Thèses sur le sujet « Computer games – Juvenile literature »

The idea that emergent content generation for video games will add depth to the gameplay experience is something often mentioned. With this article I want to make a connection between the science of complex systems and emergence, and the area of video game research and development. Not only does emergent content generation add depth to gameplay experience, it would also reduce the stress on developers, if diverse content could be generated automatically. I have conducted a keyword search on 412 articles from renown conferences with the following keywords: complex system", "emerg", and "spontaneous". The results show that while emergence is quite popular in the fi eld of video game research, complex system as a term is not.

In this work, I propose an analytical rubric called the Interpretive Spiral designed to examine the process through which players create meaning in videogames, by examining their composition in three categories, across four levels of interaction. The most familiar of the categories I propose is the Mechanical, which refers to the rules, logic, software and hardware that composes the core of videogames. My second category, which I call the Thematic, is a combination of Arsenault and Perron's Narrative Spiral of gameplay, proposed in their Magic Cycle of Gameplay model (accounting for embedded text, videos, dialog and voiceovers) and Jason Begy's audio-visual level of his Tripartite Model of gameplay (accounting for graphics, sound effects, music and icons), though it also accounts for oft-neglected features such as interface and menu design. The third category, the Affective, refers to the emotional response and metaphorical parallels inspired by the combination of the other two levels. The first level of interaction I explore actually precedes gameplay, as it is common for players to begin interpreting games before playing them, and is called the Pre-Play Level of interpretation. Next I examine the Fundamental Level of interpretation, which entails the learning phase of gameplay. The Secondary Level of gameplay is the longest level of play and describes the shift from learning the game to informed, self-conscious play. The Third and final, elective level of interpretation, is where the player forms connections between his gameplay experience, and other concepts and experiences that exist outside of the game artifact. To put my model through its paces, I apply the model in its entirety to three influential and critically acclaimed videogames, and in part to several other titles.

