Suttefield:The Relationship Between Video Game User and Character

8/3/2019 Suttefield:The Relationship Between Video Game User and Character

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Running Head: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIDEO

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VIDEO GAME USER AND CHARACTER

BY

CURTIS T. SUTTERFIELD

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THEREQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

MASTERS OF ARTSIN THE TELECOMMUNICATION DEPARTMENTS

DIGITAL STORYTELLING PROGRAM

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY

DR. JAMES W. CHESEBRO, ADVISOR

MAY 2006


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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN

VIDEO GAME USER AND CHARACTER

A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

MASTERS OF ARTS

IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION DEPARTMENTS

DIGITAL STORYTELLING PROGRAM

BY

CURTIS T. SUTTERFIELD

Committee Approval:

_______________________________________ ____________Committee Chairperson Date

_______________________________________ ____________Committee Member Date

_______________________________________ ____________Committee Member Date

Departmental Approval:

_______________________________________ ____________Departmental Chairperson Date

_______________________________________ ____________Dean of Graduate School Date


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BALL STATE UNIVERSITYMUNCIE, INDIANA

MAY 2006

Acknowledgements

My experiences in graduate school would not have been possible without the love and

support of my wife, Shannon. I need to thank Dr. Jim Chesebro for his support, patience, and

guidance as both the head of the digital storytelling program and as my thesis advisor. The other

members of my thesis committee, Dr. Joe Misiewicz and Dr. Laura OHara have been supportive

and challenging. Thanks also to my family and my in-laws who understood how important this

adventure was to me. I am also indebted to the telecommunications faculty, especially Dr.

Dominic Caristi.


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Abstract

This thesis identifies and explores the types of communication modes that exist in video

games. Different types of communication are identified and discussed based on Fryes audience

centered theory of modes. The inferior communication mode, the mimetic communication

mode, the leader-centered communication mode, the romantic communication mode, and the

mythical communication mode are all explained. A convenience sample of six video game

players were interviewed about video games. An analysis of their self-identification statements

revealed that players seek a high level of romantic communication when playing video games.

The romantic communication mode makes the video game world an idealized place where the

players are able to manipulate their circumstances or show more intelligence than the user in

reality. Uses of the communication modes are also explained.


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Table of Contents

Chapter One: Introduction to Video Games 1 Narrative Impact... 3Thesis Statement. 5

Chapter Two: Literature Review.. 7Power and Addiction 7Uses and Gratifications 9 Narrative Analysis 10Virtual Worlds 11Ludology 11

The Emotional Impact of Video Games 12Research Questions 13

Chapter Three: Methods 14Narrative Theories as a Conceptual Perspective 14Theoretical Framework 16Ironic Communication System 17Mimetic Communication System 19Leader-Centered Communication System.. 20Romantic Communication System.. 22Mythical Communication System 23Informant Interviews 25Data Analysis 27

Chapter Four: Findings 29Ironic Communication System 30Mimetic Communication System 31Leader-Centered Communication System.. 33Romantic Communication System.. 34Mythical Communication System 36Summary.. 37


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Chapter Five: Conclusions.. 40Importance 40Methodology. 41Findings. 41Significance 42

Communication Mode Character Examples.. 44Limitations. 47Future Research. 47Final Thoughts 49

Reference List. 51

Appendixes. 55A. 55B. 56C. 59

D 110


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Chapter 1

Introduction to Video Games

The entertainment and game industries are always undergoing transformation. These

transformations are often measures of shifting senses of what is significant in society. If so,

video games are now emerging as a powerful cultural force, especially if measured as a media

industry, as well as an influence on cognitive transformation.

Hollywood has surely taken notice of this relatively upstart industry. Consumers spend

more money on video games every year than they do on going to see the latest movie at theaters.

According to an analysis of trade information in Rolling Stone magazine, every year since 2001

video game sales have surpassed box office sales in the United States (We Are What We Buy,

2005, p. 38). The same chart shows this game-centric entertainment industry annually takes in

more than $10-billion1. The image of video game players has always been of children or young

adults in arcades or around a game console hooked to the family TV but that only one segment of

the audience, according to the Entertainment Software Associations website the average age of a

video game buyer is 36 (www.theesa.com). With a wider age group and a staggering amount of

sales, it seems very important to understand what is driving all of these escalating statistics, is it

just games?

The change in the entertainment and games industry is also evident in terms of talent.

Peter Jackson, who helmed the most popular box office franchise in film history, The Lord of the

Rings series, has predicted that video games are the future of entertainment (Drumming and

Endelman 2005, p. 9), and hes not alone. Stephen Spielberg, the king of the Hollywood box

1 The movie industry still reigns supreme in entertainment, even in the home. In 2004, DVD sales earned more thandoubled video game sales.


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office, with accumulated earnings in the billions, has redirected his focus on creating original

video games (Richtel, Oct. 15 2005, p, C-4). Likewise, George Lucass Star Wars films have

spawned several video game titles in more than two decades working with the video game

industry (Kent, 2001, p. 155). These are three of the biggest names in Hollywood, if the sales

dont show the significance of video games, the involvement of these heavyweights should.

While these producers and directors may be looking to cash in on a growing market, they are

also creative geniuses who view video game experience as one where the user interacts with their

surroundings and can even change the surroundings. Like the Guttenberg presss impact on

orators and the motion picture had on the written word, these video games contain powerful tools

for people whove made billions telling stories in the visual film medium. They may even be

forecasting how storytelling is changing.

Video games are making billions of dollars and inspiring films finest directors, and they

also appear to be changing the way game users think. The interactive and explorative game

world is one that is much different than the passive mediums of print, television and the movies.

To adapt to this form of entertainment gamers, as they are known, are developing new

cognitive behaviors that allow them to successfully navigate through the virtual worlds of the

game. The early video game worlds of Pac-Man and Space Invaders required nothing more than

pattern recognition and quick reflexes; todays games require much more complex thought

patterns to achieve the desired outcome which is usually completing the story2. These games

play out stories, with gamers taking on the role of heroes (and sometimes even villains) and

completing quests. Looking back on history the first important literary works were by Homer

and they entailed heroes and quests. To complete these new quests something seems to be

2 Johnson calls these cognitive behaviors probing and telescoping.


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changing in the gamers cognitive ability, not only to understand the way the story is now being

delivered, but also how the player has to become an actor in the story.

The industry itself is also aware that the story is playing an important role in their

business. In the summer of 2005, a work entitled What Every Game Developer Needs to Know

about Story appeared on the game developer website Gamasutra (www.gamasutra.com). The

article compared video games to films, in so much as both are visual mediums and stressed some

simple storytelling constructions such as Aristotles three act story structures. Although the

author touches on the importance of story, he either is unsure why it is important other than it

makes it more like film. It seems then story is important but why its important is not in this

billion-dollar, creatively powerful, possibly cognitively expanding industrys lexicon.

