Fate, Determinism, and Free Will in Dark Fantasy Games: A Compatibilist Analysis

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_94How to use a DOI?

Keywords

dark fantasy; fatalism; determinism; free will; Black Myth; Wukong

Abstract

This paper examines the philosophical tension among fatalism, determinism, and free will in dark fantasy games, using Black Myth: Wukong as a case study. Through the lens of compatibilism, the study explores how predetermined narrative structures can still offer players meaningful choices, enabling agency within constraint. By combining theoretical analysis and participant observation, this research reveals how dark fantasy games create space for both fate and freedom, providing new insights into interactive narrative design.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Yongfu Gao
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/26
TI  - Fate, Determinism, and Free Will in Dark Fantasy Games: A Compatibilist Analysis
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 5th International Conference on Culture, Design and Social Development (CDSD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 849
EP  - 859
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_94
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-541-6_94
ID  - Gao2026
ER  -