Attraverso il filtro della letteratura periodica destinata ai ragazzi, questa tesi esamina alcuni aspetti della cultura sportiva irlandese per come venne a delinearsi durante la “Lunga Gestazione” dell’indipendenza dell’Irlanda, ovvero nel periodo precedente alla creazione dello Stato Libero d’Irlanda nel 1922. Un periodo, vale la pena ricordarlo, che vide il rinascimento della cultura gaelica, lo scoppio della Sollevazione della Settimana Santa nel 1916 e il trionfo del partito Sinn Féin sui Redmonditi nelle elezioni del 1918. Concentrandosi su questo tipo di genere editoriale, infatti, è possibile far affiorare una rete complessa di immagini, simboli e discorsi relativi alla cultura sportiva irlandese. La tesi è suddivisa in due parti. La prima è dedicata alla presentazione degli obiettivi di questo studio, dello stato dell’arte, del corpus preso in esame e della metodologia. L’analisi testuale, seppur in maggior parte rivolta ai testi di fiction e agli articoli dei periodici, si estende ad altri generi di scrittura, quali le corrispondenze private, i dibattiti parlamentari, i rapporti governativi. La giustapposizione di testi dalla natura così multiforme permette di cogliere gli atteggiamenti prevalenti e le usanze socioculturali dell’epoca, nonché le implicazioni politiche e culturali insite nell’ascesa del sistema sportivo in Irlanda. La seconda parte di No Shoneen: Gaelic Games e Athletic Hero nella Irish Periodical Press invece, descrive nel dettaglio le tappe che hanno portato all’emergere di un sistema sportivo irlandese e come i giochi di matrice gaelica divennero significanti culturali, segnalando la specificità dell’Irlanda in patria e all’estero. Questa sezione tratta altresì delle ragioni sottostanti la comparsa, all’inizio del Ventesimo secolo, di una figura che si potrebbe definire dell’“Atleta-Eroe”. Gli ultimi due capitoli di questo lavoro, infatti, espongono la connessione tra l’ascesa del sistema sportivo irlandese e l’investimento politico e culturale sui giovani irlandesi per dimostrare come i giochi gaelici aiutassero gli irlandesi nella formazione di un nuovo ideale di fanciullezza. Più specificamente, laddove il quarto capitolo si concentra sulla concezione del giovane atleta come artefice dell’indipendenza irlandese e pietra angolare di una nuova comunità – una concezione a sua volta imperniata sulla nozione di pratica sportiva come forma di preparazione militare –, l’ultimo capitolo delinea i contorni di tale mascolinità idealizzata e incarnata dal giovane atleta gaelico. L’obiettivo è mostrare come il corpo vigoroso dell’atleta sia stato opportunamente rappresentato ed esaltato in modo da neutralizzare le caratterizzazioni stereotipate degli irlandesi come inferiori e “bisognosi” del dominio anglosassone.
Through the filter of the periodical literature intended for juveniles, especially boys, this thesis examines some facets of the Irish sporting culture as it emerged during the “Long Gestation” of Ireland’s independence, i.e. the period prior to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, which witnessed the Gaelic cultural revival, the outbreak of the Easter Rising in 1916 and Sinn Féin’s triumph over the Redmondites in the 1918 election. By focusing on this kind of publishing genre, indeed, it is possible to raise a complex network of images, symbols and discourses related to Irish sporting culture. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first is devoted to presenting the aims and objectives of this study, the literature review, the corpus being analysed, and the methodology. Textual analysis, if mostly focused on the fictional and non-fictional content of the story papers, extends to other bodies of writing: private correspondence, parliamentary debates, government reports, and periodical criticism. The juxtaposed analyses of texts of such a multifarious nature enabled me to understand the prevailing attitudes and socio-cultural mores of the time as well as the political and cultural implications of the rise of a sport system in Ireland. The second part of No Shoneen: Gaelic Games and the Athletic Hero in the Irish Periodical Press thus details the steps that led up to the emergence of an Irish sport system and how Gaelic games came to be cultural signifiers pointing to Ireland’s specificity at home and abroad. Moreover, in this section, I also discuss why the early twentieth century saw the emergence of what can be termed “Athletic Hero” as the last two chapters of this work expound the connection between the rise of the Irish sport system and the political and cultural investment on the youths of Ireland to demonstrate how Gaelic games assisted the Irish in the formation of a new ideal of boyhood. More specifically, whereas the fourth chapter focuses on the conception of the young athlete as the maker of Ireland’s independence and the cornerstone of a new community – a conception revolving around the notion of sporting practice as a form of military preparedness –, the last chapter traces the contours of the idealised masculinity embodied by the young Gaelic athlete. The objective is to show how the athlete’s vigorous body was aptly represented and extolled so as to counteract the stereotypical characterizations of the Irish as inferiors in need of Anglo-Saxon domination.

In recent years, having evolved beyond solely play-based interactions, it is now possible to analyze video games alongside other narrative forms, such as novels and films. Video games now involve rich stories that require input and interaction on behalf of the player. This level of agency likens video games to a kind of modern hypertext, networking and weaving various narrative threads together, something which traditional modes of media lack. When examined from the lens of reader-response criticism, this interaction deepens even further, acknowledging the player’s experience as a valid interpretation of a video game’s plot. The wide freedom of choice available to players, in terms of both play and story, in 2007’s Mass Effect, along with its critical reception, represents a turning point in the study of video games as literature, exemplifying the necessity for player input in undergoing a narrative-filled journey. Active participation and non-linear storytelling, typified through gaming, are major steps in the next the evolution of narrative techniques, which requires the broadening of literary criticism to incorporate this new development.