Narrative Analysis

Another way to examine video games is as a communications system. Specifically, in

video games interactivity is a central feature. Liu and Shrum (2002,

p. 53) defined interactivity as the degree to which two or more communication parties can act

on each other, on the communication medium, and on the messages and the degree to which such

influences are synchronized. In a video game as opposed to other games and traditional

mediums such as film or books, the communication is computer mediated. The interactions

within a video game are many times most clearly understood as governed by the narrative form.

Berger (1997, p. 4) defined narrative as:

a story, and stories tell about things that have happened or are happening to people,

animals, aliens from other planets, insects-whatever. That is, a story contains a sequence

of events, which means narratives take place within or over, to be more precise, some kind

of period of time.


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continuing in a game. Telescoping is similar to dividing a large narrative or book into sub-

narratives or chapters.

Thesis Statement

Researching video games through the paradigm of narrative has been a controversial

issue in game studies. Neitzel (2005) argued quite clearly that video games are narrative

devices. This study complements the work of Neitzel and others and can be usefully understood

as one manifestation of how narrative can exist in human communication. Specifically it argues

that a relationship exists between the user and the on screen character known as an avatar3. The

relationship between player and avatar is enhanced by the use of narrative in video games. The

mode of analysis is preliminarily based on field research but should ultimately viewed as

heuristic. Wood defines heurism as the degree to which a theory provokes new ideas, insights,

thinking and research. A theory is judged to be heuristic if it sparks new thinking (1997, p. 61).

However, these finding require a more extensive and comprehensive research program. The

findings reported here do constitute a powerful heuristic function theoretically. The primary

source for initial data will be from a field study which has been defined as an experiment

conducted in a natural setting (Frey, et al. 1992, 7).

In the end, this thesis will argue that gamers differ in levels of emotional involvement.

Some want the video game world to be an extension of the place we already live, while other

games want that world to be a better place and for themselves to be better than the state they

currently exist in. Video games fall into genres or modes of communication and can be viewed

from an audience-centered perspective. Users experience different communication modes by

experience different games. The communication modes have a role in the gamers emotional

3 An avatar is the users on screen representation in the game world. In some games avatars are the same foreveryone such as in Pac-Man, many games now allow players to customize their avatars.


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experience. Video games are linked to other mediums such as literature and television, but what

the user seeks is different.


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Chapter 2

Previous Studies

Some may conclude that video games have been ignored by mass communication

scholars. Trying to find an introductory mass communications textbook that includes a chapter

on video games would be a daunting task but the financial impact shows video game are making

an impact on a mass audience. It is probably more accurate to say the scholarly research into this

area is far from extensive. Indeed, video games have been studied for years, albeit minimally

and one of the focuses of academics has been on the game users and what drew these subjects

into these virtual worlds. Another form of investigation for researchers and theorists was the

merits of looking at video games as a narrative device, the debate over this issue created one of

video game scholarships largest divisions. Video games have also been looked at in its ability

to illicit emotions from users; much of this is recent scholarship with some intriguing answers for

future investigations. Also discussed is the impact technology has had on the video game

worlds search for realism and what the future may hold for the game designers of tomorrow.

One of the first studies of gamers was published more than two decades ago. Turkle

(1984) described video games as a psychology of addictive power and control. For more than a

decade later, her work continued to concentrate on addiction to power and control, in one

interview she conducted, a subject described how in the video game world hes in complete

control unlike most of his life (1995, p. 67). The image her work left on readers were that video

game users were a fringe portion of society, tucked away in computer labs and arcades, seduced

by the games ability to make them something more than they were in the real world. This image

of a video game nerd still is imprinted in the collective conscience of American thought but

data shows gamers are quite active in exercising, athletics, and even volunteering


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(www.theesa.com). Turkles theory of addictive power and control may have been true in her

subjects, but as the industry has evolved so has the demand of the gamers. A fantasy is also an

area where a person has power and control and for these reasons can be addictive. Fantasy has

been defined as the creative and imaginative shared interpretation of events that fulfill a groups

psychological or rhetorical need to make sense of their experience and to anticipate their future

(Bormann & Bormann, 1988, p. 82). Video games do deal in a fantasy world, the problem is

however, the fantasy is not the players; it is the game designers fantasy. A player cant truly

control a video game, they must respond to it. The structure the player is responding to is the

games fantasy world and that is created by the narrative, this is true in all forms of the media

and the video game is rarely if ever an exception. What the gamers are becoming is a group

filled with passion for this medium of entertainment. This fantasy of the video game world a

zeal for exploration, not control.

A common way to understand the user of a medium is to analyze it through the theory of

uses and gratifications. Since the 1940s, researchers have used this method to try and

understand why a person chooses a particular medium and what types of satisfaction the medium

brings to the user (Wimmer & Dominick, 2003, p. 403). Researchers have also taken the uses

and gratifications approach to video game users. Building on the work of several other media

researchers, Lucas and Sherry (2004) developed a detailed uses and gratifications model for

video game users all of which was built on a methodology originally employed by Greenberg

(1974) for understanding television users. By employing focus groups and interviews Lucas and

Sherry (2004, p. 503) developed five principal reasons why gamers play; (1) competition-to be

the best player of the game; (2) challenge-to push oneself to beat the game or get to the next

highest level; (3) social interaction-to play as a social experience with friends; (4) diversion-to


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pass time or to alleviate boredom; (5) fantasy-to do things that you cannot do in real life such as

driving race cars or flying; and (6) arousal-to play because the game is exciting. The authors

scale was then used to reveal a discrepancy between male and female gamers.

In Sherry and Lucass uses and gratifications for video gamer players, narrative is almost

completely missing. Their second principal of challenge seems closest to understanding

narratives impact. What is a gamer trying to accomplish by reaching the next level or

completing the game? In many games this means fulfilling the narrative qualities of the game.

Is it the challenge of the game or the desire to complete the story, to find out what comes next, to

see the path the action takes them down, that the user is truly interested in? Understanding the

motive for the gamer could help establish the role of narrative as a use and gratification in a

video game.

Using narrative as tool for investigating video games has identified several major aspects

of video games. Some researchers have shown video games feature drama, and interactivity.

Others have explored video game animation as transformational and realistic. A few researchers

have also argued that narrative has little to no impact on video games and that other features are

more important to understanding the power of the medium. One of the most important features

to this research is the work done by others that shows the emotional impact video games can

have on users.

