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PASSIVE COLLABORATION AND CONNECTIONS IN A ‘STRAND GAME’:
CHANGING THE WAY WE PLAY
Barbaros Bostan Sercan Şengün
Bahcesehir University Illinois State University
Dep. of Digital Game Design Wonsook Kim School of Art, Creative Technologies
Istanbul, Turkey Normal, IL, USA
E-mail: barbaros.bostan@comm.bau.edu.tr E-mail: ssengun@ilstu.edu
KEYWORDS
video games, cooperative games, virtual worlds, Death
Stranding
ABSTRACT
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in new
modes of online player interactions that rely on passive and
asynchronous collaborations rather than immediate action-
based competitive gameplay. Especially after the COVID-
19 period of lockdown, quarantine, and resulting isolation,
it becomes momentous to examine the new modes of
interaction and association that video games offer to
connect people in untraditional ways. Accordingly, we
perform a close reading on the 2019 game Death Stranding
which is based on the themes and gameplay mechanics of
connection, collaboration, and new paradigms around social
bonding. We identify five domains wherein the themes of
the game manifest: narrative infrastructure; mechanics that
discourage violence; building connections with other
players; bonding with virtual characters; and construction
of the self as a social agent. These findings are discussed
with the possibility of defining a new genre, named by the
game’s creator as a “strand game” (Kojima 2019a, 2019b).
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, several games such as the Journey
(Thatgamecompany 2012), the Dark Souls franchise
(FromSoftware 2011, 2014, 2016), and Ashen (Annapurna
Interactive 2018) have attempted to use asynchronous
collaborative gameplay mechanics that prioritize
connections over competitiveness. However, far too little
attention has been paid to the importance of asynchronous
collaborative gameplay that connects people in
untraditional ways. In this regard, we perform a close
reading on the 2019 game Death Stranding (112 hours of
gameplay where all game trophies are collected) to
investigate how the game builds its world, characters, and
gameplay mechanics on the themes of connection and
collaboration in the face of isolation and social
defragmentation. Accordingly, for our close reading, we
have chosen to focus exclusively on explaining the
mechanics and experiences around cooperative gameplay to
shed more light on game mechanics that encourage
participation and collaboration. From here on, we will call
cooperative gameplay in single player games beyond the
scope of traditional video game violence as passive
collaboration. Although some previous works define these
types of mechanics through their asynchronicity (see
Bogost 2004 and Soren 2009 for the first examples of
naming the phenomenon, as well as Neto et al. 2020 for a
recent one), we prefer to approach them from the object-
subject relationship that the players perceive each other
since some of these examples can emerge as synchronous
but still stay passive.
Cooperative design, building, and progression has been an
integral part of many digital and physical games, but few
studies discussed or documented the process (El-Nasr et al.
2010). Playing a game cooperatively has been shown to
increase prosocial behavior (Velez et al. 2014; Dolgov et al.
2014) and empathy (Greitemeyer 2013; Greitemeyer and
Cox 2013). Cooperation has been discussed mostly in the
context of multiplayer games while ignoring the implicit
forms of single player games (Stenros, Paavilainen and
Mäyrä 2009). Research on identifying the game design
mechanisms to strengthen collaboration (Rocha,
Mascarenhas and Prada 2008) thereby give examples from
Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games
(MMORPGs) and multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS)
games where different character roles complement each
other, different abilities form synergies, and certain abilities
can only be used on other players. Participation and
collaboration in these genres are used primarily for
eliminating AI- or player-controlled enemies, however, we
are interested in the collaboration mechanisms that
encourage prosocial behavior beyond a cooperative effort
where defeat, killing, and death are central parts of
gameplay.
PASSIVE COLLABORATION
Zagal et al. (2000) outline the six characteristics of
multiplayer games as (1) social interactions that can happen
between players that do not concern gameplay; (2)
competitive or cooperative nature of gameplay mechanics;
(3) synchronicity of the actions that players can take; (4)
how the game rules are coordinated (enacted and enforced);
(5) dependence on props and tools (e.g., rules calculation);
and (6) the emergence of meta-games that can take place
parallel to the intended gameplay experience. In this model,
social interactions, competitive nature, and synchronicity
stay as separate domains that may or may not emerge
together.
