Performing videogames : understanding digital play, agency, and engagement through live performance

Abstract

This thesis Is a contribution to the fields of digital cultural studies, game studies, and studies of theatre and performance, I will consider the aesthetic, structural and technological exchanges, interactions, and remediations between video gaming and live performance. The thesis begins with an overview of videogame history and definitions, drawing from performance studies, anthropological studies, and newly emergent theories of game studies. From this overview the thesis then moves into the analysis of a number of contemporary performances from Europe and North America, These performances are arranged into three separate categories according to the mode in which they engage with videogames. In the first category 'Reimagining' this thesis considers performances that draw primarily on the aesthetic or narrative of existing games. These are considered with particular attention to those elements of games and game culture that they highlight. In the second category. 'The Player on Stage' performances that attempt to represent the subjective experience of the player are analysed with particular consideration for both theories of film reception and bodily engagement with the game. In the final category of Playing the Game Live' this thesis considers two performances that create an interactive performance space by drawing on existing game structures. Through these analyses the processes of death, learning, and ideological engagement with videogames is explored, drawing particular attention to the position of the player in videogames. This position is then further explored with reference to both critical frameworks from film and the player's body Through this the player's body is shown to be a contested object and player engagement is outlined as oscillating between narrative and ludic forms of engagement. Finally, the player's position as author of these narratives is considered as the systems of authorship and engagement in a live performance setting Illustrate the complex interrelationships between pre-determined game structure and narrative development.