Laurel (2003, p. 564) was one of the first scholars to understand narrative could be the

base for researching and understanding video games. She incorporated Aristotles six qualitative

elements of drama into her vision of a computer based drama. Her work also focused on the

metaphor of the computer being a new area for actors to perform theater. Murray (1997) also

explored the world of an interactive narrative inHamlet on the Holodeck. Three key concepts


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are developed by Murray for a user to truly take part in an interactive narrative; (1) immersion,

the act of fully plunging once self into a foreign environment or world using the metaphor

digital swimming (p. 99), (2) agency, is the joy produced when a users action in the real world

(e.g., pressing a button) creates satisfactory action (e.g., firing a shot at the bad guy) in the

synthetic world, and (3) transformation is the act of morphing into something else. In the case of

a user/avatar relationship, transformation is a powerful tool. The transformation of an ordinary

person into the super hero like avatar is one possible reason for developing and exploring the

user/avatar relationship.

Another factor that could impair the user/avatar relationship is the almost cartoon aspect

of the character. A television show like the Simpsons orSouth Parkowes much of its ability to

push the envelope of societal constraints by its ability to look unreal or exaggerated due to its

animated state. Video games have the opposite position, due to its animated state its harder to

believe that the character is in a real place. If recent developments continue this may actually be

an unimportant separation. Wolf (2001, p. 94) points out video games have an advantage for

telling stories since they are based in a diegetic, or on-screen, world that the user is already used

to because of its similarities to television and film. Uren (2003, p. 7) in his analysis of video

game design issues points out that computer technology is making the game world more realistic.

Through the manipulation of 3-D polygons animation looks more and more realistic. In film,

this advanced animation technology is making major changes too. In The Lord of the Rings

(2001-2003) trilogy one of the most pivotal characters was a computer generated Gollum.

Movies such as Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) and Sin City (2005) used real

actors on entirely computer rendered sets. These two worlds, real and animated, appear to be


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coming closer and closer to each other, setting up the capability of a realistic computer generated

world with the ability to provide user interaction.

Narrative Criticism

A group of scholars known as ludologists worry that using narrative as a means for

studying video games hurts this emerging field of research. Frasca (2003, p. 221), Juul (2001)

and Eskelinen (2001) among others have taken an anti-narrative stance fearing that other

academic disciplines will take over the field with their own theories and ignoring games unique

qualities such as time relationships, rules, and simulations. Crossing disciplines however, can

actually enhance a field as Burkes use of philosophy, literature, linguistics, and sociology aided

his work with rhetoric and helped evolve the communications field (Foss, Foss & Trapp, 2002,

pp. 187-88). Neitzel (2005, p. 227) may have argued best that a scope of either narrative or

Ludology is too narrow because a computer is a hybrid medium and capable of so much more

than other mediums. Her exploration of narrative in video games points out that one of the main

separations between games and other forms of medium is the active involvement of the user.

This separation or user involvement is one of the main areas that need to be further explored by

research.

The Emotional Impact of Video Games

One way for a relationship to evolve is to add emotion to it. Some video game studies

have explored the emotional impact of video games. One study (Schneider et al., 2004, pp. 361-

75) looked at how adding a more developed narrative to a first person shooter video game

showed increases in emotional, motivational and physiological responses. Using a two by two

design experiment emotional experience was measured in two ways self-reported and skin

conductance. Another study by a private researcher (Bowen, 2005) used online surveys to


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determine what genre of video games created the most emotional impact. The 78% of the 535

users surveyed chose role playing games (RPG) as the most emotionally powerful, first person

shooters were the second highest ranked at 52%, followed closely by action 49%, and adventure

48%. This research shows that video games produce an emotional response, especially in certain

types of games. The role playing game seriesFinal Fantasy was mentioned most often by users

as being the most emotional game and that the surprise death of a character caused some users to

be depressed for weeks.

Previous studies in video games have shown that the medium is a communicative

experience and that one area of communication involved in it is specifically narrative. What sets

the narrative in video games apart from other mediums is the level of influence by the user.

Users have the ability to transform into characters that act in other worlds which are becoming

more and more realistic. Video games also produce emotion in users, and some video games

provide a more emotional experience.

What is missing from the literature is a closer look at the relationships developed between

the user and the avatar. Specifically what is needed is a way to categorize and separate the

different types of characters instead of lumping them all in one bin. This thesis explores that

framework and provides some possible answers into why a user and character relationship

develops, how it impacts the user, and how it motivates or discourages users to continue the

experience. It also provides possible areas for future researchers to explore.


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Chapter 3

Methods

While video games can be viewed as narrative, and these games fill some needs for the

users, as indicated in chapter two, the relationship between the user and the game character

remains unclear. In part, no established criteria exist for defining characters in video games and

video game players. To aid in defining different types of video game characters, naturalistic

research techniques are used to provide an overview of the gamers world and greater insight

into the user/avatar relationship. The relationship between the user and the video game character

portrayed by the user can be highly personal. Accordingly, the design of the field research is to

employ as unobtrusive a research method as possible when interviewing informants. At the

same time, interpreting the collected data from the interviews requires either an existing

theoretical framework to use or creating a new theory, for this thesis a framework for defining

fictional characters already exists. This chapter explores different means of investigating

narratives from a communications perspective, explaining why some would not work for this

thesis. More information will be provided on a relevant theory, the collection of data, and it was

interpreted.

Narrative Theories as a Conceptual Perspective

Lacey (2001, p. 6) supposes narrative is as old as humankind. Understanding narratives

can be done in many ways, and through several different theories. Bormann (1972, pp. 396-407)

developed symbolic convergence theory as a way to understand how a fantasy theme(s) develops

in group communication but it has also been used for mass communication as well (Bormann,

Cragan, & Shields, 1994, p. 272). Although an effective theoretical strategy, symbolic


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convergence theory does not intentionally look at the dynamic of character in a narrative which

would make it less useful in collecting data to support this thesis. Another narrative analysis tool

is Fishers (1984, pp. 1-22) narrative paradigm. The narrative paradigm focuses on the good

reasons for a narrative and involves both probability and fidelity. Here a critic looks for

coherence and truth in a narrative. Like symbolic convergence theory and some other narrative

theories, the narrative paradigm does not focus on character and therefore is not as useful as the

following theories in this case.

Most likely the first narrative theory comes from Aristotles (1995)Poetics and is a good

place to start when searching for an effective theory to support the thesis statement. Aristotle

defines poetry as a type of mimesis or imitation. Within poetry there are three genres epic verse,

tragedy, and comedy. Comedy involves a situation where the central character is inferior to the

audience, which is where the humor is derived. In a tragedy the central character is superior to

the audience and overcomes or succumbs to an admirable action. Epic verse is a narrative where

the central character is similar to the one in tragedy. Video games could be separated between

these three types of genres although epic verse is probably not relevant. Dividing video games

into just two categories of either comedy or tragedy most likely would not result in enough

distinguishable data to effectively address the thesis statement but this theory does address the

importance of characters.

