Literary Theory and the Game

We have looked at the benefits and limitations of using Literary Theory to investigate games and their narrative structures.

Three key areas that we have looked at are:

• Poetics
• Hermeneutics
• Aesthetics

And defined these terms in very simple terms as

• Poetics – The study of literary conventions and rules
• Hermeneutics – The study of literature’s meaning, what signifiers mean within the text
• Aesthetics – The study of literature’s effects

I think that a review of Genre construction is important and it is important to understand how the poetics of videogames plays a part in their construction.

Further Reading on Games and Literary Theory

Kücklich, J. - Literary Theory and Computer Games

Ryan, M.-L. - Immersion vs. Interactivity: Virtual Reality and Literary Theory

Rockwell, G. -Gore Galore: Literary Theory and Computer Games (you may need to login to Athens in order to view these)