Conspiracy Thinking and Virtual World Interpretation

Description

There are surprising similarities between conspiracy theorists and videogame players. This is exemplified by players’ decade-long (and ultimately fruitless) search for the function of a certain door in Shadow of the Colossus (documented in a YouTube video by Jacob Geller (2019)). In this presentation, we focus on three influences on interpretative practices in both conspiracy communities and game fandoms: a focus on intentionality, a desire for clarity, and the need for a sense of belonging. By discussing these three aspects, we reveal the entanglement of the aesthetic and epistemic appeal of conspiracy-like interpretation. Through various examples, we show how conspiracy thinking often has aesthetic motivations and how the aesthetic appreciation of virtual worlds, in turn, is particularly well-suited to satisfying epistemic needs that many—if not all—of us have. This might worry us that virtual worlds are dangerous training grounds for conspiracy thinking. We suggest, instead, that virtual worlds demonstrate and offer alternative means to fulfilling aesthetic/epistemic needs, which are less harmful but still embrace the relevant positive aesthetic/epistemic experiences.

Period	18 Sept 2025
Event title	Changing Aesthetics and Society in the Digital Age
Event type	Conference
Location	Antwerp, BelgiumShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International