Relationships in Digital Media

Introduction Page

This scalar book compiles several seemingly disparate works. The one connective thread shared between them is the theme of relationships. The pieces presented by Mica showcase the relationship one has with oneself.  Interactive fictional media like digital literature, can demonstrate the complexities of everyone’s inner lives, and gives creators and players a space to explore the bitter necessity of reconciling with one’s baser aspects. Archetypal video game elements, like boss fights or difficult challenges allow a player to fight face to face against their neuroses given form, and unfolding dialogue trees allow them to imitate a conversation with a part of themselves. The inspiration from winning the fight, the lesson about perseverance, or the uncomfortable truth revealed about the nature of our weaknesses will carry over into the player’s everyday life. While Mica focused on the relationship a player has with themself, Reid took a different approach, curating games that serve as exemplary models of the connection that a game can form with a player and with reality. These games examine the intricacies of immersion and of how to properly blur bezels separating screen from sky. Brandon, on the other hand, observed the relationship between individuals’ mental health and immersion in digital literature. He analyzed the reason as to why players can form bonds within digital literature and how these media can be utilized to almost escape one’s own reality by participating into another similar reality without consequence to satisfy one’s emotional desires. The two works that I have decided to analyze are a 2020 indie role-playing game called “Omori”, developed and published on steam by OMOCAT, LLC, MP2 Games and also an 2017 indie personal narrative game called “Please Knock on My Door”, developed and published on steam by Levall Games AB. Digital literature that identifies as personal linear narrative fiction can demonstrate elements of inclusion through collective. From each of our themes, we have collected two games that specifically relate to our own sub topics that come together under the main idea of connection through relationships in digital literature. To navigate through the book, use the table of contents in order to view the content of the book and click the arrow to progress through the book.

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