Aristotles work also revealed another possible narrative theory to explore, genre theory

or more specifically generic criticism. Websters New World Dictionary defines a genre as a

distinct kind, or type (1990, p. 248). Generic criticism is marked by Bitzers (1968, pp 1-14)

components of a rhetorical situation; the first of which is the exigence which is what begs us to

investigate, the second part is that an audience must be capable of being influenced and be able


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Fryes concept focused on the main character or heros action rather than their morality. This is

a very important distinction for video games, especially more recent games, users are given the

ability to choose between what type of morality play they want to take part in or more simply,

whether or not they want their character to be good or bad. In a game such as the wildly popular

Grand Theft Auto video game series, the hero goes around stealing cars, beating prostitutes and

attacking police officers. In this type of game defining a video game character based on morality

could pose quite a quandary. The type of action however is much more rigid and therefore more

classifiable. If one considers the game play in a video game to be an action, then a classification

of characters by there action seems to be an even more appropriate system than Aristotles.

Fryes theoretical framework was intended for use in literature alone, his intention was to

show how over the history of the written world in the Western society, the type of character

changed over time from a character vastly superior to his audience to one that was inferior.

Chesebro (2003, p. 367-418) adapted Fryes theory as a tool for analyzing communication.

Fictional characters from prime time television were analyzed during a twenty-five year period.

The study looked at the characters from an audience centered aspect making it a communication

mode. The work on television also took into account the changes in characters presented over

time. Two key variables in differentiating characters in this scheme were: (1) The apparent

intelligence of the central character compared to the understanding of the audience and (2) the

ability of the character to control the circumstances compared to the ability of the audience. That

the classification system works when extended to another medium is a good test that it will

probably work for another (e.g. video games). Chesebros adaptation of Fryes work specifically

shifts Fryes generic modes to a theory of communication modes. At this point, it is appropriate


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to explicitly identify the five kinds of communication modes that are ultimately used to classify

the content of video game players.

Ironic Communication System

One classification of character comes when a narratives hero is inferior to the reader in

either intelligence or in their ability to control the circumstances surrounding them. If this is the

case our hero is in an (1) ironic communication mode. Acting inferior is the main key to this

concept. Everyone at one time or another has figuratively stumbled with whatever action we

were trying to do and thus were acting in an ironic mode. For a character to be considered ironic

though, they should spend most of their time in the users determination in this phase.

Throughout his essay, Frye (1957, p. 41) provides examples of literary characters that fit

the different modes. Table 1 Five Communication Modes in Different Mediums, provides a

convenient summary of these examples. One of the most recognized characters is Hester Prynne

the protagonist of Hawthornes classic The Scarlet Letter. Prynnes crime of adultery and more

to the point her subsequent

Table 1. Examples from the Five Communication Modes in Different Mediums

Communication ModeCompared to Audience

Literature Television Motion Picture

Ironic- inferior inintelligence or controlling

circumstances

Hester Prynne(The Scarlet

Letter)

Archie Bunker(All in theFamily)

Larry, More, orCurly

(The ThreeStooges)

Mimetic- same intelligenceand controllingcircumstances

Daisy Miller(Daisy Miller)

Mary Richards(The Mary Tyler

Moore Show)

Mitch(Old School)

Leader Centered superiorin degree in intelligence and

same controllingcircumstances

Othello(Othello)

Julia Sugarbaker(Designing

Women)

Erin Brockovich(Erin

Brockovich)


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For movie characters there are a long line of everyday people, comedies that do not rely

on slapstick normally have at least one character like this so that the absurdity that surrounds

them is more easily spotted. The recent movie Old Schoolfeatured a central character named

Mitch, so plain was Mitch that he didnt even have a last name in the credits. Mitch played by

Luke Wilson participated in the craziness that surrounded him during the movie but he still acted

like a normal person, the comedy came from the normal person in abnormal situations. Horror

movies also thrive on characters that are neither superior nor inferior to us. It is easier to put

ourselves in the shoes of a relatively normal camp counselor who is about to be slaughtered by

Jason in aFriday the 13

th

movie, therefore it is scarier. It the abnormal happening in a normal

setting that instigates the fear.

Leader-Centered Communication System

The character in a leader centeredcommunication mode is more typically thought of as a

hero, especially by todays modern definition of the word hero. The leader-centered character is

superior in degree in intelligence to others but only through specialized training and education.

This hero faces the same limitations our circumstances environment that the audience faces. The

hero becomes a leader by using the special training or education to encourage others to follow

them.

Othello is an example of how being leader centered does not necessarily guarantee

happiness in the fictional world. Fryes example is indeed a leader, a Moor who also is in

command of a Venetian army. It is his intelligence, through training, that allows him to lead this

army of foreigners. Othello is not able to control his circumstances however and kills his wife

believing she was unfaithful. When it is later revealed to him that she had not committed


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adultery, he ends his own life. Although most in the audience could never command an army,

anyone could be betrayed by their partner.

Chesebro finds his example of the leader centered communication mode in the 1980s

situational comedyDesigning Women. At one time or another all four of the central characters

on the show displayed the qualities of a leader. Julia Sugarbaker is identified after a review of

the comedy stated she was the matriarchal figure of the four. The designers faced the same

problems anyone on the audience might face but one would lead the others through the situation.

In this case since they were partners in the design firm it made it easier for anyone of them to

lead.

In the movieErin Brockovich, the title character uses her knowledge of law she has

learned as a secretary to help clients and her boss win a major lawsuit. Brockovich is not a

typical leader type in that she has to answer to her boss who is an attorney. It is her intelligence

that makes her the leader and gets clients and her boss to follow her into a battle against a

corporate giant. Brokovich is in circumstances the audience finds itself in, working for others,

but by using her wits does not let that stop her from leading.

Romantic Communication System

A character that is superior to others in degree and able to manipulate their circumstances

in exceptional ways is classified as existing in the romantic communication mode. While

possessing extraordinary powers, this character remains a human. The superiority of the actions

is only a degree more than what the mimetic character possesses. These characters have more

options for controlling the environment surrounding them. In many ways these are the idealized

characters, the ones who live where the grass is actually greener.


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One of the oldest English fictional characters is Fryes example of a character in the

romantic communication mode. Beowulf travels to afar away land to save the people from a

fierce Grendel monster and eventually the monsters mother. Later the people make him king

and eventually dies during a fight with a dragon. It is Beowulfs intelligence and bravery that

inspires the people to make him king. It is Beowulfs ability to battle supernatural creatures that

shows his ability to manipulate circumstances.

Jessica Fletcher of the television program Murder, She Wrote is an example of the

romantic communication mode. Fletcher uses her superior intelligence to write famous murder

mysteries and even helps solve crimes for police investigators. Her uncanny ability to solve

crime is what makes her slightly superior to her circumstances. As Chesebro points out Fletcher

is sometimes even able to explain a death constituted murder rather than a suicide or accidental

death (p. 381).