Different perspectives for player interactions within the
context of multiplayer experiences can be found in games
such as Journey and Dark Souls franchise. Players can meet
other players that look like relatable reflections in Journey,
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but there is no chat system or any information about the
other player. The players can emit musical tones to each
other, and the gameplay will be easier by connecting with
one another (see Spawforth and Millard 2017 for further
analysis of social mechanics in this game). Aiming to create
an environment where the cooperation is not forced and
competition is not allowed, game designer Jenova Chan
states that they have reinvented the multiplayer:
The goal was to create a game where people felt
they are connected with each other, to show the
positive side of humanity in them. A lot of games
today have a list of quests, places to go, items to
collect and rewards to receive... We just ignore
each other. So, in order to make players care
about each other, we have to remove their power,
and remove their tasks (Smith 2012).
Plessis (2018) asserts that the gameplay of Journey subverts
the “utilitarian subject-object relations” in video games that
are typically “driven by the violent accumulation of power”
and “be channeled by the player-character into further
violent actions against the so-called objects with the video
game.” We believe that this perspective is better in defining
the central approach of the passive collaboration games
than temporal methods such as synchronicity.
Similarly, Dark Souls series incorporate a feature identified
as the signpost mechanic by Toups et al. (2014) that allows
players to write messages on the ground to be read later by
others. Previously, Manninen (2003) defined modifying
environmental details and settings of a game as an
instrumental action that players can employ for
communicative purposes. An unspecified number of
messages written by other players appear in a game session,
but there are no guarantees that the messages will be
helpful. The feature of adding a positive or negative rating
to messages aims to solve this problem. Player death in
Dark Souls can also form a passive form of
interaction/collaboration since a bloodstain where the
player died can appear on the ground of some other players’
game sessions as warnings for future dangers. Game
director Hidetaka Miyazaki explained the ideology the
behind these asynchronous multiplayer features as:
You could probably call it a connection of mutual
assistance between transient people. Oddly, that
incident will probably linger in my heart for a long
time. Simply because it's fleeting, I think it stays
with you a lot longer... like the cherry blossoms we
Japanese love so much (MacDonald, 2010).
A similar form of passive collaboration can be found in the
game Ashen. Players cross paths with companions but
without identifying markers or voice chat, it is not possible
to understand if the companion is an AI-controlled
character or another player. Players can choose to team up
with these companions or go their separate ways. The aim
of cooperating with another is to overcome obstacles or
eliminate enemies together. The creative director of the
game Derek Bradley explained the passive multiplayer
features of Ashen as:
Ashen is a completely immersive experience – any
other player that joins your world will take on the
appearance of an established character the player
has already met. In terms of the passive
multiplayer functionality, people can connect to
your game seamlessly in that you just run past
each other out in the world and disconnect if you
run too far apart (Isaac 2018).
Passive collaboration can stay as a direct contrast to
previous literature that offer competitive game mechanics
and strategies as being more engaging to players (such as
Siu et al. 2014) or that offer communication as an
inseparable part of collaborative game design (such as
Winn and Fisher 2004).
METHODOLOGY
In this article, the elements that construct an engaging form
of passive collaboration in the highly acclaimed video game
Death Stranding (Kojima Productions 2019) are analyzed
with a close reading methodology that is grounded deeply
in the experience of gameplay performed through both
immersing the self in the game world while remaining
critical of the poetics of the game mechanics, world-
building, and gameplay experience. The hedonic and
eudaimonic gratifications from digital games depend on the
interplay of three player experience dimensions: narrative,
mechanics, and context (Elson et al. 2014). In this regard,
the complex interplay of narrative, mechanics, and context
in Death Stranding creates a powerful experience and
develops a social capital between players. The game
uniquely blends cooperative game mechanics and
asynchronous multiplayer features to prioritize the themes
of untraditional social connections and passive
collaborations over traditional video game design choices.
Our close reading of the game prioritizes the game design
mechanisms and storytelling techniques employed (1) to
create a connection of mutual but passive assistance and
collaboration; and (2) to design a game where players feel
that they can relate to each other without actually meeting
in the game world. The method of close reading (Bizzocchi
and Tanenbaum 2011; Fernandez-Vara 2015) has been
previously demonstrated as an effective way of analyzing
video games and exposing hidden layers of meaning within
a game. In this study, close reading allows us to highlight
the game mechanisms that form a possible new genre called
a “strand game” (Kojima 2019a, 2019b)—a game that
prioritizes the themes of untraditional social connections
and passive collaborations over traditional video game
design choices based on immediate, conflict-oriented, and
competitive interaction—and to emphasize the importance
of forming novel social connections with others within the
medium. As our close reading is performed under the
specific conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic during
when online social connections emerged as prevalent
practices, an inter-textuality emerges (Carr 2009) where we
prioritize the certain aspects of the game (specifically, the
way the connections and collaborations are built and
represented) within the textual organization of the game’s
embedded connotations. In addition, we use data from
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secondary sources such as statements from the interviews
with developers and critics.
