the art of video games

8/10/2019 The Art of Video Games

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Joe Jared

Dr. Dietel-McLaughlin

WR 13300

14 November 2014

Persuasive Player 1: The Use of Rhetoric in Modern Video Games

Video games have become an increasingly polarizing topic in pop culture. Media outlets

often report on the video game backgrounds of gunmen in school shootings, claiming that their

psychological state of being is negatively impacted by violent games. Some people argue that

computer games are effecting obesity rates and social abilities in younger generations. Society

continues to perceive video games as mindless entertainment on a screen. This general

perception overshadows the positive impacts video games can provide to popular culture. Video

games deserve to be appreciated as an art form with the ability to tell elaborate and emotional

stories while still providing engaging gameplay. The level of sophistication in the video game

industry lacks the recognition it truly deserves. Jon Cogburn, Associate Professor of Philosophy

at Louisiana State University and Mark Silcox, Assistant Professor of Humanities and

Philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma believe video games are more than, mere

novelty as an entertainment medium, and argue that, the appeal of many video games is closer

to that of great poetry than it is to the transparent and forgettable charms of push-pin (an inane

gambling game from the sixteenth century) (viii). Accepting video games as an art form is the

first step into appreciating their greater impact on society. Video games can act as a rhetorical

medium more effectively than other forms of media and deserves acceptance as a viable

rhetorical medium.


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This essay will primarily focus on two games as examples to show the artistic qualities of

video games. The first isBioshock Infinte, developed by Irrational Games, follows the story of

Booker DeWitt as he travels to the floating city of Columbia in order to wipe away his debt.

Classified primarily as a first person shooter;Bioshock Infinite is the third game in the popular

series, its predecessorsBioshock andBioshock 2 also received critical acclaim and were lauded

for their groundbreaking entrance into video game culture. Miguel Sicart classifies Irrational

Games as one of the few, companies that dare to try something new, and the games that result

from the combination of daring, innovation, and talent are often heralded as the symbols of what

computer games can contribute to both popular and fine arts (152). The other game used as an

example is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Developed by Nintendo and released in

December of 2002, this entry into the famous The Legend of Zelda series follows a young boy

named Link on his adventure across the world of Hyrule to save princess Zelda from the clutches

of evil. Both games focus on a single-player experience with emphasis on combat and solving

puzzles. Overall, both represent a large number of games that function rhetorically to elicit

particular emotional responses from its audeince.

Although there are many characteristics of a rhetorical work, the driving purpose behind

rhetoric is to persuade an audience. Video games act effectively as a persuasive medium. Herrick

classifies, Four resources of symbols have long been recognized as assisting the goal of

persuasion. () I will call them: arguments, appeals, arrangement, and aesthetics (13). For

video games, argument and arrangement often work as one. Developers specifically choose to

reveal certain claims about an overall argument in different parts of the story line. However,

video games generally do not specifically state the arguments at hand. The overall plot of the

game pushes the audience towards a specific viewpoint or thematic idea through the content of


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the story.Bioshock Infinite, tackles many incendiary topics in the modern age, despite being set

in alternate reality 1912. Ranging from, racism, sexism, nationalism, and religion, these topics,

are all put directly in front of you (). It makes a point simply by confronting you with these

uncomfortable issues and forcing you to at least think about them(McCaffrey). For example,

Booker has multiple interactions with the Vox Populi,an group made up of the working class

and oppressed citizens of Columbia protesting the inequality between social classes. However,

due to certain events throughout the storyline, the Vox Populi turns to violence and begins an

open rebellion against the oppressive government of Columbia and an all-out war. Eventually,

the Vox Populi takes control of the city, but instead of bringing equality to Columbia, they

commit atrocious crimes against those that oppressed them. However, Booker fights alongside

the Vox Populi as well as against them, so it is often unclear for the audience how they are

supposed to interpret the rebellious group. In addition, the dialogue between major characters

provides claims supporting both sides of the controversy, making sure not to show particular bias

towards one view. Bioshock Infinitestealthily makes its claims, but allows the audience to form

their own opinions from the evidence presented throughout the narrative. Video games create

their arguments differently than other rhetorical mediums, but are still effective in presenting

claims and composing a valid argument.

The different styles of arrangement of these arguments presents an interesting case for

rhetorical video games. Some games arrange the narrative in a linear fashion, forcing the

audience to take a particular, definite path throughout the plot. This proves effective in most

cases, the developers control what the audience experiences and when this occurs. However,

there is another method of arrangement of the narrative that has a different effect on the

audience, a free roam game. These games offer no linear storyline, the player has complete


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control over what the character wants to do. There is a basic storyline to the game that takes up a

large amount of play time, but the game offers vast array of other objectives to entertain players.