In the first movie of the Matrix trilogy, the central character Neo is proclaimed the one

by the rebel Morpheous. Neo spent his life inside the computer created world of the Matrix as a

hacker. Hacking we are believed to understand takes considerable intelligence, especially the

way Neo hacks. Morpheous explains that hes been living in a lie and takes him to the real

world outside the Matrix. After extensive training Neo is able to manipulate the Matrix world

by seeing the computer code in everything artificial. The Neo character eventually progresses

into another type of communication mode during the trilogy, but for the first film, his character is

in a romantic communication mode.

Mythical Communication System

The fifth category of action for a hero is classified in the (5) mythical communication

mode. This character is essentially a god and there are almost no limitations placed on them.


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The second phase of the research involves informant interviews utilizing open-ended

questions. An open-ended question is an interrogative sentence designed to permit unguided

responses and allows subjects to introduce any situational variables they see fit to provide when

answering the question. According to Lindlof and Taylor (2002, p. 177) there are four

characteristics for ideal informants and an ideal informant is one that has at least characteristic,

they include (1) extended experience in the culture, (2) serving the scene in a variety of roles, (3)

respected by peers, subordinates or superiors in the social network, and/or (4) they are speakers

of the language amongst the group and can clue the researcher into the languages specialized

meanings. Extended experience was the primary characteristic of those interviewed for this

study, although the heavier gamers were also able to provide some specialized terms.

The subjects were chosen after answering that they liked to play video games as part of a

convenience sample. Although this type of research is usually frowned upon for quantitative

analysis, a convenience sample can be beneficial for exploring ideas. In this case it the theory

that holds the key to understanding gamers, not how big the population of the study was.

Another potential problem with using convenience samples is that the data can not usually be

generalized, but the results found in chapter 4 may disagree with that interpretation. The

researcher created a sample of six gamers who have been playing video games for several years.

All of the participants had played the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) console which was

introduced in the mid 1980s (Kent, 2001).

One of the variables for each informant was the amount of time spent playing each week.

All participants reported playing video games every week but one two informants did it for less

than two hours a week, two other informants played more than that, and the last two informants

gamed heavily, at least 30 hours per week. As one could surmise from such a discrepancy in


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clarify the spelling of a character mentioned during the interview process. The transcripts were

then coded by the researcher (see appendix B) into a corresponding communication mode and

placed in table 2 and finally synthesized. Bruyn writes the process by which one arrives at the

process of a phenomenon is synthetic, involving bringing together of disparate elements of

experience together intelligently and intuitively (1966, p. 95). The phenomenon in this case is

the five types of communication modes.

Coding the data into the five genres of communication mode entailed careful analysis of

the interview transcripts. A set of criteria or a rubric was developed by the researcher. Most of

the self-identification statements included the personal pronoun I, but not everyone. After

distinguishing the statement it was classified as being in the ironic communication mode if the

informant used key words such as inferior, simple, or expressed a sense there was nothing they

could do against the computer. Diagnosing the mimetic communication mode relied on the

informants using my or yourself, words that made the user feel as though they were in the

game. Interpreting leader-centered communication is difficult because it so similar to the

mimetic character. Key words for leader-centered communication mode include the obvious

lead and more subtle word selections such as ranting, building, strategy or similar words that

describe progression. For the romantic communication mode, informants described idealized

notions of the worlds they played in and the characters they controlled such as being able to fly

or the ability to wield magic just like Harry Potter does on film and in print. For understanding

the mythical communication mode, the researcher sought out statements as being able to crush

cars under your monster feet or being indestructible. The type of statements showed the

informant realized they were not being part of humankind.


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The gamers differing levels of time spent playing, games played, and ability to articulate

those experiences resulted in the researcher being able to catalog the informants self

identification with a communication mode. Chapter four summarizes the findings derived from

the data analysis as the interviews were so classified.


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Chapter 4

Findings

In this chapter, the data collected in this study are presented, interpreted, and assessed.

Specifically, the interviews conducted with video game players are reported in terms of Fryes

five modes of communication. As noted in chapter 3, the statements of video game players were

classified into Fryes five theoretical modes. Such a classification provides a way of

understanding the relationships video game players with the set of fictional characters that reside

within a video game, implicitly reveal how video games players conceive of themselves as they

play video games, and provide a link between video games as communication systems and

modes or genres traditionally employed to define another kind of communication system,

literature.

In this regard, the interviews with video game players in this study are provided in

Appendix B. Additionally, specific statements of video game players are classified into Fryes

five theoretical modes on Table 2 in Appendix C.

The significance and meanings of these classifications are provided in this chapter in

several ways. First, the overall numeric emphases of this classification is provided in Table 3

below, followed by an interpretation of this frequency finding. Second, the significance and

meaning of video game players statement in terms of each of Fryes five theoretical modes is

provided. Finally, a conclusion regarding these findings is provided.

Overall Numeric Emphases

Table 3 provides a numeric assessment of the frequency of video game players

statements in terms of Fryes five theoretical modes.


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Table 3. Frequency of Subjects Self-Identification with a Communication Mode

Communication Modes Number of SubjectsSelf-Identifications with a

Communication Mode

Percentage of SubjectsSelf-Identifications with a

Communication Mode

Ironic 8 6.89Mimetic 25 21.55Leader-centered 18 15.51

Romantic 48 41.37Mythic 17 14.65Total 116 99.97

Overall, the video game players interviewed for this study overwhelmingly found

romantic video game characters to be their most important source of identification. As Table 3

indicates, video game players identified with romantic video game heroes twice as often as the

mimetic heroes in video games. This romantic identification suggests that video games function

as a tremendous goad to the imagination, as a way of moving from the here-and-now to a

more idealized, if not glorified, environment. Additionally, the video game players interviewed

in this study identified with romantic video game heroes almost three times as often as they did

with leader-centered and mythical centered video game heroes. Such a comparison suggests that

for video game players, video games are more than leadership training sessions in which players

want to experience only a mere increase in their sense of intelligence and/or the ability to control

circumstances (i.e., a leader-centered domain). Likewise, the comparison suggests that video

games are understood to function within a world governed by natural laws of physics rather than

creating a world of the supernatural (i.e., the mythical domain). Finally, it should be noted that

video games are seldom played as a way to abdicate power and personal importance; video game

players identified with romantic heroes within their games almost six times more frequently than

with ironic heroes within video games.


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informant made a self-identification with a communication mode showed a far different story

(see table 3). At less than seven percent, the ironic communication mode appeared far less in the

results than any of the other communication modes.

