Graduation Semester and Year

2012

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in English

Department

English

First Advisor

Timothy R Morris

Abstract

Videogames are a multibillion-dollar industry. Their high definition graphics and sophisticated gameplay cater to a continuously growing crowd of enthusiastic players. But what is their standing in the academic community? Can games be studied as texts or are they limited by the ludic qualities of their medium? Through a careful application of crime fiction theory to the videogames Heavy Rain and L.A. Noire, I will demonstrate the genre's ability to expand beyond the media of print and cinema. Features such as interactivity, decision-making, and player immersion offer new ways of looking at existing literary conventions. The omission of videogames in most comparative media analyses so far is an unfortunate oversight. The unique composite nature of their medium has the potential to revolutionize traditional approaches to textual studies by forcing scholars to simultaneously engage with visual, tactile, auditory, and psychological elements.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature

Comments

Degree granted by The University of Texas at Arlington

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