What Can We Learn From Boss Fights?

Or maybe you call them "Boss Battles"? That's cool, too.

The Boss Fight (or "Battle", hey, we're all friends here, unless we're battling, I guess) is a mainstay of video games. Bosses protect their world, their areas, from heroes, do-gooders and justice-bringers that would depose them and their nefarious ways. But beyond a way to to prove one's skill, or to unlock the next narrative bit, is there more we can take away from a boss fight? Like other–much grander–challenges in life, Boss Fights provide a way to know ourselves, and how we react to adversity, in a low stakes, entertainment focused situation. There is more, then, to boss fights, than just... fighting bosses.

-- DAT MERCH THO --

-- TWEET OF THE WEEK --

-- ASSETS --

Dark Souls 3, Shadow of the Colossus, Game of Dungeons and Earthbound Footage recorded by Mike

Music: Monotone - Minimalist @ 5:06

-- PERSONNEL --

[Rakadis]

"If I’ve learned anything from video games, it is that when you meet enemies, it means that you’re going in the right direction."

[NadaCero]

I used to be good at fighting video game bosses. Then I took an arrow to the knee.

[thebrainscoop]

I used to avoid playing games with bosses -- or I only played a game up until the point in which I encountered one. Actually.. sometimes I still do this. I physically become too stressed out. Same way I have to leave the room while watching Breaking Bad... I can't sit through it because it's too uncomfortable and why would I subject myself to discomfort if I don't need to? That's not entertainment to me. Are you telling me these deliberate avoidances of pre-determined confrontations is analogous to my avoidance of "real-world" conflict?! MY GOD

[dj_cake]

(Buys whole trunk of potions, never uses any of them)

[InvaderSock]

The aggressor in Dear Esther is the slow walk speed.

[Zakdaman]

Hello everyone!
I like boss fights more than fighting the minions.

[richardwang]

The t-shirt tho. All hail the glow cloud!

[olivianeugeboren]

So at the end you talked about games without boss fights, and without aversion at all, but something i think is interesting in this conversation is a game like tetris, which is probably the game I am best at out of all games. Tetris has no bosses, it has a straight, linear, difficulty progression, yet when I used to play it a lot, there were definitely a lot of moments that felt like boss fights. For instance, when i first started playing, level 10, aka, lines 90-99, felt impossible. I thought I would never be able to get past 100. I would consistently get to 90, but it took me hours to get to 100, so in essence, that was like a boss fight. once i broke past 100 I didn't hit another road block till 150, and then another when the pieces hit the bottom of the screen as soon as they spawn, (aka instant gravity.) So even though tetris has no marked out bosses, for me, I essentially made boss fights for myself. Every once in a while there would be a range that I would consistently get to, and then consistently not get past, but once I past it once, I would get a good chunk further and probably be able to get past it consistently on future runs. for reference here is the website I play tetris on:
my record is 264 lines

[KaliDreamer]

I'm an amateur musician, and while I don't get stage fright, my nerves before performances are discomforting. It gets bad to the point I can't eat. I don't think that's going to go away any time soon, but the Boss Battle analogy is definitely going to make it easier on my anxiety. I love it so much, that I wish I had thought of it.

[PhilosophyTube]

I remember Red Dead Redemption didn't really have any boss fights per se? The final duel was really interesting though: the challenge doesn't really ramp up because it's just a normal duel, it's more just a personal challenge of whether or not to even accept it since it's an optional mission and you have to decide whether to embark on a life of violence as Jack after you see what happens to John. So it does require assessment of the "self, " or the character anyway and what kind of character you want Jack to be.

[MaraK_dialmformara]

Wow. I'm defending my master's thesis next week and that is definitely the final boss fight of my educational life.

[anniedaynoww]

A video game episode in honor of the end of PBS Game/Show? Or just a coincidence?

[TisiphoneSeraph]

Lightbulb moment for me: I often think of games without aggressors or boss fights as being less meaningful, less worth my time. And in watching this video I'm realizing that's an attitude that extends to many part of my life. I have a hard time relating to people who haven't gone through big boss fights in their own lives - death of loved ones, addiction, abuse, etc. I don't care for jobs where there aren't big deadlines or events to prepare for. I'm a disaster response volunteer precisely because I'm much better at those big all consuming sorts of efforts than the day to day minion fights. Same for relationships. Sudden, measurable leveling up is what I'm all about.

But with games it much easier for me to be like, well those story games must being doing something for someone of they wouldn't exist. I gotta get to a point where I can be like yeah those slow and steady people/jobs/relationships must be doing something for someone or they wouldn't exist.

[felipebuson]

This episode really remembered me why I like Idea Channel so much. You take something I can relate to and comprehend to then suggest relations and perspectives I didn't think about before. Otherwise I just discover something new and interesting, which is even better. It is really great to have this insight, of course also with all of the discussion afterwards. For all this good ideas and perspectives, thank you, Idea Channel. Keep the good work.

[DanAlmenar]

Boss-less videogame which is entirely as thrilling as the most badass boss: Tetris.

[Blitzentine]

Strung through your video was the notion of real life boss fights. I play in a band, I have a gig this Saturday and my goodness, your description of "using yourself in some previous unimagined way" was really enlightening. How do we grow, how do we tackle large obstacles in real life and how can it allow us to grow. On top of that, with every gig I have played, the more experience (or EXP) I have gained, so any issues I have previously faced, I can resolve more quickly. How bloody fascinating. It can definitely be applied to other pivotal occasions also. Wonderful man!

[massimilianotron]

Just finished the Extra Credits episode on SotC and this fits pretty nicely, thanks for the awesome video!

[Asgard]

I would say, at least in regards to games without bosses and instead puzzles or just story, it all depends on context. Like a simple yet emotional puzzle at the end of a Layton game, a sudoku puzzle being the penultimate moment of a Zero Escape game, or a key story detail that you figure out before the game explicitly tells you, if the context surrounding that moment within the game is stressful or interesting enough to give it meaning then it can have that same sense of excitement.

[lordnichard]

I personally love losing hopelessly failing a boss fight once or twice. It makes me laugh.

[Scixxy]

re: nerves vs excitement: There was a study (nb: a few minutes on Google failed to turn it up) that took people who loved roller coasters and people who hated roller coasters and had them ride while measuring certain physiological reactions. Turns out they were the same, whether you liked it or hated it. Perhaps you are feeling the exact same thing as those who get stage fright, only you attach a different MEANING to it, changing the experience for you and allowing you to make it into something useful.