RESULTS
We discuss our results under five domains that outline how
certain aspects of the game were constructed through game
mechanics, design choices, narrative, and other elements:
narrative infrastructure, mechanics that discourage
violence, building connections with other players, bonding
with virtual characters, and construction of the self as a
social agent. When perceived together as a whole, we argue
that these aspects support the emergence of the game as a
novel genre that persist through each play session that
might be separate indeterministic experiences.
Narrative Infrastructure: Metaphors of Social
Defragmentation and Isolation
Yar (2015) identified two distinctive modes in which the
apocalyptic is recast in the modern imaginary–the first one
recuperates the utopian and redemptive narrative of
eschatology, while the second one inverts it into a
dystopian vision of disaster and regression. Death
Stranding’s fictional world fits more into the latter where
civilization, law, order, and peace are undone. The fictional
world of Death Stranding has been divided and fragmented
by a series of horrific events known as the death stranding
that caused the world of the dead and the world of the
living to become connected. The game highlights that the
sufferings caused by the events of Death Stranding cannot
be eradicated through a remaking of the world, but
humanity still has a hope to survive.
Death Stranding was also the name of the cataclysmic event
in which paranormal entities from the other side called
Beached Things (BTs) become stranded in the world of the
living and trigger simultaneous explosions-like
annihilations (voidouts) all around the world. As a result,
whenever a human being dies, the corpse will necrotize and
cause another voidout. Moreover, a special matter called
chiralium with its time-altering properties is introduced to
our reality and chiralium give rise to a phenomenon called
Timefall—a rain that ages anything it touches and
devastates ecosystems.
The survivors of the death stranding event now live in
isolated cities (called knot cities) but there are also
individuals who live alone or with their families (called
preppers). The protagonist of the story is a porter working
for a company called Bridges which aims to reconnect the
fragmented society of the United Cities of America. By
carrying cargo across uninhabitable lands between knot
cities and preppers, the delivery company metaphorically
builds bridges and connects people. Pérez-Latorre (2019)
analyzed the post-apocalyptic video game bestsellers
released between 2009 and 2017 and identified three
utopian enclaves as: (1) post-apocalyptic cowboys; (2) back
to nature and do-it-yourself; and (3) community leaders,
empathy, and rebelliousness. The world of Death Stranding
cannot be classified as either of these categories. The
protagonist of the game, Sam Porter Bridges, is not a
forlorn cowboy forged into a hero by acquisition or
accentuation of certain neoliberal and patriarchal
characteristics. The game also does not idealize nature and
the restoration of nature as the fundamental way of
rebuilding society. Although the player/character in Death
Stranding can be classified as a man of empathy, he avoids
other people and has no intention to become a community
leader. The protagonist of the story even has haphephobia, a
rare phobia that involves the fear of touching or of being
touched. Indeed, it is also argued that Sam is more like a
side character than a protagonist:
I think that this is the point of the game: we have
to do the tasks to get to the people and then help
them survive a little longer. Our protagonist is
nothing more than a supporting character in these
longform tragedies, and that’s what makes Death
Stranding so worthwhile (Kunzelman, 2019).
In accordance with the definitions of Farca (2018), the
fictional world of Death Stranding cannot be classified as a
utopia gone wrong where an attempt to create a good
society failed but it is also not an anti-utopia where the
possibility of a better future is non-existent. The events of
Death Stranding are about an Extinction Entity (EE) whose
purpose is to bring mass extinction. It is explained in the
game that throughout the history of life on Earth, five
extinction entities are believed to have caused five mass
extinction events. These five EEs can be seen on The
Beach, which is the place between the living world and
what comes next, as a reminder of the inevitable. These
processes are a natural part of the cycle of life and death on
Earth, so they are not caused by spiritual sins such as pride,
avarice, or ambition. The characters in the game do not
know if such a mass extinction can be prevented, but their
actions indicate that they still have hope, especially through
the porters that traverse the uninhabitable lands of the game
to deliver packages (and connections) among people.
