Representing the "Unnameable" in Lovecraftian Video Games

Vincze, Gergő (2018) Representing the "Unnameable" in Lovecraftian Video Games. BA/Bsc, Szegedi Tudományegyetem.

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Abstract

The goal of this thesis is to examine how Lovecraftian video games employ their own interactivity to translate aesthetics, narrative styles and themes found in H. P. Lovecraft’s work. In the first part of the thesis, the central terms – “gamification,” “Lovecraftian,” “unnameable” and the “three levels of horror” – are established for supporting its method for Lovecraftian video game analysis. In its second part, the thesis uses Dan Pinchbeck’s concept of the “three levels of horror” as a basis for providing a thorough analysis of how Lovecraftian inspiration is applied in different video game genres, namely adventure games, online role-playing games and horror games. The concept is applied on numerous games, namely “Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened,” “Conarium,” “World of Warcraft,” “The Secret World,” “Amnesia: The Dark Descent,” “Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem” and “Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.” The thesis explains how video games use game mechanics to represent Lovecraft’s work in ludic form. The two mechanics to support this are the use of first-person perspective and the ludic interpretation of insanity. It is assessed that the first-person perspective is an effective tool in gamifying the Lovecraftian by demonstrating how the video game adaptation of “Call of Cthulhu” uses cut-scenes to adapt the theme of the “unnameable” and how the game’s use of this perspective corresponds to that in Lovecraft’s short story “The Outsider.” The thesis concludes by explaining how Lovecraftian video games are able represent the “unnameable” by using gamified sanity for manipulating the connection between the player and the embodied protagonist.

Institution

Szegedi Tudományegyetem

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department

Angol Tanszék

Discipline

Humanities

Institute

Angol-Amerikai Intézet

Specialization

anglisztika

Supervisor(s)

Item Type:	Thesis (BA/Bsc)
Subjects:	06. Humanities
Depositing User:	szerkesztő BTK
Date Deposited:	2019. Apr. 29. 07:40
Last Modified:	2019. Apr. 30. 06:39
URI:	https://diploma.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/73953

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