Myth in Shadow of the Colossus according to the mimetic theory of René Girard

This article proposes to incorporate René Girard’s mimetic theory into the study of ludomythology using the game Shadow of the Colossus (Team ICO 2005) as a case study, comparing the existing analyses of the game with the results of this new approach. Textual analyses argue that the game portrays a tragic world and that the actions of the player character are morally negative. Our approach suggests that this perspective corresponds to the foundational myth created by the persecutors of scapegoats, an accusatory narrative that legitimizes the sacrifice of victims. Girardian hermeneutics, supported by methods of video game narratology, reveals this rhetorical mechanism while also suggesting that, within the game’s world, the victims are innocent and its protagonist is a hero seeking to abolish the legitimizing foundations of violence which are inherent in the sacrificial society to which he belongs.