The world-building of the game intersected and expanded
in meaning when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in
prominence in the early months of 2020. Many people
pointed out the similarities between the fictional world of
Death Stranding and our world after the COVID-19
outbreak:
The self-enforced quarantine in Death Stranding is
remarkably similar to real-world events occurring
as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many
people have spent much the past few months at
home, with businesses closing their doors and
daily life effectively shutting down for some time.
Like the underground survivors in Kojima's sci-fi
world, people began to rely on others to bring
them food, medicine and other essential items
(McNulty, 2020)
The theme of the Death Stranding’s story is a criticism of
an era of individualism where everyone is fractured yet all
connected. Turkle (2011), in her book “Alone Together:
Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from
Each Other,” pointed at the fact that we defend connectivity
as a way to be close but end up spending more time with
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technology and effectively hide from each other. In this
regard, the society of Death Stranding is depending more
on each other than the technology and the game wants the
players to feel alone in a fragmented society but also asks
them to reconnect people by delivering packages and
connecting them to the United Cities of America (UCA).
The story is about loneliness, despair, distrust, as well as
friendship, trust, and connection.
Mechanics that Discourage Violence: Action and Death
in a Strand Game
Post-apocalyptic games can usually be classified as
“murder boxes” where killing and death are central parts of
gameplay (Spokes 2017), but Death Stranding’s producer
and director Hideo Kojima stated that he prioritized the
theme of “connection” over traditional video-game
“violence” (Gault 2019). Video game combat, action-based
play, and eventual representation of violence is closely
related with the content of many video game that rely on a
neat cleaving of allies and enemies through a
dehumanization of human victims (Kocurek 2015). Players
must kill to survive, and this phenomenon is also reflected
on the design of missions where opposing forces must be
eliminated with violence. Clever use of game mechanics
can give the player the option to find peaceful solutions to
the problems, such as the supernatural powers in the
dystopian world of Dishonored (Arkane Studios 2012) and
Dishonored 2 (Arkane Studios 2016). In these games, there
is even an achievement/trophy named “Clean Hands” for
both games which is unlocked by finishing the game
without killing anyone. The digital game distribution
platform Steam shows that only 5.2% of the players of
Dishonored and 8.0% of the players of Dishonored 2
received this achievement as of March 2021 (Valve 2021a;
Valve 2021b). So, killing is an option embraced by most
players and endorsed by game developers since it is the
easier and, arguably, more engaging way.
Death in digital games could be seen as the ostracization of
death in the modern capitalistic world (Nteali 2015),
however, killing other people in Death Stranding does not
solve the player’s problems but intensify them instead. If
the player kills another human being in the game, this will
cause a voidout which is an explosive annihilation event big
enough to destroy a whole city. The player faces MULEs
who can be classified as cargo thieves and terrorists who
are a decentralized group of militant separatists in the
game, but the best way to deal with them is to use non-
lethal weapons utilizing rubber bullets. The only drawback
of using non-lethal weapons is that the unconscious
enemies will later wake up and continue to be a threat, but
this is acceptable when compared with the alternative of
creating a voidout. The craters created by a voidout will
make the area become inaccessible to the player and the
increased chiralium density will cause any BTs encountered
in the area to become stronger. The only way to prevent this
is to destroy the body through cremation at an incinerator.
So, if the player ends up killing all the terrorists in a camp,
they have to take the time and effort to carry the bodies to
an incinerator or the consequences of killing another human
being will be dire for the player. This is in direct contrast to
many games where killing an opponent does not have any
consequences.
The player/character of Death Stranding is a repatriate, a
person who can reconnect his soul (ka) to his body (ha)
while in a place of purgatory called the Seam. This process
brings him back from the brink of death every time. When
the player dies, the protagonist swims in a body of water
and follows a "strand" back to his body, and then he is
brought back to a location near the place of his so-called
death with his cargo lost. In the Seam, the player may also
see the souls of other players who also died in the same
area and can touch them. Touching the souls of other
players will increase your connection with them and affect
the gameplay. This construction of death also creates a
paradigm shift in the players from caring about their
character to protecting their cargo. The player knows that
the protagonist will not die but lost or damaged cargo will
have more serious consequences.