When given this opportunity to freely explore the vast world around them, players tend to spend

time completing side quests, searching for secrets, or just enjoying the scenery. Developers take

this into account, and often include small details in these areas off the beaten path of the

narrative.Bioshock Infinite hides a number of voxophones throughout the game. Each

voxophone contains a small audio segment voiced bya character in the story, revealing

anything from thematic concepts, character backgrounds, and other features of the world. The

effort that players put into locating these small details creates a stronger and more memorable

overall impact of the narrative. Both linear and free roaming narrative arrangement are effective

in presenting a persuasive argument and making a lasting impression on its audience.

Perhaps the most important aspects of persuasion in video games are appeals and

aesthetics. Herrick defines appeals as, strategies that aim either to elicit an emotional response

or to engage the audiences loyalties or commitments (13). It makes sense that when one finally

completes a game they feel an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment; all of the

painstaking hours progressing through the game have finally paid off. However, Jonathan Frome

looks at other emotional reactions audiences experience throughout the course of a game that are

not as easy to explain. He specifically looks the game, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker,

and focuses on the relationship players have with the protagonists, Link and Zelda. Frome

believes there are multiple instances throughout the narrative that show the humanity of these

fictional characters and strike the emotional heartstrings of the player (4). Why do we react when

Link leaves his grandmother, or when his sister gives him her looking glass as a birthday gift,

moments before she is kidnapped? Even some of the monsters throughout the game can cause,


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your eyes (to) widen and your heart rate increases just a little as you look at this threatening

monster (Frome 4). Part of this comes from the relationships audiences build with characters as

a result of intimate interactions throughout the narrative, but why do audiences feel this way

about characters on a screen that they know are fictional? From a neurological standpoint, Frome

argues that subconscious parts of the human mind interpret these events as if they were real

people. He continues, claiming that, we react to video games and other art forms in some ways

as if they are representations and in some ways and some ways as if they were reality. Different

parts of our minds react differently to the same stimuli (14). Although most video games do not

realistically represent the real world, they still successfully invoke human sympathy and other

emotions necessary for an effective rhetorical medium.

The aesthetics of a game play an equally important role in the rhetorical effectiveness of

video games. Herrick describes aesthetics as, elements adding form, beauty, and force to

symbolic expression (14). Companies spend millions of dollars developing advanced graphics

for their hardware. Game developers and artists create beautiful worlds ranging from medieval

Europe to post-apocalyptic planet Earth. Even the characters themselves have detailed body

language, facial structure, and clothing. So why put so much time and effort into creating a game

with beauty? The emphasis on aesthetics strives to make the overall gaming experience as

memorable as possible. In addition, the surrounding scenery in a game acts as another trigger for

an emotional response from the audience. Aesthetics in video games strive to, enhance the

impact of () discourse and to make it more vivid and memorable (Herrick 15). This parallels

with Boghosts claim that a more vivid medium invokes a greater emotional reaction from the

audience.Bioshock Infinitedepends on aesthetics to enchant the player into believing its

mesmerizing world. Creating a floating city is impossible even now, yet the game takes place in


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1912. Although it is slightly difficult to believe at first, the world of Coumbia comes alive the

moment the player steps onto the streets. Architectural and clothing styles reflect the time period

and citizens walking by speak with proper grammar. The aesthetic details give the game its

character and manages to make this city that can fly something that the audience fondly

remembers. Overall, aesthetics serve to invoke a stronger emotional reaction in an audience that

has a memorable and lasting impact.

Boghost also claims that a closer a games aesthetics are to reality, the better the overall

experience and the greater the rhetorical effect. However, games should not strive to reproduce

reality in their works. Although making the game seem as realistic as possible encourages

players to invest themselves in the world they are exploring, it is equally as important to appeal

to the audiences sense of fantasy. To keep these two qualities balanced and create the greatest

rhetorical effect, the narrative should draw its audience to particular aspects of the game.

Whether an emotional cutscene, a detailed sunrise, or an epic battle with a dragon, developers

draw their audiences attention to specific moments. These memorable instances stick with a

player years after completing the game. Fusing rhetorical ideas into these key moments is vital to

creating a lasting impression on an audience.

