“Ruinensehnsucht”: Longing for Decay in Computer Games
Research output: Journal contributions › Conference article in journal › Research › peer-review
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In: ToDiGRA, Vol. 3, No. 2, 2, 22.09.2017, p. 37-56.
Research output: Journal contributions › Conference article in journal › Research › peer-review
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RIS
TY - JOUR
T1 - “Ruinensehnsucht”
T2 - Longing for Decay in Computer Games
AU - Fuchs, Mathias
PY - 2017/9/22
Y1 - 2017/9/22
N2 - There is no technical reason and no quality inherent to the medium of computer games that would require corrosion, dust, and ruins. Pixels do not corrode and 3D geometry is not affected by physical decay. Yet if we look at contemporary computer games we find an abundance of ruined buildings, of mould and of all forms of decay of organic matter and inorganic materials. It would be too easy to explain this fact by an attempt to increase realism, because some of these games clearly feature more decay than reality could ever produce. There must be a longing by designers and players to immerse themselves within an environment of disintegrating, decaying objects. The author investigates the longing for decay along four threads that are informed by computer games history, art history, psychoanalytic reasoning and the concept of transmedia megatext.
AB - There is no technical reason and no quality inherent to the medium of computer games that would require corrosion, dust, and ruins. Pixels do not corrode and 3D geometry is not affected by physical decay. Yet if we look at contemporary computer games we find an abundance of ruined buildings, of mould and of all forms of decay of organic matter and inorganic materials. It would be too easy to explain this fact by an attempt to increase realism, because some of these games clearly feature more decay than reality could ever produce. There must be a longing by designers and players to immerse themselves within an environment of disintegrating, decaying objects. The author investigates the longing for decay along four threads that are informed by computer games history, art history, psychoanalytic reasoning and the concept of transmedia megatext.
KW - Cultural studies
KW - Game Studies
KW - Art History
KW - ruins
KW - digital dust
KW - creative games
KW - computer games history
KW - psychoanalysis
KW - philosophy of games
KW - pathos formula
KW - transmedia megatext
KW - Culture and Space
KW - Spatial Archetypes
KW - Phantasmal Spaces
UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/b7ee30bd-2c85-3d52-8742-622064d9c63f/
U2 - 10.26503/todigra.v3i2.68
DO - 10.26503/todigra.v3i2.68
M3 - Conference article in journal
VL - 3
SP - 37
EP - 56
JO - ToDiGRA
JF - ToDiGRA
SN - 2328-9414
IS - 2
M1 - 2
ER -