Building Connections with Other Players
Survival in the post-apocalyptic world of Death Stranding
depends on what the player can build. The player uses a
portable chiral constructor (PCC) to construct various
structures like bridges, timefall shelters, generators, safe
houses, zip-lines, and postboxes in areas connected to the
chiral network (an advanced version of Internet) but the
chiral bandwidth is limited. This means that the players
cannot build everything they will need in their journey. One
of the unique asynchronous multiplayer features of the
game is that what other players have built may exist in your
world and what you have built may exist in other player’s
worlds. When a mission requires the player to cross a river,
they may find a bridge already built by another player;
when their vehicle is running out of juice, they may
stumble upon a generator some other player built; when
their cargo is degrading because of timefall, they may find
some other player’s timefall shelter to take refuge in.
Additionally, when these things happen, players have the
option to give likes to the structure built by the other player
to show their appreciation and thanks. The structures built
by them will also get likes if they are helpful to others. This
gratifying and uplifting process is defined as:
As you play, you always have the option to bolster
the experience of other players. And in general,
you find yourself wanting to be of service to others.
This desire comes not only from the gratification of
getting likes from other players, but from the sheer
weight of the journey that you (and you know other
players) are undertaking alone (Outlaw, 2020).
Traversing the world of Death Stranding is a laborious task
and building highways or roads will make it easier for the
player to complete deliveries. BTs do not appear on roads
and MULEs and terrorists avoid them. In this regard,
collaboration becomes more important with the road
building process since every piece of road requires the
player to put lots of resources (ceramics, metals, chiral
crystals) into devices called auto-pavers. But as the player
puts resources in an auto-paver, they will realize that other
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players are also contributing to the process by putting their
resources into the same auto-paver. The roads will be built
mutually and when other players travel on roads you have
built or roads you have donated to, you are going to receive
likes from them automatically. Players can also leave signs,
giving directions to points of interest or warning others of
unseen dangers. In this way, although the players may be
physically alone in the post-apocalyptic world of Death
Stranding, they never feel alone, and they always know that
they are building the future together with others.
Losing your precious cargo is a natural occurrence in Death
Stranding. The players may stumble and fall to their so-
called death, they may be eliminated by MULEs or
terrorists, or if they are caught in rapidly moving water
their cargo may be swept away by the current. There are
various other ways to lose cargo, but lost packages may
appear in the world of other players, as other player’s lost
packages will appear in yours. By choosing the “Deliver
Lost Cargo” option at a delivery terminal with the lost
cargo in their possession, the players can return the lost
packages to their owners and get likes. The players can find
their returned lost cargo in shared lockers found at safe
houses or distribution centers, and shared lockers can also
be used to donate materials and equipment to other players.
Players in need can take whatever you put in your shared
locker and use them. Players can also issue supply requests
and specify what they need. Any player who wishes to help
can deliver the specified cargo to the specified location.
Figure 1: Collecting lost cargo, gameplay video
Aside from the structures built by other players, the players
do not see other players in the game, but the
player/character can shout out to the wilderness hoping that
someone would reply. This does not have any effect on the
game but sometimes, the player will hear someone else
reply to them. The game’s ‘A Shout in the Dark’ trophy is
related with this phenomenon: it is earned when the player
sends a shout out and have it returned for the first time. If
you shout as “I’m Sam,” the reply may be “I’m Sam, too”.
This fourth wall breaking mechanic represents an act of
faith and collective effort to make the world (of Death
Stranding) a better place.
Bonding with Virtual Characters
Passive participation and collaboration of players in this
post-apocalyptic world is achieved by the unique mechanics
of the game but it is very important to note here that the
collaborative features do not aim for the elimination of
enemies together within the scope of traditional video game
conflict-based design choices. The collaboration is about
forming connections and upholding hope, as described by
many video game critics such as:
The game is oftentimes oppressively lonely, but
there’s an inherent hope to it all that is utterly
captivating. That hope comes from the fact that
nearly everything you do in Death Stranding is
about altruistically helping not only the other
characters in the game, but other players across
the world as well (Sliva 2021).
