洛夫克拉夫特的電玩來世：《血源詛咒》與《暗黑地牢》對克蘇魯神話的再詮釋

Abstract

本論文旨在探討H. P. 洛夫克拉夫特的克蘇魯神話(the Cthulhu Mythos)世界觀對電玩遊戲的影響。儘管有些電玩並未以洛夫克拉夫特的某一作品，甚至並未挪用原著中角色，它們依然自這位二十世紀恐怖文學作家的虛構宇宙中汲取靈感。本研究從尤金·薩克對死後生命(afterlife)的見解汲取靈感，將這種既帶有洛夫克拉夫特式(Lovecraftian)元素，但又並非原著改編，具有過渡與不確定性的遊戲，視為洛夫克拉夫特的電玩來世。洛夫克拉夫特的怪奇小說中的美學張力是其獨特恐怖的來源，而跨媒體的再詮釋是否能保留原著中的氛圍(atmosphere)，其呈現方式與原著有何異同，以及電玩是否能有意義的改編克蘇魯神話中的元素皆是本研究的重點。文本分析的主要文獻為洛夫克拉夫特的短篇小說《印斯茅斯疑雲》 ("The Shadow over Innsmouth")，但也會輔以洛夫克拉夫特的其他著作，並以薩克與格拉漢姆·哈曼等哲學家的理論為主要分析工具。比較的案例為《血源詛咒》(Bloodborne)與《暗黑地牢》(Darkest Dungeon)。

This thesis explores the influence of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos on video games. While some games neither directly adapt Lovecraft's specific works nor feature characters from his original stories, they nonetheless draw inspiration from the fictional universe of Lovecraft. Inspired by Eugene Thacker's insights on the concept of the afterlife, this study conceptualizes games that incorporate Lovecraftian elements but are neither direct adaptations nor rigid reproductions of Lovecraft's work as the video game afterlife of Lovecraft due to their transitional and indeterminate qualities. The aesthetic tension in Lovecraft's weird fiction is the source of its unique horror. This research investigates whether transmedia reinterpretations can retain the atmosphere of Lovecraft's originals, how the methods of presentation differ from the source material, and whether video games can meaningfully adapt elements from the Cthulhu Mythos. The primary text for analysis is Lovecraft's short story "The Shadow over Innsmouth," supplemented by other Lovecraft literature. The study employs the theories of philosophers such asEugene Thacker and Graham Harman as its main analytical framework and comprises two case studies: Bloodborne and Darkest Dungeon.