Learning to Be Human by Pretending to Be Elves, Dwarves, and Mages: A Phenomenological Aesthetic of Video Games
Thesis advisor: Eileen Sweeney === This paper combines principles from aesthetic cognitivism with phenomenological embodiment as explained by Maurice Merleau-Ponty in order to construct both an argument for video games as a form of art as well as a method for appreciating them. I argue that the uniq...
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| Format: | Others |
| Language: | English |
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Boston College
2014
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3886 |
| Summary: | Thesis advisor: Eileen Sweeney === This paper combines principles from aesthetic cognitivism with phenomenological embodiment as explained by Maurice Merleau-Ponty in order to construct both an argument for video games as a form of art as well as a method for appreciating them. I argue that the unique status of video games as interactive fictions warrants an adjusted set of aesthetic criteria. My proposed method of examination involves the concept of "fictional embodiment" in which an appreciator imaginatively undergoes the experiences of the video game character. After establishing this framework the paper applies it to narrative and emotion in video games before moving on to extended examples. === Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2014. === Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. === Discipline: College Honors Program. === Discipline: Philosophy. |
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