Mike Flanegan

English 490

Semester Project Prospectus

Purpose

            My project will cover literary archetypes appearing in video games, with an emphasis on RPG’s (role-playing games), but not confined solely to this genre.  I will conduct an in-depth analysis of these archetypes, indicate how they are used, and explain their significance to our society using both textual and visual examples.

Rationale

            The influence of technology on our society is one that we can no longer ignore.  Every day, people use machines to work, eat, travel, and play.  The video game is a form of technology that has always been under scrutiny.  In the United States, video games are generally regarded as anti-social and counter-productive; a waste of time and energy.  On a global scale, however, video games have made a profound impact on humanity.  From their origins as simple board games to a burgeoning billion-dollar industry, video games are regarded by the media as an art form, and have even added new words to the Japanese language.

            Video games are the roots of a new form of artistic expression, one that combines modern technology with elements of literature, science, drama, and popular culture.  Modern video games often involve the player in sweeping, innovative narratives filled with subtle references to philosophy and religion.  Video games have established new archetypes while paying homage to the classics.  These digitized stories and characters, offshoots of or direct references to human culture and history, are forever archived and available to those with the ambition to search for them.

Plan

            Seeing as how the medium of the RPG traditionally consists of two formats, textual and visual, I plan to present my findings using these formats.  When a graphic designer creates a character or environment for a game, he or she does so with a specific purpose in mind.  I believe that describing these graphics through words would not convey the same message that the original creator intended.  Therefore, I will use a web site to organize and display graphics and explain their significance as archetypes.  In addition to the web site, I will write an essay that will focus on archetypes, Carl Jung’s thoughts on them, and archetypes that have arisen through the video game.  Through this project, I aspire to convey the visionary and aesthetic qualities that make a game truly shine, and hopefully touch upon the evolution of games into what they are today.

Working Bibliography

Gamasutra.com – The Art & Science of Making Games. 2003. CMP Media LLC. 18 Sept. 2004. <http://www.gamasutra.com>

Kline, Stephen, Nick Dyer-Witheford, and Greig de Peuter.  Digital Play:  The Interaction of Technology, Culture, and Marketing.  Montreal:  McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003.