Date of Award
2010
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Visual Arts
Supervisor
Dr. John G. Hatch
Abstract
My thesis examines videogames in aesthetic terms using writings on the Independent Group, collage, appropriation, the Open Work and the Neo-Baroque. Using the Independent Group as a platform I show that videogames share qualities that also are existent in works of art. A case study of the Kingdom Hearts series shows how it functions as a collage. From there, I examine how Nicholas Bourriaud's concept of postproduction as well as Umberto Eco's Open Work functions in World of Warcraft, as it appropriates from a variety of sources to create an open gaming experience. I conclude with World of Warcraft as an example of Neo-Baroque polycentricity, since it has multiple centres and focuses on the experience of the player. The remakes of Final Fantasy IV are examples of seriality since they expand the game through regular revisions. I conclude with the horror genre and how it uses virtuosity to scare players.
Recommended Citation
Poulsen, Diana, "But Today We Collect Videogames Citation, Appropriation, the Open Work and the Neo-Baroque in Videogames" (2010). Digitized Theses. 4423.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4423