The wounds that never healed : videoludic trauma in Cry of fear

Cet article comprend des références au traumatisme, au suicide, à l'automutilation, au meurtre et à la maltraitance des enfants.This article offers a conceptualization of trauma in horror video games, and in Cry of Fear (Team Psykskallar, 2013) in particular. It argues that video games can cut across the reality/fiction divide, deeply affect the emotional organization of the player, and leave them with wounds that take time to heal—a phenomenon I call “videoludic trauma.” More specifically, it develops the idea that Cry of Fear can induce a form of trauma in the player by putting them in horrifying and intense situations. Drawing on trauma studies, bleed theory, and phenomenology, this paper first defines “videoludic trauma,” contrasts it with “positive discomfort” (Jørgensen, 2016), and introduces the concept of “horror flow.” Then, using these concepts as a starting point, it examines how Cry of Fear represents trauma symptomatology and presents four vignettes that each focuses on a specific aspect or moment in Cry of Fear that had a strong impact on my gaming experience—from the visceral combat system to the feeling of loneliness the game led me to experience. This paper provides new analytical tools and vocabulary to talk about our trauma-like experiences with video games and lays the groundwork for future research focusing on the relationship between trauma and the horror genre

Memory, Autofiction, and Identity in Video Games: The Case of Looking Back. An Interview with Kristopher Poulin-Thibault

          Indie developer Kristopher Poulin-Thibault speaks with Samuel Poirier-Poulin (no relation) about the creation of the video game Looking Back. The interview starts with a brief discussion about the RPG genre and quickly moves toward a broader discussion about autofiction, trauma, time, memory, retro games, and language. Poulin-Thibault reflects on the interconnectedness of these topics and their influence on identity construction

Editorial

Editorial for the April 2023 issue

Editorial

Editorial for the June 2022 issue

The Wounds That Never Healed : An Analysis of Videoludic Trauma in Cry of Fear

Building on horror studies and trauma theory, this thesis proposes a conceptualization of videoludic trauma in horror video games, and in Cry of Fear (Team Psykskallar, 2013) in particular. More specifically, it develops the idea that Cry of Fear can induce trauma in the player by putting them in horrifying and intense situations. This thesis starts by defining fiction fear, videoludic fear, art-horror, and real horror, as these concepts were developed in cognitive film theory and game studies. It highlights the dialogue between videoludic trauma and real horror and argues that video games can cut across the reality/fiction divide and deeply impact on the emotional organization of the player. This thesis then presents major works that have shaped the field of trauma studies and conceptualizes videoludic trauma by drawing on bleed theory and current scholarship on transgressive games. It introduces the concepts of impactful trauma and hurtful trauma to differentiate between a relatively safe aesthetic experience and an experience that is more intrusive, stays with the player, and can be harmful on the long term. Finally, using the tools of close reading and transactional theory, this thesis examines how Cry of Fear represents trauma symptomatology through its narrative and visuals. The analysis ends with four vignettes that each focuses on a specific aspect or moment in the game that had a strong impact on my gameplay experience and led me to experience hurtful trauma—from the visceral combat system to the loss of a game character. This thesis contributes to the growing literature on trauma in video games. It is a first step toward a conceptualization of trauma that focuses on its transmission from the game to the player and on the relationship between trauma and the horror genre

"Mark Matthews stars in ‘Anatomy is Hard!’ a struggling student tries to make the grade with his professor”: sexual humour and queer space in coming out on top

Contient du contenu explicite (pornographique).Despite an increase over the years in the number of video games with queer content, queer characters in most games continue to be tragically framed. Coming Out on Top (COOT hereafter; 2014), a gay-themed visual novel and dating simulator, contrasts with these games for its comic and fun depiction of the life of gay men. While the game has been criticised for reinforcing the idea of consumable gay male bodies, a quick look at player review figures on Steam reveals that most players enjoyed the game. This research uses the tools of netnography and close reading to analyse sexual humour in COOT and aims to create a dialogue between my own gayming experience, the experience of other players, and previous scholarship on humour. I ultimately argue that COOT leaves a positive impression on queer players because it offers them something relatively new in the world of video games: the possibility to laugh and imagine their lives in a positive and fun way

Game studies and decoloniality : a review of Video games and the global South

Book review : Video Games and the Global South, by Phillip Penix-Tadsen (Ed.)

Memory, Autofiction, and Identity in Video Games: The Case of Looking Back. An Interview with Kristopher Poulin-Thibault

Indie developer Kristopher Poulin-Thibault speaks with Samuel Poirier-Poulin (no relation) about the creation of the video game Looking Back. The interview starts with a brief discussion about the RPG genre and quickly moves toward a broader discussion about autofiction, trauma, time, memory, retro games, and language. Poulin-Thibault reflects on the interconnectedness of these topics and their influence on identity construction