The second type of social connection that requires attention
is the player’s relationship with various non-player
characters (NPCs). Death Stranding’s story consists of 14
chapters and each chapter requires several story-related
orders to be completed by the player. Each knot city or
prepper in Death Stranding’s virtual world also offer
optional orders. These optional deliveries for the player are
called standard orders. Standard orders increase the player’s
connection (displayed with stars) with characters and are
sometimes rewarded with unique items. The players can
strengthen their relationships with these characters by
completing orders for them or they can simply ignore these
NPCs. Players who complete standard orders for NPCs will
receive e-mail messages from them. This simple feedback
mechanism also gives the impression to the player that they
are making a change in the world and their efforts are not in
vain. These e-mail messages include the backstories of
characters, lore about the world of Death Stranding,
interesting things that NPCs notice, and the opinions of
NPCs on joining the UCA. More importantly, they also
represent their bonding with the player/character. Some of
these messages unveil the philosophy of the game and
highlight the importance of connections, but some also
appreciate the collaborative efforts of all the players around
the world to make the world (of Death Stranding) a better
place.
The most interesting relationship the player is going to have
is with a Bridge Baby (BB). Bridge Babies are unborn
fetuses that have been taken from brain dead mothers to be
used as equipment. Kept in portable pods resembling a
mother’s womb, these BBs can sense and detect BTs. In the
game, BBs are presented as ethical dilemmas wherein it is
questioned whether they are living beings or valuable
equipment that should be disposed of when they stop
functioning. The players will be given a BB on their
journey and will find the abilities of the BB quite useful.
Certain things can upset BB and make him cry, and some
other things can satisfy BB and make him laugh. For
example, if you take a nasty fall when climbing a cliff, the
BB will cry and there will be the option of soothing him. If
the player gently moves their controller up and down, they
will cradle the BB in their arms, rock, and soothe him. At a
certain point in the game, the players must complete a few
missions without the BB and can come to the realization of
how much they are now used to him.
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Figure 2: Playing harmonica to BB, gameplay video
Additionally, the player/character can sometimes meet
other porters who are non-hostile NPCs making their own
deliveries. There is an option to trade with a porter, where
the player gives an item to the porter and the porter gives
an item in return. Players will get the “Any Porter in
Storm” trophy for this act of generosity. Seeing other
porters making their own deliveries also reinforces the
feeling that you are not alone in your journey.
Figure 3: Meeting with other porters, gameplay video
Construction of the Self as a Social Agent
There is no RPG-like leveling system based on experience
points in Death Stranding, but a porter grade represented by
five stats. If the player delivers cargo with minimal
damage, their cargo condition stat will increase. Depending
on how much cargo they deliver, their delivery volume stat
will increase. If the player delivers time-sensitive packages
on time, their delivery time stat will increase. The
miscellaneous stat increases if the player retrieves items
from BT or MULE areas. The final stat is Bridge Link that
increases as the player receives likes from other players. In
this regard, everything is tied together in an innovative way
and increasing stats will be much easier if the players form
connections with others—if they build the future together.
It takes time, patience, and perseverance to reach “The
Great Deliverer” porter grade. “The Great Deliverer” porter
grade of one of the authors was achieved in 112 hours of
gameplay with 543,334 likes received from other players.
Figure 4: Building together, gameplay video
The game menu has a Bridge Links option that shows a list
of players whose items or structures have appeared in your
game. These are the players that you connected with, whose
lost cargo you found, whose bridge you used, whose road
you traveled, etc. There is also a Strand Contracts option in
this menu that allows you to make a list of favorite players.
When you form a strand contract with another player, their
structures and items will appear in your world more
frequently. The most important metric here is the total
number of likes a player has received. If a player has
received a lot of likes, this means that that player’s
structures are very useful and helped a lot of players. So, if
you form a strand contract with them, you will also benefit
from that player’s strategically placed structures. The
number of players that you can form a strand contract
depends on a player’s porter grade. And as the porter grade
increases, the players can form more solid connections with
other players via strand contracts, can give more likes to
each other’s structures, and more structures can be built
together. “Bridge Links” and “Strand Contracts” transforms
the passive collaboration mechanisms of the game into
active game mechanics that constructs a second-self who
can influence the experiences other players. Kojima also
stated that he aims to create a chain reaction of positivity
with these game mechanics:
In games we default to doing things that benefit us:
If I do this, I'll power up; if I do that, I'll make
money. Even building bridges is motivated by
personal gain--I want to get across this gap, so I'll
build a bridge. But the bridges you build in
DEATH STRANDING are shared with other
players in the world, and they'll give your bridge a
"like" when they use it. Once that happens you
start thinking things like, "Huh, maybe that was a
good spot for a bridge," and then you build your
next bridge in a spot that helps others as well as
yourself. Maybe instead of throwing away items
you don't need, you put them in a shared locker.