Anyone who plays games knows they can be incredibly frustrating, especially when

starting out, and can make one feel like they are in the ironic communication mode. It appears in

the responses however, this is not a problem, as informant #2 said I guess in Warcraft I want my

character to progress and I guess my character is inferior at the time but I dont know if it is the

progression that I find enjoyable. Although the informant understood inferiority is part of the

learning process its not what draws him to the games, Its not like I pick out the character

thinking hes inferior or anything like that. Sometimes a gamer gets that feeling after theyve

played the game for a while, some think its the programmers revenge as informant #6 revealed,

I feel like the computer cheats (laughter), I swear sometimes the computer is against me. If the

games did indeed cheat to make the player feel inferior it seems that games would soon lose their

appeal. It may be a laugh to feel inferior now and then, like the key and new job examples

showed us we do sometimes in life, but a steady dose of it would probably make the user move

on to some other game just as we would move on with something else in our lives. When the

informants were asked what kind of video game character fell into this mode, not surprisingly, it

was the most difficult for them to name.

Mimetic Communication Mode

As children many of us played games like make believe, maybe we had toy soldiers or

dolls to help stimulate our imaginations. Many times the activities were a way to role play at

things we saw adults do and planned on doing some day when we grew up. Sometimes we

would make this imaginary world to be one that s better than reality, so we romanticized it.


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Other times however we just inhabited that world. In many ways, when we invited friends in to

our play, we called it house or soldier, but what we were usually doing was playing life.

Playing life could be very useful because it allowed us to learn what we liked and did not like,

what was useful and what was not useful. In the play of life we created, we did what Johnson

(2005, p. 45-55) called probing. We used the scientific method in our approach to play but what

we were really exploring was the mimetic communication mode. We mimicked real life or at

least what we thought was real life.

Some video games offer the chance to play life or experience the mimetic communication

mode. The example most of the informants thought of for the mimetic communication mode

was the game ofThe Sims. The game is essentially a simulation of real life, you have to get a job

if you want to buy things, wake up late and miss work you get fired, if you want to advance in

work you need a larger social network so you need to make more friends, if you want to increase

your friends you are not only going to have to buy a phone you are going to have to use it and

invite these people over for socializing. These are but a few examples of the monotonous things

we have to do in every day life that somehow are fun when put it into a little pixilated world.

Informant #2, a heavy gamer, saw the similarities immediately I played Sims for a while and

that really fits what youre talking about. The character is so much like you; you might even

name the character after yourself. You can even make the character look like you. The game

has been described as a doll house but it is much more than that it is a place where we can probe

and possibly figure out how to change some of things weve done wrong in our life. It is like

deciding to go the college route in the board game calledLife instead of taking the quick bucks

of the shorter path, although The Sims is the game ofLife on steroids. If someone is recreating


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their life as you are able to do in the game to some degree, then they are certainly in the mimetic

mode of communication with the game, its not inferior or superior it is essentially the same.

This mode of communication had the second highest total of self-identifications among

the informants. One of the reasons the total may have been so were the number of response

informant #2 made concerning this aspect of gaming and that he made the most identifiable

responses. Informant #2 made 15 of the 25 statements in the mimetic communication mode and

he also made the most self-identifications with 38. The Sims may explain how this type of

communication mode is an everyday slice of life but informant #2 provides even more detail

when it comes to idolizing, game play, and choices. Ive never been a big fan of magic

abilities, that just doesnt buy it, but Ive always my whole life been a military person so Ive

always had you know this respect for this warrior person. Even though #2 could essentially be

anyone in the world he goes with someone he respects, It just seems like all the games I like are

the kind(s) were youre the normal average type of character. One aspect he sees is that like in

a Sims type game there is room to grow, I can see that as being a driving force for someone to

try and improve your own situation and you can do it a lot easier in a game than you can in real

life. One advantage game makers have in creating games in the mimetic communication mode

is something the other heavy gamer, informant #6, saw Its not hard to believe whats going on

in a game if it looks like Joe Blow and Jane Doe. With both heavy gamers weighing in with

such lucidity, maybe when one spends so much time in the game worlds, a dose of reality is also

needed.

Leader-Centered Communication Mode

Most everyone at one time or another has felt frustration with a boss, chairperson, or

some other type of authority and felt we could do a better job if given the chance. In this case it


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is our desire to lead that we are trying to act upon and it is in the leader-centered communication

mode that we enter. Most people will not enter a situation with this attitude; they need some

experience or training. The hero character in the leader-centered communication mode is only

slightly superior to the audience and it is because of their background and training. Most of us

would not want to lead on the first day of a job unless we already had prior experience and

training. It is only after the training and the experience that we will start to entertain the

fantasies from the beginning of the paragraph.

Video games offer users this ability of leadership without many of the hassles and risks

of real world, here the only consequence of having to start the game or section of the game over.

This is of course a very powerful feeling and one that can be rewarding for the gamer as

informant #1 explains:

The ability to act and make decisions in a video game that I think in our life were

forced not to act in order to survive, were forced not to tell our boss hes an idiot

because we need our jobs to pay the electric company, to pay our rent but uh, so, a

lot of things in real life is learning when not to react or tolerate situations. But as a

leader in a video game you dont have to tolerate any of that, you can take care of that, a more

active role somewhat.

These are obviously personal feelings for informant #1, who was the only informant to make

more self-identifications in the leader-centered communication mode than any of the other

modes. Informant #1 was also the oldest informant by a substantial number of years, twelve. It

may be that he has had enough training in his life but his work position keeps him from


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capitalizing on the leadership qualities he believes he possess. The leader centered video game

character may be providing him a virtual refuge.

Age may be a factor in this analysis too as the next oldest informant #4 had the next

highest percentage (5 of 18) of responses in the leader centered communication mode compared

to overall responses. Informant #4 was able to express in even more detail why he wanted to be

the mayor of another simulation game Sim City, I enjoy the task of having to manage so many

things at one time, something that is functional and hopefully successful. Many people would

not want to be a Mayor in real life because of all the managing that it would take, but here in a

game world all that managing is the reward, not the burden. The self-identification from

informant #4 also reveals that video games are teaching people to multi-task and how hard a job

such as being a mayor can really be.

Romantic Communication Mode

Many people will refer to high school or college as the best times of their life, maybe its

true but when we reflect we forget many of the hardships of growing up. By cutting out what

went wrong and the struggles we went through we have made the experience superior to the one

we are currently in, this is also what happens with the character in the romantic communication

mode. In this communication mode everything is a little bit better or slightly superior to what

the audience has in their life. Here what is experienced is romanticized and just out of our reach.

Most daydreamers would strive for this fantastical world that exists in the romantic

communication mode.

