Death Effects

Dayne Brelyn closely observes the aesthetics of how platformers let their heroes die. Madeline's death in Celeste lasts 2.17 seconds, the Knight's in Hollow Knight just over four, Ori's barely one. Players sit through these few seconds hundreds of times. What does watching a hero die, again and again, do to the person holding the controller?

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Washington State University
Published
2026-10-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7273/35zq-5z20
Primary Topic
Digital Games and Media
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Death Effects

Dayne Brelyn
Washington State University
Digital Games and Media
article

Death Effects

Dayne Brelyn
article en

Abstract

Dayne Brelyn closely observes the aesthetics of how platformers let their heroes die. Madeline's death in Celeste lasts 2.17 seconds, the Knight's in Hollow Knight just over four, Ori's barely one. Players sit through these few seconds hundreds of times. What does watching a hero die, again and again, do to the person holding the controller?

Washington State University
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Digital Games and Media
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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Death Effects — Dayne Brelyn · Washington State University (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS