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Master's Thesis: Video Games: Perspective, Point-of-View, and Immersion
Presently, video game designers, players, and often even video game theorists approach the representation of point-of-view in video games as intuitive and uncomplicated. Drawing on the current critical work on video games, theories of immersion and engagement, and theories of human-computer-interaction, I question the significance of optical perspective in video games in terms of player point-of-view. Because video games are an experiential medium, critical study of video games must include the study of the diegetic, visual-auditory, interface, and experiential (often termed interactive or participatory) aspects of video game play. Through an analysis of the various points-of-view within different games and the differing points-of-view within a single game, I attempt to delineate the differences both in the creation of the experiential game space and in the possibilities for immersion within the game space. For this, I delimit two types of immersion: diegetic immersion, which corresponds to immersion in the game, and intra-diegetic or situated immersion, which corresponds to immersion vii within the created virtual space of the game situated through both a character’s perspective and an embodied point-of-view. I discuss how these are not necessarily mutually exclusive and how they can and do blend together, combined with the game's overall representation of perspective, for varied gaming experiences. I conclude with an analysis of how differing perspectives and points-of-view influence gameplay and game world spatial understanding.
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Education
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