Notes

Ok So I started shooting emails back and forth between me and Richard. This is what we had to say...


Right, well if you can throw yourself back a year to what my proposal was...

Joking, the title was "to what extent are transgressive next-gen computer games real?"

So this would be comparing timelines in both the real world and the virtual plane to see if there are any connections in social, cultural or military values. Investigating and analysing  the social hierarchy, politics and subsequent relationships relevant to each games timeline and 'timeline' respectively, looking at the connections between the real and virtual.

Also the technology, adaptation of mankind to new surroundings, as well as studying the interaction and relationship between player/character, how emotive responses to situations in-game have effects on the player as a person.

Some theory I will be using will be Ludology, Hyperreality, Virtuality, Ideology and Immersion.

But I was thinking that maybe toning the essay down a tad to make my workload more manageable as a whole, maybe something like comparing certain games to art, questioning the aesthetic of virtual simulation as well as giving games the philosophical platform they deserve. 

I have included some images from the game the original proposal was written for to give you an idea about what it is I am writing about.

I also found a site with all the in-game poster designs that will give you a much better idea, http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Fallout:_New_Vegas_posters

Thanks Rich,

Tom

I like the topic, but not the title- computer games are obviously not real. Baudrillard would probably call them first or second order simulations. The more interesting question, revolving around the concept of hyperreality, would ask whether computer game worlds are informed by, or inform, reality. Put another way, does the simulation create it's own reality.

This should make a good dissertation. Get some introductory guides toBaudrillard. You'll also need to fill in a proposal form, which you can get from Yasmine

Richard




So first things first, read an introduction to Baudrillard!