Video Games as Artistic Literature
Session Title
Additional Abstracts
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
English
Faculty Mentor
Devon Ralston, Ph.D.
Abstract
As technology becomes more and more advanced, older concepts are reshaped for modern day tools and formats. Literature, specifically artistic, is one such concept, and traditional forms include poetry, prose, drama, and creative nonfiction, all written word on the page. One medium that is not typically considered literature, but is in the process of becoming more common, is that of video games. In this thesis I argue that videogames are a form of artistic literature, specifically a form of interactive story. While novels and films do provoke the mind’s creativity video games adds another level by having users physically interact with the story being told. Literary elements are aspects such as plot, theme, character, tone, action, conflict, dialogue and more. As players move through the game and experience the story, they experience these literary elements on this different level of interactivity that video game provide. Since this argument requires summarizing existing knowledge and then inserting my own, I will be using two methodologies. The first is a review of literature, and the second is a game analysis to show how a game has literary elements. This analysis will include two games in order to exemplify how the elements persist across games. Before either two, however, I will include a definition of terms in order to explain what criteria I’m using to determine what literature is in the context of this argument and how that can be applied to games.
Honors Thesis Committee
Devon Ralston, Ph.D.; Michael Lipscomb, Ph.D.; Casey Cothran, Ph.D.; Leslie Bickford, Ph.D.
Course Assignment
ENGL 494 - Cothran & HONR 451 - Lipscomb
Video Games as Artistic Literature
As technology becomes more and more advanced, older concepts are reshaped for modern day tools and formats. Literature, specifically artistic, is one such concept, and traditional forms include poetry, prose, drama, and creative nonfiction, all written word on the page. One medium that is not typically considered literature, but is in the process of becoming more common, is that of video games. In this thesis I argue that videogames are a form of artistic literature, specifically a form of interactive story. While novels and films do provoke the mind’s creativity video games adds another level by having users physically interact with the story being told. Literary elements are aspects such as plot, theme, character, tone, action, conflict, dialogue and more. As players move through the game and experience the story, they experience these literary elements on this different level of interactivity that video game provide. Since this argument requires summarizing existing knowledge and then inserting my own, I will be using two methodologies. The first is a review of literature, and the second is a game analysis to show how a game has literary elements. This analysis will include two games in order to exemplify how the elements persist across games. Before either two, however, I will include a definition of terms in order to explain what criteria I’m using to determine what literature is in the context of this argument and how that can be applied to games.