Video games are ripe for the romantic communication mode; it is concerned with escape

from reality. If video games are a way to indulge in fantasy and do things you can not do in

normal life as Lucas and Sherrys uses and gratifications study suggests, it should not be a


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The video game world gives users the chance to actually be a mythical creature, which

may not be as amusing as it sounds. Informant #1 experienced this feeling, I liked being

Godzilla because you can stomp around and kick cars and punch buildings and stuff like that it

was pretty fun. He would later go on to say that wasnt much fun and maybe in human terms it

is not much fun to be a god. In some video games there is a way to cheat the system called a

god-code that essentially makes you indestructible. Some use this cheat as they are called to

get through area of the game that is too difficult to pass for the user or sometimes to just get

through the game faster. As informant #6 volunteered, Its got to be nice to just rampage

through anything you want, do any task that is at hand, do anything you want really. This

godlike superiority is also a powerful emotion to tap into in the video game world, for informant

#2, I think I am the character essentially; I am the character in that game. There is not some

virtual persona of me in the game, it is me controlling everything. Of course, when you have

that much control and you cannot die it may also make for a game that is not very challenging

which is why this function has to be found in the game like an Easter egg and not part of the

normal game play.

Conclusions

When discussing video games and characters, the informant self-identification statements

overwhelmingly favored the romantic communication mode. This mode emphasizes a world

beyond everyday reality as well as world that goes beyond the directions provided or governed

by leaders. When people invoke and employ a romantic communication mode, they depart form

the here and now for a different kind of world, a world that differs in degree in terms of how

things are understood and what controlling circumstances are. In this sense, playing a video

game is a way to get away, and most people do not want to go back to the real world if given a


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chance to leave it at least temporarily. There were two other communication mode findings that

bear repeating. The mimetic communication mode scored high among the heavy gamers who

played for more than 30 hours a week. The need for mimetic communication could be because

so much time is spent in an artificial world they need to get a dose of reality. Leader-centered

communication scored high among the two oldest informants. The ability to be your own boss

or be needed seemed to play important roles for the gamers who made these types of self-

identification statements. Also examples of five different video game characters that

corresponded with the appropriate communication mode were provided.


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Chapter 5

Conclusions

In this fifth and final chapter a summation of the previous chapters will be made to

support this thesis. Arguments were made that video games represent digital communication,

specifically narrative and interactivity, and that games merit academic investigation. Previous

game studies have focused on users and on narratives but there is a void in the literature between

users and narratives. This thesis adapted Fryes theory of modes to analyze the relationship

between the user or audience and the narrative. A convenience sample of interviews was used to

determine what communication mode players favored in video games. Overwhelmingly, the

self-identification statements showed the users looks to engage in the romantic communication

mode where the character is superior to the audience by degree in intelligence and the ability to

control their circumstances. This chapter will also point out some of the limitations of this thesis

and propose some possible future research in this area.

Significance

Video games are a growing form of digital communication. Video games are narratives

and are also an interactive form of communication. Most other mediums are rarely if ever as

interactive. This type of digital communication makes it imperative to understand the role of the

user which is also the audience in the narrative process. The video game industry creates billions

of dollars in sales every year, making it a lucrative medium. Top talent in other mediums are

embracing and exploring the creation of new video games. It has also been speculated that video

games are also changing our cognitive abilities through the two concepts of probing and


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telescoping. This thesis enhances the understanding of what type of communication gamers seek

when they play video games and classifies the various modes.

Previous Studies

Although studies on video games are relatively new, the studies are increasing

exponentially. Some of the earlier studies searched for reasons why users play video game.

Much of the theoretical debate in the past half decade revolved around whether or not video

games were indeed narratives and whether they should be studied as such. Neitzel made a

powerful argument that video games were indeed narratives and this thesis complemented her

work. This thesis explored the relationship between the user and the game character in terms of

communication genre. Previous studies on video games revealed a lapse in this area of inquiry.

Methodology

A convenience sample of six video game informants was employed to uncover the

relationship between user and gamer. The informants were interviewed at separate times but

with essentially the same questions. Although primarily known as a way to identify works of

literature, Fryes theory of modes also works as a way to analyze audience centered

communication. Five modes of communication were identified and distinguished. A table

provided fictional character examples from the mediums of literature, television, and motion

pictures. The informants interviews were then coded and placed into a table depending on

which mode of communication the self identification statement most accurately fit. A data

analysis of the informants statements was then implemented.

Findings

Gamers self identification statements showed that they desire the relationship between

the game and themselves to more often be in the romantic mode of communication. This means


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they prefer a world where they have extraordinary powers such as being able to fly, being able to

breathe underwater, or even being able to walk away after crashing a car. It is the ability to be

superior in degree to a normal audience in both intelligence and their ability to control

circumstances that makes this type of communication appealing. If one is to explore another

world as video games allow a user to do it makes sense that they would want to be better than

they perceive themselves to be in their own world. The mimetic communication mode also

ranked high among the users, especially the more frequent gamers. One possible explanation for

this finding is that gamers who spend so much time in a world full of romantic communication

also need a dose of reality that the mimetic communication mode supplies.

Communication Mode Character Examples

In the third chapter of this thesis, table 1 showed examples of the characters belonging to

the five communication modes, in different mediums. At this time, we can now update the table

including video game characters creating table 4 five communication modes in different

mediums. The video game informants provided examples of characters they believed fit into the

various communication modes.


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Table 4. Five Communication Modes in Four Different Mediums

CommunicationMode toAudience

Literature Television Motion Picture Video Game

Ironic- inferior inintelligence or

controllingcircumstances

Hester Prynne(The Scarlet

Letter)

Archie Bunker(All in theFamily)

Larry, More, orCurly

(The ThreeStooges)

Q-Bert(Q-Bert)

Mimetic- sameintelligence and

controllingcircumstances

Daisy Miller(Daisy Miller)

Mary Richards(The Mary Tyler

Moore Show)

Mitch(Old School)

Self Sim(The Sims)

Leader Centered superior in

degree inintelligence andsame controlling

circumstances

Othello(Othello)

Julia Sugarbaker(Designing

Women)

ErinBrockovich

(ErinBrockovich)

Lara Croft(Tomb

Raider)

Romantic-superior indegree in

intelligence andsuperior in

degree tocontrollingcircumstances

Beowulf(Beowulf)

Jessica Fletcher(Murder, She

Wrote)

Neo(Matrix)

Mario(Super Mario

Brothers)

Mythical-Superior in kindin intelligenceand superior in

kind incontrolling

circumstances

Loki(Norse

Mythology)

Elizabeth(V)

The Terminator(Terminator

series)

Godzilla(Godzilla:Save theEarth)

The ironic character had the fewest instances of someone providing a character

but informant #5 had the quickest response of Q-Bert. Q-Bertwas a popular arcade game in

the 1980s. The title characters actions involved hopping from block to block


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and being chased. These actions are obviously inferior to the audience. Many early video game

characters such as Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, and Pogo were fairly simple characters that did not do

much besides playing elaborate games of chase.

