In ‘Making a Monster’, our brand new video series on the topic of monsters in games, Sara kicks off with a deep dive into Don’t Nod’s underrated Gothic masterpiece, VAMPYR. Since 2020, Sara argues this has become an especially worthwhile game to revisit or to visit for the first time, as thinking about monsters in VAMPYR can help us think through the issues of power and oppression that have shaped our own experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
CW // Mentions and depiction of medical abuse, violence and malpractice; Depictions of blood, gore, needles, self harm and physical violence to others; Negative and othering depictions of people with limb and facial differences; Discussions of xenophobia and racism, particularly anti-semitism and anti-Romanian discrimination; Discussions of disablism, classism and queerphobia; Discussions of eugenics.
Contents:
0:00 – intro
6:08 – part i.i: what even is a monster, actually
15:41 – part i.ii: eat the (vampire) bourgeoisie
33:10 – part ii.i covid-19 (it’s still happening)
43:12 – part ii.ii knowledge is for cutting
1:03:22 – conclusion: taking the vampirism out of healthcare
1:06:08 – outro
Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GameAssistYT
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GameAssistYT
Merch: https://crowdmade.com/collections/game-assist
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/gameassist
Buy some books! (affiliate link): https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/GameAssist
References:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fKk9x2pS78aZAC1oBGqB11PGXLfRyTiY_8Tt3JevLhI/edit?usp=sharing
Music Credits:
Another Land – Olivier Deriviere
Industrial Landscapes – Olivier Deriviere
New Home – Olivier Deriviere
Rich Neighbourhoods – Olivier Deriviere
Secrets – Olivier Deriviere
The Cross – Olivier Deriviere
The Lady – Olivier Deriviere
Resources:
Fonts: Poppins
Game Assist avatars: Chanelle @knellbelles on Twitter and Instagram
Game Assist logo: Fiona Marchbank @FionaCreates
Additional art: Don’t Nod Entertainment, Focus Home Interactive
Media Logos: Wikimedia Commons
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This was absolutely delicious🩸🦇 I must try my own Eat The Rich playthrough now
NEW GAME ASSIST VIDEO!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤
I haven't actually gotten all the way through Vampyr yet because I'm having a hard time not killing civilians and playing on normal mode, but I'm gonna try doing an eat the rich playthrough now!
The stuff with the pandemic has been really depressing and demoralizing to watch, especially as a disabled person with a primarily disabled and immunocompromised family.
I mean it wasn't exactly surprising, but still.
Appreciate your essays.
Great and timely work, been experiencing some severe levels of medical gaslighting as medical systems show even more of their seams as covid (still) continues. Great stuff as always talking in depth the metaphors found in another Dontnod game! Really appreciated the perspective of viewing doctors as vampires because of their cultural and institutionally given power that, on its own, causes the Hippocratic oath to be an inevitably broken oath under a flawed system
I really loved Vampyr even with it's occasional jank that was there. I wish it would have gotten a tad bit more love since it's release and I also wish they'd make a second game in the Vampyr universe I would love that so much lol.