Are you a master student at University of Bergen and want to write a master thesis connected to the project?
Here are examples of relevant topics:
Videogames, censorship and freedom of expression:
- Should video games be protected under freedom of expression?
- The relationship between criticism and censorship in public discourse on videogames.
- Ethics and videogame journalism (yes really).
- Comparison of viedeogame regulation policies in different countries.
Discourse analysis of how controversies related to games and game culture have been treated in the media. For example:
- Analysis of the media reception of a game that has been object of criticism, e.g. Hatred or Grand Theft Auto 5.
- Analysis of how players discuss controversial games or controversial topics in online forums, Twitter streams, or Twitch or Youtube channels.
Game analysis:
- Analysis of a game that has been object for criticism or controversy: Why is the game criticized and is the criticism valid? The analysis could be comparative: Why is one criticised, and the other not?
- Comparative analysis of violence in games and films: How do the different media represent violence, and on what grounds are they criticised?
- Analysis of the design choices made to amplify the sense of discomfort in a game, or made to lessen the sense of discomfort in a game with excessive violence.
Game design:
- How can we create interactive discomfort, and for what purposes? The design and development of a prototype for a transgressive game: For example a manipulative game, an unethical game, a game of social discomfort.
Qualitative studies of uncomfortable game experiences. For example:
- User research of people playing a controversial or uncomfortable game with focus on their user experiences.
- Qualitative interviews with players:
- About their experiences with provocative or uncomfortable game content.
- About uncomfortable experiences they have had with other players (harassment, griefing, etc.)
- About how they experience games that have been the subject of controversy and criticism: To what degree do they find the criticism to be justified?
Studies of game developer perspectives:
- How do game developers create uncomfortable game experiences for players that also make sense in the gameplay context? What motivates developers to create uncomfortable games?
- Interviews with the designers of uncomfortable games such as for instance The Park (Funcom), Among the Sleep (Krillbite), or Through the Woods (Antagonist).