The discourse structure of video games: A multimodal discourse semantics approach to game tutorials

The study focuses on the multimodal discourse of the superhero Batman which is viewed as both a corpus of texts about Batman and a process of their development in various media, such as comics, animation, film, video games. Since the launch of the 1930s’ comics, the discourse has been incessantly developing, getting more and more intertwined with technology and new technology-based arts and industries. The evolution of the discourse can also be accounted for by the changing needs of the audience, as well as the shifts in the audience itself. At present, Batman discourse is comprised of a vast number of media texts, which intersect and influence each other. Each of these presents a new interpretation of the myth, based on the reesthetisization of basic constituent codes. The research aims to cover some aspects that define Batman as a cultural phenomenon of today, such as Batman as part of contemporary mythology and its relatability to the contemporary historical context, authorship in both the multimodal discourse and its media subdiscourses, intertextual and interdiscursive transformations.

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Video Games: Rules Required

Internal Medicine News ◽

10.1016/s1097-8690(09)70769-3 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 42 (19) ◽

pp. 13

Author(s):

LISA J. MERLO

Keyword(s):

Video Games

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Frustration and Violence in Mobile Video Games

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 79 (2) ◽

pp. 63-70

Author(s):

Petr Květon ◽

Martin Jelínek

Keyword(s):

Video Games ◽

Video Game ◽

Implicit Association Test ◽

Self Determination Theory ◽

Psychological Needs ◽

Basic Psychological Needs ◽

Self Determination ◽

Mobile Video ◽

Violent Content ◽

Before And After

Abstract. This study tests two competing hypotheses, one based on the general aggression model (GAM), the other on the self-determination theory (SDT). GAM suggests that the crucial factor in video games leading to increased aggressiveness is their violent content; SDT contends that gaming is associated with aggression because of the frustration of basic psychological needs. We used a 2×2 between-subject experimental design with a sample of 128 undergraduates. We assigned each participant randomly to one experimental condition defined by a particular video game, using four mobile video games differing in the degree of violence and in the level of their frustration-invoking gameplay. Aggressiveness was measured using the implicit association test (IAT), administered before and after the playing of a video game. We found no evidence of an association between implicit aggressiveness and violent content or frustrating gameplay.

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Hostile and Hardened? An Experimental Study on (De-)Sensitization to Violence and Suffering Through Playing Video Games

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185.67.1.41 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 41-50 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Frithjof Staude-Müller ◽

Thomas Bliesener ◽

Stefanie Luthman

Keyword(s):

Video Games ◽

Emotional Responses ◽

Physiological Measurement ◽

Different Types ◽

Downward Spiral ◽

Spiral Model ◽

Post Hoc ◽

Game Violence ◽

First Person Shooter ◽

Physiological Reactions

This study tests whether playing violent video games leads to desensitization and increased cardiovascular responding. In a laboratory experiment, 42 men spent 20 min playing either a high- or low-violence version of a “first-person shooter” game. Arousal (heart rate, respiration rate) was measured continuously. After playing the game, emotional responses to aversive and aggressive stimuli - pictures from Lang, Bradley, and Cuthbert’s (1999) International Affective Picture System - were assessed with self-ratings and physiological measurement (skin conductance). Results showed no differences in the judgments of emotional responses to the stimuli. However, different effects of game violence emerged in the physiological reactions to the different types of stimulus material. Participants in the high-violence condition showed significantly weaker reactions (desensitization) to aversive stimuli and reacted significantly more strongly (sensitization) to aggressive cues. No support was found for the arousal hypothesis. Post-hoc analyses are used to discuss possible moderating influences of gaming experience and player’s trait aggressiveness in terms of the General Aggression Model ( Anderson & Bushman, 2001 ) and the Downward Spiral Model ( Slater, Henry, Swaim, & Anderson, 2003 ).

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Video Games and Emotion Regulation

GeroPsych ◽

10.1024/1662-9647/a000196 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 31 (4) ◽

pp. 205-213 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kathryn L. Ossenfort ◽

Derek M. Isaacowitz

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Emotion Regulation ◽

Video Games ◽

Age Differences ◽

Interactive Media ◽

Age Groups ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Media Usage ◽

The Everyday ◽

Media Preferences

Abstract. Research on age differences in media usage has shown that older adults are more likely than younger adults to select positive emotional content. Research on emotional aging has examined whether older adults also seek out positivity in the everyday situations they choose, resulting so far in mixed results. We investigated the emotional choices of different age groups using video games as a more interactive type of affect-laden stimuli. Participants made multiple selections from a group of positive and negative games. Results showed that older adults selected the more positive games, but also reported feeling worse after playing them. Results supplement the literature on positivity in situation selection as well as on older adults’ interactive media preferences.

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