Uppsatsen försöker kartlägga hur och om datorspel kan användas i samma syfte som skönlitteratur i den litteraturundervisning som GY11 föreskriver. Fokus ligger på beröringsytor mellan skönlitteratur och datorspel gällande lärande; främst identitetsskapande, moral och etik men också stilistiska drag och litteraturvetenskapliga begrepp. Med två exempel, Fallout: New Vegas och Grand Theft Auto IV, visas hur berättandet i datorspel kan ge mediet en plats i gymnasieskolans litteraturundervisning, samt hur immersion, perspektiv och interaktivitet kan ge spelare något som inte skönlitteratur kan ge läsare.
The purpose of this thesis is to discuss whether and how computer games can be used as fiction in literature education in accordance with the new Swedish gymnasium curriculums, GY11. The focus is on the contact points between computer games and fiction regarding learning; foremost building identities, morality and ethics, but also stylistics and concepts in literary science. It is show that, using two examples (Fallout: New Vegas and Grand Theft Auto IV), the narrative elements in computer games can give them room and literary education, and also that immersion, perspective and interactivity can give players something that fiction can’t give its readers.

Intertextualitet är begreppet som beskriver hur alla texter är sammankopplade, och om Mieke Bal definierar en text till en sluten samling av språkliga tecken är allt som någonsin skapats sammankopplat. Detta arbete har utförts för att undersöka möjligheterna intertextuella referenser har för att utveckla skrivmetoder för narrativt drivna Casual Games. En undersökning gjordes genom att en kopia av ett etablerat Casual spel fylldes med referenser som sedan spelades av två grupper med respondenter. Deltagarna fick besvara en enkät innan de spelade artefakten och fick delta i en intervju efteråt. Resultatet av undersökningen visade att spelare är fullt kapabla att uppfatta ett brett spektrum av olika former av referenser. Den visade dessutom att spelare med bred kunskap om andra texter har en större tendens att skapa kopplingar mellan två berättelser som delar på ett händelseförlopp. Undersökningen visade dessutom att inga spelare kunde uppfatta en komplett tolkning av två parallella historier. För att svara på hur detta kan uppnås måste mer ingående och långdragen forskning ta plats som kan påverka, många fler, spelare under en längre tid.

The video game industry has in three decades gone from a garage hobby to a global multi-billion euro media industry that challenges the significantly older and established cultural industries. After decades of explosive growth the industry surprisingly finds itself in a crisis – in terms of sales, future trajectories and creative paradigms. The global gaming culture receives substantial attention from society, media and academia – but the industry itself appears in comparison as an enigmatic terra incognita with astonishingly little dedicated research. This thesis aims to amend this situation by presenting a study at the cross-section of the video game industry, game studies, literary theory, cultural industries and business studies. It deals with the following question: how does the global game industry relate to its own product, in terms of communication and media dimensions, and what are the (business) consequences, in terms of production, strategy and commercial/creative innovation, of this relationship? This study’s departure point is constituted by a comprehensive description of the industry’s structure, dynamics and processes, based on extensive interviews with industry professionals. It is followed by an examination and comparison of the game industry with other media/cultural industries in relation to their economy and business dynamics. With inconclusive answers regarding the medium-industry relation, this study proceeds by exploring literary theories from the field of game studies, in order to gain insights into the dynamics of medium and industry. Literary theories from ludology and narratology provide rewarding perspectives on this inquiry, since it is found that the ontological dichotomy of simulation vs. respresentation present in the interpretational realm of the game medium is also reflected in the industry and its dynamics. This has pivotal consequences for the analysis of the game industry. This study concludes by positing the current critical condition of the industry as an extremely decisive moment in its history: will it become a truly universal mass-medium, or will it continue down its subcultural path? Subcultural “interactive cinema” meets mass-cultural media of simulation – how will the industry evolve?
QC20100708

