Ecocritical engagement in a pixelated world
How does one talk about materiality or embodiment when the “body” and the “environment” in question are forever separated by a screen? Through close readings of “Proteus” (Twisted Tree, 2013) and “Islands: Non-Places” (Ice Water Games, 2016), this essay argues that certain video games articulate emp...
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2017 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universidad de Alcalá (UAH) |
| Repositorio: | e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/31333 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10017/31333 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Videojuegos Ecocrítica material Interactividad Atención Video games Material ecocriticism Interactivity Attention Literatura Literature Environmental science Medio ambiente |
| Sumario: | How does one talk about materiality or embodiment when the “body” and the “environment” in question are forever separated by a screen? Through close readings of “Proteus” (Twisted Tree, 2013) and “Islands: Non-Places” (Ice Water Games, 2016), this essay argues that certain video games articulate empathetic relationships between player and world, because of—rather than despite—the video game’s position as a virtual realm. Because these two games limit player interaction and manipulate experiences of time, “Proteus” and “Islands: Non-Places” force the player to critically inhabit her position in the world and to question her expectations of dominance and control as typically experienced in video games. Applications of material ecocriticism drive the readings of these video games. Specifically, by considering theories of time—both Anna Tsing’s pace of walking and Rob Nixon’s slow time of environmental disaster—together with Jane Bennett’s concept of vibrant matter and Serenella Iovino and Serpil Oppermann’s definition of material ecocriticism, this essay argues that the worlds of “Proteus” and “Islands: Non-Places” demand an environmental attention from the player. These two games reject the human desire to touch, cultivate, and master the environment, offering, instead, a digital assemblage that includes the corporeal player and the virtual world. “Proteus” and “Islands: Non-Places”, human-made constructions designed for human consumption, drive an investment in the vibrancy of the world—both within the game and without. |
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