Game body vs. lived body : a phenomenological reading of motion-based video games -

Abstract

This thesis seeks to analyze how video games are modes of technological embodiment and sensual identity. What is the point of intersection between the games’ objectives and how they engage visuality and the senses? Video games, particularly those of a motion based nature, and the human experience of playing and physically performing the part, are juxtaposed to allow for a contextualized critical framework about the medium. The study underlines Vivian Sobchack’s media phenomenology as a theoretical framework and emphasizes two very particular video games which express sensual stimulation and make demands of human experience: 1) Just Dance and 2) Food Network’s Cook or Be Cooked. Exploring and theorizing video games in this way places the body at the forefront of analysis, in subjective terms; understanding gaming worlds as more than moving images and settings designed for a spectator, but rather as ones controlled and consumed by moving beings is essential in evaluating them phenomenologically. In Chapter 1, I introduce Vivian Sobchack’s concepts of the human interaction with technology and put her into intense dialogue with Alexander Galloway over his axis of algorithmic cultural objects, with Ian Bogost’s critical approach and definition of game formats in general, and with Jesper Juul’s analysis of the mimetic interface of video games, particularly those displayed in the Nintendo Wii game console. In Chapters 2 and 3, I reflect and expand on the concepts of perception, virtual performance, and affective response in Just Dance and Cook or Be Cooked respectively. In a way, we are both controlled and in control of the technology, and locating that junction requires some unambiguous critical analysis. Finally, I conclude with a discussion on the limitations of electronic sensory modalities and suggest further opportunities for motion-based video game research and the impending prospect of simulated reality.