Comedy and the Dual Position of the Player

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterScientificpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter discusses the comic potential that originates in the way players of digital games take on the dual position of being at once a played self that is internal to the gameworld and a playing self that perceives this world from the outside. I first describe the comic attitude as it is defined within philosophy: as an attitude of distanced and dispassionate reflection towards an incongruity. I then show how the dual position of players during gameplay not only is characterized by incongruities, such as contradictions between the apparent seriousness and the ultimate triviality of in-game actions, but also allows players to dispassionately reflect on these incongruities. I thus argue that digital gameplay entails the inherent possibility of turning players into both a comic object and a laughing subject.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationVideo Games and Comedy
EditorsKrista Bonello Rutter Giappone, Tomasz Majkowski, Jaroslav Švelch
PublisherSpringer
Pages35-52
Number of pages18
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-030-88338-6
ISBN (Print)978-3-030-88337-9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Virtual Subjectivity
  • Philosophy of Humour
  • Comedy

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