Blood-Sheady Player One - How Indiscriminate Violence is Framed in Narrative-Driven Action Video Games
Open Access
Author:
Krishnamurthy, Aaditya
Graduate Program:
Communications (MA)
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
March 12, 2024
Committee Members:
Nakho Kim, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Stephanie Leigh Morrow, Committee Member Yonatan Tewelde, Professor in Charge/Director of Graduate Studies
Keywords:
Video Games Violence Ludonarrative Dissonance Moral Disengagement Action-Adventure Narratives Ludic Structure Narrative Structure. Narrative Structure
Abstract:
This study aimed to look at how violence is framed and portrayed in narrative-driven action-adventure video games, specifically, those games where the protagonist is portrayed as a morally righteous individual and the narrative's main objective doesn't imply or beget violence. This study attempted to utilize the concept of moral disengagement to analyze a form of media that has become incredibly popular in the early 21st century and has strongly inserted itself into the cultural zeitgeist. This will be done by conducting a content analysis of four popular AAA (Triple A) titles with a plot in which the objective doesn’t entail violence. The study will then answer a set of questions, based around the theoretical framework of moral disengagement, as introduced by Albert Bandura, and the concept of ludonarrative dissonance, as put forth by Clint Hocking. Upon answering the questions in the framework for each game, some clarity should be achieved on this matter. This study found that the violence portrayed in narrative-driven action-adventure video games was at times unnecessary while engaging, and caused the players to disengage from what Bandura refers to as their ‘moral agency’.