Video games themselves present a more immersive medium than other forms of

rhetorical media. Galloway argues that video games, are an active medium that requires

constant physical input by the player: action, doing, pressing buttons () it follows a structural

sense that the player has a more intimate relationship with the apparatus itself (83). As a

rhetorical medium, video games differentiate themselves through action. The constant pushing of

buttons in a certain pattern mirrored by the movements of the character on screen strengthens the

parallel between audience and medium. Boghost coins the term,procedural rhetoric, the art of


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persuasion through rule-based representations rather than the spoken word, writing, images, or

moving pictures (IX). This idea claims that a major aspect of the procedural rhetoric found in

video games comes from the success garnered from completing in-game procedure. Instead of

simply watching film or reading text, the audience actively completes the tasks given to them.

This makes the overall gaming experience more memorable and reinforces the rhetorical

effectiveness of the game. Procedural rhetoric uses these repeated actions of pressing buttons as

the defining characteristic separating itself from other forms of rhetorical media.

Another aspect of video games that makes them an effective rhetorical medium is its

ability to give players an image to identify themselves with. Many games allow players to create

and design an avatar or character to represent themselves on screen. The audience obtains

complete control over these characters, they control their movement, make decisions for them,

and control how they interact with other characters. One could argue that after enough exposure

to a particular character, the audience personifies themselves with their avatar. Players are more

dedicated to the overall experience of the game and this interactive relationship formed with

onscreen characters heightens the rhetorical effectiveness of the medium. Boghost argues that the

primary aspect of rhetorical appeal in video games is their interactiveness. He believes this

makes the medium more vivid, and adds that a more vivid medium tends to invoke a greater

emotional response from an audience (22). The relationship formed between players and their

characters onscreen creates a more interactive medium thus increasing its rhetorical

effectiveness.

Despite the artistic qualities found in video games, popular culture fails to recognize

video games as an expressive medium. One could argue that video games are still a relatively

new technology that requires more time until universally accepted as an art form. Galloway


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comments on a period of time that often passes before a new type of media can reach its pinnacle

of cultural and social function (84). Film, for example, dates back to the end of the nineteenth

century, but did not reach its full potential until the 1930s. Dating the first video games to the

1960s, the medium is well past this timeframe, yet video games still reside in a subculture of

society, lacking the prominence enjoyed by other rhetorical mediums. Video games suffer a fate

similar to early comics and television, starting off as a highly criticized medium and eventually

rising to universal acceptance.

So what are some potential reasons for this lack of acceptance as a cultural form?

Boghost claims that society as a whole still perceives video games as a childrens medium (I).

Yet video games appeal to all ages; mature gaming content is often heralded as some of the most

beautiful and influential games of all. Many also believe that video games, serve no cultural or

social function save distraction as best, moral baseness at worst (Boghost VIII). The majority

holding this opinion lack the interest to delve into video game culture and learn the truth behind

the artistic beauty of video games.

Although video games are not universally accepted as works of art, they still act as a

rhetorical medium more effectively than other forms of media. When compared to other

rhetorical mediums, such as literature or film, video games reflect certain artistic values found in

these mediums. Video games mirror literature in rhetoric through narrative, both are able to

create vivid stories and capture an audiences attention. They also mirror film through images,

both create something for the audience to watch and analyze. However, has a greater rhetorical

effect than film because it creates rhetoric through action, rather than looking, as it is with

cinema in what Jameson describes as a rapt, mindless fascination (Galloway 83). Through the

process of button pushing in reaction to images onscreen, video games present an interactive


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method for establishing rhetorical claims and arguments. The future for video games as a

rhetorical medium is bright; companies that understand the rhetorical appeal of video games

continue to create quality content that engages players on a deeper level than simply

entertainment. Video games deserve respect as a valid rhetorical medium with the potential to

create social change through as an interactive expressive media.


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Works Cited

Bogost, Ian.Persuasive Games the Expressive Power of Videogames. Cambridge, Mass. : MIT

Press, 2007.

Cogburn, Jon, and Mark Silcox.Philosophy through Video Games. New York : Routledge, 2009.

Galloway, Alexander R. Gaming Essays on Algorithmic Culture. Minneapolis, Minn. ; London :

University of Minnesota Press, 2006.

Herrick, James. The History and Theory of Rhetoric. 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn Bacon, 2001.

Jonathan Frome. "Why Do we Care Whether Link Saves the Princess? ." The Legend of

Zelda and Philosophy. Ed. Luke Cuddy. Chicago: Open Court, 2008.

McCaffrey, Ryan. "Bioshock Infinite PC Review." March 21 2013.

.

Sicart, Miguel. The Ethics of Computer Games.Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2009.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/22/bioshock-infinite-pc-reviewhttp://www.ign.com/articles/2013/03/22/bioshock-infinite-pc-review

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