Vår utforskning av fiktionens världar kan fördjupa vår förståelse för oss själva, varandra och vår omvärld. Syftet för denna litteraturstudie är att nå en förståelse för hur narrativa datorspel kan ge upphov till dessa identitetsutvecklande insikter och hur litteraturundervisningen kan stödja elevernas vägar till att nå fram till dem. För att illustrera textgenrens lärandepotential används det narrativa datorspelet The Last of Us (2013) som ett studieobjekt. Med basis i kognitiv litteraturteori kring termerna immersion och narrativ experientialitet kan man utifrån denna litteraturstudie uttyda att de narrativa datorspelens upphov till identitetsutvecklande insikter bygger på ett slags fiktivt experientiellt lärande. Det inledande steget i detta lärande är spelarens inlevelse i spelets berättelse, den så kallade narrativa immersionen. Då datorspelsnarrativet etablerar ett känslomässigt engagemang gentemot spelarkaraktären möjliggörs ett delat erfarande inom fiktionsvärlden. Detta interaktiva och förkroppsligade tillstånd stimulerar spelaren att projicera sina egna kunskaper och erfarenheter för att förstå sina intryck av sin inlevelse i fiktionsvärlden. I en kognitiv simulation tillåts spelare reflektera hur de skulle reagera om de vore i samma situation. De kulturellt medierade erfarenheter spelare således tar till sig har potentialen att expandera deras befintliga förståelsebakgrund. De litteraturdidaktiska överväganden som nödvändiggörs för att stödja detta lärande bygger på att främja elevernas inträde i fiktionsvärlden och uppmuntra dem att knyta an sina individuella bakgrunder till sitt fiktiva erfarande.
Our explorations of the possible worlds of fiction help increase our understanding of each other, the world around us, and ourselves. The purpose of this study is to examine how narrative computer games may provide identity-defining insights and which literary teaching methods are beneficial to facilitate students’ access to them. To illustrate the learning potential of the genre this study examines the narrative computer game The Last of Us (2013). On the basis of cognitive literary theories relating to the concepts of immersion and narrative experientiality this study finds that the identity developmental potential of narrative computer games relies on a sense of fictional experiential learning. The inaugurating move in this learning is the player’s immersion in the story of the game, the so-called narrative immersion. As the players therein become emotionally involved in the player-characters’ lives they are exposed to a sense of shared experience with said characters. As this shared embodied experience within the storyworld is accompanied by the medium-specific interactive nature of computer games, players are also stimulated to project their own prior knowledge and experiences as they form assessments based on their subjective impressions of the storyworld. In a cognitive simulation, this interaction between the players’ prior experiential background and the experiences of the protagonists provides an avenue for players to reflect on how they would react if they were faced with a similar situation. The culturally mediated experiences the players thus gather may influence, redefine and expand the players’ current world of knowledge. In order to pave the students’ way to acquire these identity-defining insights, this study finds that pedagogical practices that favour a climate where students are encouraged to immerse themselves in the storyworld and attribute their prior experiential backgrounds to their fictive experiences therein are key factors that help unlock the full learning potential of narrative computer games.

This paper tries to characterize relation between narrative of novels and computer games. In its first part it points out specifics of the narrative of videogames, but also shows how narrative used in literature reacted in a form of multiform stories. It defines the possible kinds of relations between these two media (genetical influence, influence of structural analogy, influence of functional similarity, influence of shared contextual functioning, metatextual relation and changes caused by shared influences of perception), shows possible directions in which they can be used and finally it shows some of the prominent examples from both media to make these relations clearer. The main interest of the paper is then influence of structural analogy because of comparison of possibilities in both kinds of narrative. KEYWORDS narratology - narrative - fictional worlds - comparatistics - literature - computer games

Diploma thesis The Relationship between the Computer Game and its Audiovisual Pattern deals with the similarities and differences between the computer games and audiovisual works. The thesis presents some theories reflecting different points of view to the influence and blending of these media forms. Those theories are the base for a suggestion of typology of games and movies adaptations that were made according to a pattern. In each of three suggested categories, there are mentioned some particular examples of computer games that were inspired by movie or series and also examples of movies that were inspired by computer game. The final chapter is a case study which compares the computer game Lost: Via Domus to its audiovisual pattern - series Lost.