Somebody just became a Duke in Log Horizon, and it’s actually problematic. 

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The title of this season is the destruction of the round table. If I were a betting man, I would be putting my money on it. What I love about Log Horizon is that there are politics at play and we get to be at the heart of all the drama. The setting of the Log Horizon, that our video game just became real and we have no idea why, lends itself to a fun interpretation of what could happen if we were all trapped in a video game. 

Compared to SAO, Log Horizon doesn’t pit players against some crazy objective or death. While yes in both settings players are trapped in the video game, Log Horizon is less vicious. You can return from a death in Log Horizon, but you lose memories of the real world. Loss of identity and self is still a big punishment. 

So what do you do in a video game world where you are trapped and can’t escape? Limit test. 

Log Horizon captures the true spirit of gamers in a way. Shiroe, and the other gamers trapped with him, limit test the game. It’s one thing to know the rules. It’s another to manipulate them, or break them in your favor. Testing what is possible with the limits of magic is one thing that allows Shiroe to experiment with the world around him. And in ways he finds some ways to do things that would never be allowed in the game’s original state, before everyone gets trapped. 

How do you take advantage of a situation?

Smart gamers always try to min-max. How do I get the most that I possibly can out of something? When things are found that make life easier in-game, gamers will flock to it. Whether that is some kind of power build that anyone can easily do, or if there is some way to strike it rich. After all, what are the two things gamers want? Power and cool cosmetics. If you can get rich in-game and buy anything you want, why wouldn’t you? 

So why wouldn’t someone who is struggling in the game world not accept an offer of power? Especially if it aligns with that person’s goals and interests? 

When Eins, member of the round table, accepts the title of Duke of Akiba there is a massive swing in power balance. The complexity of Log Horizon lies in the fact that there are economic and powers at play, in addition to the fact that regular adventures are actually an anomaly in that world. NPC’s and their factions are actually what we would consider every-day people. And unlike in a real video game where NPC’s and factions are just flavoring, we get to see the collision of factions in real time. NPC’s that don’t actually like each other try to get the upper hand on each other. 

So yes consequences for upsetting the balance of power are going to unfold. I can’t wait to watch more of it. 

Do you agree? What are your thoughts? I want to know!

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I have been waiting years for more Log Horizon! Read more here!