My hope is that it creates a chain reaction of
positivity (Famitsu, 2019).
CONCLUSION
This study provides an exciting opportunity to advance the
understanding of cooperative gameplay beyond the scope of
traditional game violence. We find that Death Stranding
combines asynchronous or passive multiplayer functions
with innovative game mechanisms that focus on
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“connections” to deliver a unique collaborative ludic
experience beyond traditional action-based gameplay.
Typically, a game cannot be characterized as prosocial if it
encourages violence, even if the players build relationships
of reciprocity and cooperation (Shoshani & Krauskopf,
2021). In this regard, the collaboration mechanisms in
Death Stranding encourage prosocial behavior and they do
not allow a cooperative effort where killing and death are
central parts of gameplay. The unorthodox notion of the
consequences of killing in this video game also steers the
players towards non-violent solutions. The ad campaign of
the game used the tagline “Tomorrow is in your hands” that
can also be applied to the COVID-19 era of isolation,
lockdown, and quarantine where hope lies in collaboration
and forming connections or bonds with each other. Inspired
by Huizinga (1950), an interview found in the game
(“Bridges Needs Homo Ludens”), also highlights the
importance of play in our modern lives.
There is, however, another very special type of
human. A breed that would serve Bridges rather
well. Homo ludens—they who play. Be it
deliberate or unintentional, Homo ludens unite
people—creating culture, shaping the very world
around them—not through violence, nor laws or
proscriptions, but rather through metaphorical
acts of play (Death Stranding 2019).
One of the issues that emerges from our analysis is how the
thought-provoking and moving story elements in the game,
combined with the game mechanics that focus on
connections and the context of typically asynchronous
collaboration with others, creates a meaningful and
satisfying game experience. This experience establishes a
sense of community with unique game mechanics and
creates shared memories through passive multiplayer
features. The five domains of analysis identified in this
article that construct the game design and storytelling
mechanisms of interaction and association in separate ways
are summarized below (Table 1).
Table 1: Five Domains of Analysis
Domain of Analysis Explanation
Narrative Infrastructure society, creatures, political and
environmental systems, value
systems, history of the world
Game Mechanics mechanics of collaboration,
mechanics that discourage
violence
Building Connections
with Other Players
helping others, making a change
together
Bonding with Virtual
Characters
NPCs that appreciate player's
efforts, NPCs with an emotional
impact
Construction of the Self
as a Social Agent
the player/character becomes a
social agent by using certain
game mechanics and building
connections with others
Death Stranding has a very detailed and distinctive
narrative infrastructure that sets up the stage for a different
type of gameplay, paving the way for a new genre. The
game introduces unique game mechanics of collaboration
and mechanics that discourage violence. As the players play
the game, they build social connections with other players
and bond with virtual characters. And in the end, the
player/character becomes a social agent that makes the
world a better place rather than becoming a killing machine
type of hero that saves the world.
The identified domains in this article may indicate the birth
of a new genre called a “strand game,” wherein the primary
focus is on forming connections through passive
collaborations and building a virtual and positive collective
experience asynchronously. The post-apocalyptic world of
Death Stranding and the story of the game incites feelings
of loneliness, despair, distrust but also friendship, trust, and
connection. The unconventional notion of death deployed
in the game paves the way for player actions oriented
towards peaceful solutions to the problems faced. The
relationship of the player with virtual characters and other
players prioritizes the importance of forming connections.
Death Stranding players depend more on each other in a
collaborative effort to connect a fragmented society
together. The “strand game” mechanisms of bridge links
and strand contracts creates a second self that can leave
marks on other player’s virtual lives.
This article extends our knowledge of passive
collaborations in video games and shows that the
conceptual focus on "connections" and asynchronous
multiplayer features in Death Stranding ensure that players
are never alone in their journey of "reconnecting" an
isolated and fractured society although there is typically no
first-hand multiplayer portion of the game. Understanding
the social strand system and the philosophy of the design of
the game can offer us new perspectives beyond the
criticism of video games on their violent nature and focus
instead on the innovative social mechanics and unique ludic
experiences. A limitation of this study is that it focuses on a
single video game, but Death Stranding is the first video
game that attempts to define a new genre, named by the
game’s creator as a “strand game” (Kojima, 2019a, 2019b).
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