The Landscape

Underworld. (un·der·world, n.) A region, realm, or dwelling place conceived to be below the surface of the earth; the world of the dead, located below the world of the living.

Chthonic. (k·thon·ic, n.) Of or relating to the underworld. From Gk. khthonios "in the earth."

Poetics. (po·et·ics, n.) Critical study and analysis that deal with the nature, forms, and laws of a phenomenon.

Embodiment. (em·bod·i·ment, n.) The perceptual threshold created by the abilities and limitations of the body in space; the metaphors, conventions, representations and modeling of the body.

"So, what is your thesis about?"

It's the question we all love and fear. It's fun to talk about one's research, but I can't help but notice that many people start tuning out after they hear "phenomenological" and "video games" in the same sentence. When the unsuspecting ask "so, what is your thesis about?", I turn to this battery of possible responses for escalating stages of chthonic poetic geekery.



Base Reductionism: "It's Dante's Inferno and World of Warcraft."

Elevator Pitch: "I examine embodiment in the context of mythic underworlds, such as the syncretic example in Dante's Divine Comedy, and video games, particularly persistent MMOs like World of Warcraft."

Abject Pedantry: "The mythic underworlds present in many cultures are embodied places where the dead dwell with spirits and gods, and in their conception, perspective and role these underworlds are virtual worlds that pre-date digital technology.

The underworld has also appeared widely in video games throughout their much shorter history. This presence occurs in games across genres and audiences, indicating that underworld elements offer formal sympathies with digital game structures and experiences.

This formal relationship can be expressed as a chthonic poetics involving the spatial construction of meaning, ritualized interaction, liminal states, and narratives of trial and challenge.

Embodiment binds these elements together in both contexts; they are unintelligible without this root perspective. The body sits at the axis of experience in mythic underworlds like the one described by Dante in the Divine Comedy - and in game worlds like the one in World of Warcraft. It provides the medium through which we can experience these simulations as worlds rather than mere information structures. "

Entrepreneurial Opportunism: "Aww, just buy the damn thing and find out for yourself."