Grotesque Realism and Carnality: Bahktinian Inspirations in Video Game
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.19132/1807-8583201946.196-214Keywords:
Carnival. Grotesque. Carnality. Game violence. Bakhtin.Abstract
The aim of this paper is to re-frame criticism of video-game portrayal of the human body and basic human interactions in light of Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of carnivalesque and grotesque realism. It argues that various grotesque deformations of bodies in mainstream, high-budget video games fall into a bakhtinian aesthetic of carnivalesque and carnality. It reinforces that especially AAA games utilize this aesthetic through the representation of carnavalesque aspects, suchs as excessive violence, ritual humilitation and the dismantling of hierarchies, reducing or eliminating other social conventions from the realm of gameplay. It concludes that this mode of interpretation opens up further perspectives with regard to inquiry into the social importance of violent video games as possible vehicles for the expression of opposition to static ethical and political orders.
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