As mentioned previously The Sims was an overwhelming choice as a character in the

mimetic communication mode. The game itself consists of rather mundane normal everyday

activities, such as using the phone, cleaning, using the bathroom, and paying bills. I named the

character Self Sim when a user created a replica of themselves as an avatar. In a world where

we try to recreate ourselves and we have to perform normal actions in order to sustain the game,

weve really mimicked life. The Self Sim certainly falls in the mimetic communication mode.

Most of the informants agreed that games from the players perspective where you do not see the

character but are more or less inhabiting the character called first person shooters would also be

an example. If the player is the character then essentially they are the same audience.

The video game character Lara Croft has spun out of herTomb Raidergame world onto

the Hollywood movie screen. The character which is a take off of the Indiana Jones character

and informant #2 believed she displayed many leader centered communication mode qualities.

Croft is an archeologist, which takes years of training to become, but the training makes her

smarter in certain areas and only by degrees. Some of the challenges she faces as a tomb

raider require intelligence over brawn. The character of James Bond came up as a leader

centered character too. 007 uses his vast spy training to beat the bad guy.

The informants made many romantic communication mode self-identifications during the

interview process, but had a harder time coming up with a hero character. The one that most

seems to fit is the Mario character. Originally, Mario and his brother were just plumbers but in

the Super Mario Brothers games, he becomes almost a superhero in his ability to try and save the


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thesis is heuristic, meaning that it is exploratory and it sparks new thoughts or ideas. The video

game user plays such an active role in the narrative of a video game it only makes sense to study

it from the user or audience perspective. If the narrative is not strong, the game may still be

quite rewarding because of the game play. Researching games from the genre of

communications mode allows for the game play factor. A conventional genre breakdown would

take into account only the narrative itself.

Fryes original theory was developed as a way to show how literature had evolved over

the centuries. His contention was that western literature started in the mythical mode, moved to

the romantic, then moved to leader-centered, then to mimetic, and lastly went into the ironic

form before becoming mythical again. There is one problem however in this literary timeline

and that is his examples do not agree with it. Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter was originally

published in 1850 and provided the example of an ironic character in Hester Prynne. Daisy

Miller the mimetic example of a character was written by James in 1898. If the modes of

literature transitioned the way Frye believed they did then the ironic mode would have come

before the mimetic mode in literary history. This problem with Fryes theory of mode only

impacts his study, this thesis made no claim that the modes transitioned in video game history.

Future Research

There are many ways to explore the ideas in this thesis. One of the biggest questions that

remain is an understanding of why the romantic communication process appears to be so

dominant among the gamers. Video games provide a sense of escapism, but what the gamer is

really trying to escape from may be the more interesting question. Video games create their own

worlds, and the ability to enter and in a sense live in a romanticized world should be alarming. If

just watching television rots your mind (and many would disagree), imagine what living inside


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the television world could do to it? It was not a very pleasant experience in the movie

Pleasantville. The digital society may no longer need to go anywhere but their computer for a

vacation. If vacation is as close and easy as a mouse click then why would anyone want to do

anything else?

Although sample size is not always as important as the thought process it sparks, a larger

sample could be beneficial to the findings in this thesis. It is likely based on the analysis

provided in this study that the romantic mode of communication would continue to be the top

reason gamers indulge in this sort of play. A larger sample may be able to provide more answers

about the mimetic mode that showed up in the data for this study.

I would suggest a sample with a population of 100 people, preferably gamers who

average playing 20 or more hours per week. The heavy gamer informants are deeper into the

culture and at least in this study provide more details about it. It was also a heavy gamer that

made more mimetic communication mode self-identification statements. A second researcher

should also be used to help with the interview process and the interpretive process.

It is also recommended that the interview questions be adjusted. Adding type and degree

or something similar to the descriptions of the different types of character should have been

clearer. The movie character references were used to help the informants picture the type of

character in that mode of communication. Unfortunately, it may also have swayed them into

immediately classifying video game characters based on the motion pictures which were used as

examples.

Final Thoughts

Narratives are almost always the key to a successful creative endeavor in almost every

medium. When Hollywoods A-list looks for a project it is almost always based on a script


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real life, the game must give you a mimetic character. If a game is going to help think for us, it

must also understand us, and this thesis provides an important piece to that puzzle.


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Appendix A

Research Questions-The Relationship between User and Video Game Character

1) In a given week, how many hours do you spend playing video games?

2) Do you consider that an adequate amount of time? Too much time? Not Enough?

3) What is it that makes you enjoy a game?

4) What frustrates you about video games?

5) What aspects of the stories that unfold while playing a game do you find interesting?

6) How can you change a story in a video game?

7) What type of characters in video games appeal to you?

8) In works of fiction some main characters are inferior to us, if you think about slapstick

comedy such as the Three Stooges or Harold and Lloyd inDumb and Dumberthese would be

examples, have you ever played a video game where the character you control is inferior to a real

human?

9) What do you think the appeal of a character like that is?

10) Does that type of game character appeal to you?

11) Some characters in comedies or even horror movies are just like us, or at least they act that

way, if you think of the characters in Old School,American Pie, or the campers inFriday the

13th thats the type Im talking about. What video games allow you to play a character like that?

12) Why do you think somebody would want to play a character like that?

13) Do you enjoy playing a character like that in a video game?

14) Some characters in fiction are superior to other humans and tend to be leaders; most of these

types of characters are in dramas and war films. Tom Cruise tends to play this type of character


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convincingly in movies like Top Gun orA Few Good Men. Clint Eastwood and John Wayne are

usually typecast as these types; Julia Roberts inErin Brokovich could be considered this type,

King Arthurs knights, so could most of the alliance in the Star Wars saga. Can you name a few

video game characters that you think would fall into this type of role?

15) Why do you think that type of video game characters appeals to people?

16) Does that type of character appeal to you when you play a video game?

17) Another type of character is superior to others AND is superior to nature. If you think of

Superheroes such a s Spider-Man and his ability to spin webs or Neo in the Matrix and his ability

to slow the world down in bullet time and see the computer codes in everything. What video

game characters do you think fall into this type of category?

18) What do you think the appeal of a character like that is?

19) Does that type of game character appeal to you?

20) There is also a fifth type of hero in fiction. This category of character is godlike; Zeus,

Aphrodite, or Apollo from Greek mythology, Superman or the Terminator could also be

considered this type, basically indestructible and superior to mere mortals. What video games

allow you to play a character like that?

21) Why do you think somebody would want to play a character like that?

22) Do you enjoy playing a character like that in a video game?

23) Of the five types of characters weve discussed is there one type that is particularly

appealing to you?

24) Is there one type you tend to play more than

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