What Passage Reveals About Game Design and Philosophy?

OpenAlex · Turkish

This article examines Jason Rohrer’s Passage (2007) to explore how digital games can function as a medium for existential inquiry. Adopting a qualitative approach that combines procedural rhetoric with philosophical hermeneutics, the study addresses how abstract concepts such as Martin Heidegger’s “Being-Toward-Death,” “thrownness,” and “anxiety” are procedurally encoded within the game’s mechanics. Focusing on vision, score, and irreversible death, the analysis shows how Passage disrupts the success–failure binary and shifts the player from winning toward reflective experience, demonstrating the philosophical potential of minimalist game design. The findings contribute to the broader field of game studies by illustrating the potential of “existential play” as a valid form of philosophical discourse.