For almost thirty years, the concept of a computer-generated entertainment system has captured the imagination of writers, researchers, as well as countless children and adults who have demanded more interactivity in their play. As video games have developed, so too have the modes of discourse in talking about those games. Machinima, video projects created from video game footage, originally only recounted the successes of individual gamers and small groups. Since those early projects, machinima project developers have produced videos using game content to tell a story or to prove a point.
Machinima has shifted into the mainstream in the past few years. In addition to marketing video games, some aspects of video game culture can only be communicated by machinima projects. Communities focused on making social or political statements have used video games as either their prime targets or as a canvas for building their message. Several examples of user-generated content have sprung into popular culture, from the six o’clock news to prime time broadcasting.
Given that so many sectors have taken advantage of the various aspects of machinima production to demonstrate their arguments, this thesis will examine machinima as a mode of discourse, as well as the means by which machinima developers build and display their arguments. I will select three examples of different kinds of machinima videos, focusing especially on those projects which try to build an argument. I will apply classic rhetorical theories, game theory, and new media development theories such as espoused by Ulmer’s “wide view” and Bolter’s “remediation” to these projects. Using these theories, I hope to explain how machinima developers explain their arguments, and how multimedia presentations support these arguments.
Purpose Statement: The purpose of this project is to examine machinima projects as participation within a discourse community by remediating existing intellectual property for new ends.
No comments:
Post a Comment