Degree

BS (Social Sciences & Liberal Arts)

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Social Sciences & Liberal Arts

Date of Award

Spring 2024

Date of Submission

2024-09-03

Advisor

Ramsha Siddiqui, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences

Committee

Palvashay Sethi, Lecturer, Department of Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, Institute of Business Administration

Project Type

SSLA Culminating Experience

Access Type

Restricted Access

Keywords

Early Access, Videogames, Autoethnography

Abstract

This autoethnography explores the evolving dynamics of authorship and player agency in single-player narrative games through a longitudinal study of the two games within the same series that were developed as part of Early Access programs (Namely: Hades and Hades II). The research looks into the delineation of consumer and author and uses embodied player experience to argue that Early Access games provide an avenue for new forms of player agency that further blur the line between consumer and author. This study argues that player’s take an active role in shaping the games they play, and the meaning-making formations from the side of the consumer as secondary author, alongside their entanglements in fandom and social media content, cannot be understated. In lieu of this, I also look at both explicit and implicit modes of feedback that shape Early Access and extensively document my experiences as part of the programs. The study concludes by highlighting the broader implications of this evolving relationship between consumer and author, and what that means for contemporary gaming.

Pages

44

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