their identity, heritage, interests or hobbies. The possession that I possess is the interest in soulslike games which is a subculture of the gaming culture. A subculture is a cultural group within a larger culture. While the gaming culture possesses similar interests, the subculture of the soulsborne gaming community includes interests in games made by FromSoftware. This essay will outline a brief history of the soulslike games and how this culture has evolved overtime. Furthermore, this essay will expand on the different aspects of this subculture and the gaming culture as a whole and how it is contained within VS Sports gaming, an arcade, in Astoria, New York City. 

The soulsborne culture comes from the games developed by FromSoftware which started with Demon’s Souls and expanded into the Dark Souls series and Bloodborne. Hidetaka Miyazaki, who is the CEO of FromSoftware, produced these games in the action RPG genre which is known for being extremely difficult, full of lore and storytelling. Overcoming this difficulty was one of the key aspects that made “elitists” a part of the culture. This was essentially seen as a sense of accomplishment where players spend hours learning different boss moves. One of the other key aspects that thrives in this culture is the ability to aid or invade others which strengthens the sense of belonging or community. The elegant, deep and story rich lore of each of the games are also a key part that makes it a community. The rise of Elden Ring, one of the newest soulsborne games, brought in massive numbers of players, veteran and new players alike. 

On Friday night last week, I was walking home from the train station when suddenly some bright light caught my eye. There were a bunch of logos on the front of the store that were lit up in a horizontal direction. The left side had the words, “Billiard, PingPong, FoosBall, VIP” with their respective logos, separated with the letters V/S lit up in red and blue representing “competition” as well their brand name. The right side included logos of playstation, xbox, virtual reality and PC. Even though it may seem that the storefront signage was made by a six year old trying to make their imagination come true through drawing, it is well lit to catch attention. The eye-catching V/S logo was enough for me to be interested so I decided to go in. I was immediately greeted with a friendly attitude from one of the workers there which made my experience worthwhile. The worker gave me insights on what to expect for a day’s fee which was worth thirty dollars and could get a person a one day pass at the arcade with unlimited playtime. The inside of the arcade was very elegant, pleasant and smelled amazing. There were about five PC setups on the right hand side, three xbox and three playstation setups all equipped with thirty two inch, 4k resolution monitors. The left side of the arcade contained more traditional games as it is equipped with 2 large ping pong tables along with billiard and foosball tables. The social setting of the arcade was extremely quiet on the right side since everyone was just busy doing their own thing. However, the left side was full of chatting, laughter and smiles. It really felt like two different worlds in there. Once I paid for an hour pass, I was greeted by one of the managers there and I had the opportunity to ask about the people in the arcade. I asked why people specifically choose to come to this arcade late at night. He answered, “You know most of the people that come here are very young, probably anywhere from 15 to 30. Whether you’re trying to wind down after school or after work, there’s every sort of game here to enjoy. I think most of them are just tired from school or work and just wanna enjoy their free time.” He also added how the arcade serves as an affordable way to game for someone who’s unable to afford expensive gaming setups. “Our arcade is a fun way to connect with other people. I know a kid that’s an introvert and often came to our arcade as a way to make friends, and guess what, I seen him once a week with other people from the arcade enjoying together.” It really felt like he was talking about me. I often search for places that have people who share similar interests to me as a way to feel like I belong somewhere. Being a part of a culture is really about fostering the sense of belonging. The person that the owner was talking about happened to be on the site so I spoke with him regarding his experience with this arcade and the gaming culture as a whole. I asked them about the soulsborne gaming culture and coincidentally, they happened to bond over this game called “Elden Ring” with a couple of other people at the arcade. “I didn’t actually come to this arcade for making friends, I was actually struggling really bad with Malenia, apparently she is the hardest boss FromSoftware has ever made and I really wanted some help.” He added, “I saw this arcade’s ad and they were advertising Elden Ring, so I thought it would be really helpful to learn how to watch someone else play and give tips in real time as well as make some friends you know!” They also spoke about how online gaming forums did not help as there were always these “elitists” trolls that always spam “git gud” which is a way to tell someone to be better at the game in the soulsborne community. “This arcade community,” he says, “has been extremely helpful towards me, sure there were some pricks that got mad at me because I used summons, but the majority of them have been very supportive.” This was extremely pleasant to hear since all my experiences with the soulsborne community have been in the “git gud” way. This accomplishes one of the major components of a culture which is being helpful without judgment. This interaction at the arcade helped me realize that the soulsborne community can have a whole different social setting between a physical and online. The online community portrays a harsh and elitist mentality whereas the community at VS Sports, reflects a more supportive and collaborative social setting. This allows people to be open about their needs and ask for assistance. My visit at the arcade reminded me that a physical space can shape a community in some ways that an online space is unable to. 

The Soulsborne community at VS Sports is an example of how physical gaming spaces are able to create deeper social bonds than online. Though the Soulsborne community online, boasts an elitist and competitive mindset, VS Sports offer a more supportive environment. This is not just exclusive to VS Sports, but also to the gaming culture as a whole. While there may be toxic individuals ruining experiences for others, the empathetic mindset is present among most in abundance. According to the article “Impact Story: Play in public spaces” spaces like VS Sports, create an inclusive and social environment which further encourages this non toxic mindset among gamers through shared interests and experiences. There is also research that indicates that even though players have a sense of pride and accomplishments in online gaming communities, they lack the social bonding and support in the virtual world. Bonds formed in a physical setting like VS Sports, create a more personalized and satisfying experience. 

The visit at the arcade clearly demonstrates soulsborne culture being contained within VS Sports in a variety of ways. Even though the arcade is just a place for games, it seems as if this place is more than just for gaming. It offers a safe space for people to connect over their interests of gaming. This community consists of people from different backgrounds who want to seek social connection and entertainment whether it’s through discussing strategies for defeating a boss in Elden Ring or bonding over similar interests. We also need to be aware of how the rise of soulsborne games have shaped the gaming culture as a whole. Currently, there is a huge demand for physical settings like VS Sports for video games, where people can come together in real life and have a shared experience that would otherwise not be present in an online setting. This has further strengthened the community since it brings more people together. 

In conclusion, this essay provides how VS Sports arcade not only contains the Soulsborne subculture, but also enhances it through providing an inclusive and supportive environment which is the complete opposite of what we would find online. The arcade nurtures a deep connection to the overall gaming culture; a connection built on competition as well as the shared passion for gaming which is reflected through the site itself and the people and their experiences. Evolution of these soulsborne games have produced a cultural shift towards gaming where people in the early days would just play and enjoy in their rooms alone. VS Sports and other arcades offer a more unique and social setting where this cultural shift can be experienced. This allows gamers to fully get involved into the game as well as into the community. In a city where different cultures and subcultures thrive, VS Sports and other arcades stand out to be one of the lesser known places where a subculture, few people know exists, finds its way to bring people together into a community. 

Works Cited:

Burdette, Benjamin. “Impact Story: Play in Public Spaces.” Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies, 14 Feb. 2023, coe-gamecult.org/2021/02/05/impact-story-play-in-public-spaces/.