Paper Abstract - Julian Kücklich

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ABSTRACT

Neverending Stories - Perspectives of Computer Game Philology

Julian Kücklich

In an earlier paper on the subject of literary theory and computer games I attempted to systematize philological approaches to the field of electronic entertainment. In doing so, it became apparent that most of these studies failed to yield valid results because they could not read the games they were studying. Literary scholars were simply too absorbed in these fantastic worlds to pay attention to the rules governing that universe. Ironically, these rules are what most closely resembles a computer game's text - the code of the game.

On these grounds, I formulated the hypothesis that the traditional reading direction is reversed in computer games - playing a computer game should be regarded as a process of »demystification« (Ted Friedman) rather than a process of immersion. Taking into account, however, that in each case a hermeneutic reading cannot be clearly separated from a reading aiming at immersion, this hypothesis has to be modified: although the reading direction remains the same, there is clearly a shift in emphasis.

Nevertheless, the distinction between an immediate and a mediated level of the text is helpful in understanding the role of literary studies in the field of computer games. For the immanent textuality of these games warrants the coherence of their narrative and interactive elements. Thus, the »Clash between Game and Narrative« (Jesper Juul) can be understood as a productive dialectic within games themselves, rather than an epistemological problem. Yet a further inquiry into the nature of interactivity, narrativity, and textuality raises questions that cannot be answered by textual analysis.

Janet Murray's »pleasures of the text«, for example, have proven to be of great value to the theory of computer games. Therefore, the methods and terminology devised by reader response theory must be taken into account. Brenda Laurel's Computers as Theatre stresses the importance of theatre studies in this field. And Espen Aarseth's concept of cybertext points to the significance of an intermedia-oriented perspective while simultaneously emphasizing the subject's aesthetic autonomy.

This is why the questions raised in my prior assessment of approaches to computer games from a literary viewpoint have to be discussed within a much broader framework. First and foremost, such a holistic approach must be concerned with overcoming the ongoing argument between »ludologists« and »narratologists«. Furthermore, in combining the concepts developed both in literary studies and in game studies, it will be indispensable to focus on the following three contexts of computer games.

The literary and ludic context. The analysis is guided by the question: What are the similarities and differences between a) computer games and traditional games and b) computer games and narratives?
The study of the media environment of computer games. Since games are often conceptualized as phenomena that transgress the borders between traditional media, an effort should be made to understand the relations between these, especially in regard to film and electronic media.
The communicative situation of computer games. Playing a game is a complex semiotic process that involves handling unconventional signs. This is further complicated by the fact that computer games are often not simply human-computer interaction, but computer-mediated communication.

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