Is gaming REALLY A text?

[SamFancyPants252]

I'm doing an exam tomorrow for English (I'm doing a gothic horror unit) and I have to argue that *text a* has gothic conventions. Being me I went out of the ordinary and chose Bioshock, and of course it is very gothic and I know I can argue very well that it is...however, my teacher wasn't so sure and says that she doesn't think it's a text and my whole thing is therefore invalid.
So if I can successfully convince the marker that A) games are texts and B) Bioshock is gothic, I've done well, right?
What do you think?

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Ask her if movies are okay.
As soon as he says yes, cut off the gameplay from Bioshock. Voi-la.

 

[Vinculi]

Personally i'd say that its as legitimate as film for the interpretation of "text", but I doubt you'll be able to convice examiners. On a more positive note, examiners *are* always on the lookout for responses that show some daring and creativity, so even if Bioshock isn't taken seriously as a text you might noticed anyhow.

 

[Daveman]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

 

[SamFancyPants252]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

 

[Rhymenoceros]

Ask her if movies are allowed. If they are then ask why Video Games aren't?

 

[Daveman]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

Yeah, and I'd say a film is not a text either. That was kind of my point.

 

[jamesworkshop]

well games and movies are exactly "text" so you might want to find out how literal they meant it but besides I don't consider bioshock to contain elements of Gothic horror unless you made some weak parale between Frankestiens monster and splicers/big daddies/little sisters.

Gamewise I would suggest eternal darkness before bioshock

 

[SamFancyPants252]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

Yeah, and I'd say a film is not a text either. That was kind of my point.

oh, right right.
Well in her eyes, a film IS (we've studied films like Pan's Labyrinth and Delicatessen) so surel[even if you believe otherwise] to her a game would be a text?"

EDIT: dammit, My 500th post was a wasted misunderstanding

 

[tomvw]

I really fail to see how Bioshock is gothic, it's an objectivist dystopian fiction. Maybe my definition of gothic is somehow different.

But more to the point, if movies are allowed, games are probably too (by extension). Although a text does imply a written medium, like a book or a screenplay.

 

[SamFancyPants252]

well games and movies are exactly "text" so you might want to find out how literal they meant it but besides I don't consider bioshock to contain elements of Gothic horror unless you made some weak parale between Frankestiens monster and splicers/big daddies/little sisters.

Gamewise I would suggest eternal darkness before bioshock

I see what you're saying about Bioshock not being stereotypically gothic but, as far as what we've studied in the course says, it is one.
And I haven't played Eternal Darkness

 

[Daveman]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

Yeah, and I'd say a film is not a text either. That was kind of my point.

oh, right right.
Well in her eyes, a film IS (we've studied films like Pan's Labyrinth and Delicatessen) so surel[even if you believe otherwise] to her a game would be a text?"

EDIT: dammit, My 500th post was a wasted misunderstanding

Well in that case fine. Go for it. I can't think of an argument she has on her side over whether or not it's a text. A video game is after all just an interactive, more action oriented movie in most cases.

 

[Lizardon]

The definition of a text is

Something, such as a literary work or other cultural product, regarded as an object of critical analysis.

So I'd say a game falls under a object of critical analysis.

We actually had a question in my English exam last year about arguing the validness of games being studied as texts.

 

[SamFancyPants252]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

Yeah, and I'd say a film is not a text either. That was kind of my point.

Well, we study films as texts at my school.

I really want to know in what way OP thinks Bioshock is Gothic horror.

well so far in class we've gone over 'gothic elements' which are in all gothic texts and are:
subterranean space, decay, dwarfing of man, liminal space (blurring the lines between things such as light and dark, good and bad etc) Ambiguity, Social anxieties, Supernatural events, Suspenseful atmosphere, confronting, disturbing themes and being trapped or controlled.

I like to believe that Bioshock has all of that.

 

[Acidwell]

I'd have said bioshock was more art deco with a hint of steampunk in visual style and in terms of literary gothic i don't really think it has any of the devices or style of a gothic novel. Other than that if films are allowed then games should be too.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

I suppose text adventures are. Try Zork.

 

[SamFancyPants252]

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

SO what is the difference between that and a film? Surely films are spoon fed to you too?

Yeah, and I'd say a film is not a text either. That was kind of my point.

Well, we study films as texts at my school.

I really want to know in what way OP thinks Bioshock is Gothic horror.

well so far in class we've gone over 'gothic elements' which are in all gothic texts and are:
subterranean space, decay, dwarfing of man, liminal space (blurring the lines between things such as light and dark, good and bad etc) Ambiguity, Social anxieties, Supernatural events, Suspenseful atmosphere, confronting, disturbing themes and being trapped or controlled.

I would really only consider the bolded text Gothic horror. Perhaps your teacher is branching it out more to make it easier for students?

well she did do the unit in Uni and chose to teach it in HS so i don't know, but as long as I get a good grade I don't really care if it's culturally accepted as gothic or not. The handout says it has to discuss what's been taught in class and that's what I plan on doing.
If I succeed, I get a good mark. If she's stubborn on our views, I don't but I get a hell of a good reason to complain to the english department on "Gaming IS a text!"

 

[tomvw]

well so far in class we've gone over 'gothic elements' which are in all gothic texts and are:
subterranean space, decay, dwarfing of man, liminal space (blurring the lines between things such as light and dark, good and bad etc) Ambiguity, Social anxieties, Supernatural events, Suspenseful atmosphere, confronting, disturbing themes and being trapped or controlled.

I like to believe that Bioshock has all of that.

With those elements you could argue that the "Saw" movies are gothic, which does strike me as a bit odd. But again, I'm going by the definition of gothic they taught me in high-school, so I could be way off.

 

[jamesworkshop]

well games and movies are exactly "text" so you might want to find out how literal they meant it but besides I don't consider bioshock to contain elements of Gothic horror unless you made some weak parale between Frankestiens monster and splicers/big daddies/little sisters.

Gamewise I would suggest eternal darkness before bioshock

I see what you're saying about Bioshock not being stereotypically gothic but, as far as what we've studied in the course says, it is one.
And I haven't played Eternal Darkness

Its not about sterotype its about the fact that it's clear that any elements of gothic horror are more incidental than intentional.
If you were doing a western philosophy course then I could see Bioshock being a good piece to cover

 

[brunothepig]

Well, my teacher was fine with it. Both me and a friend have used it in assessments, and some other games. Hell, we found out why Rosie's carry around rivet guns in English. There was a character on posters during WW2 called Rosie the Riveter, which were trying to convinve women to take up jobs.
Anyway, just ask what the difference is. I don't see why not, I've been told music is a text, which is fair since it's an element of visual texts. Point out that as long as you don't talk about the gameplay itself, it's not really that different to a movie. I did talk about how gameplay can emphasise certain things, horror, emotional attachment to characters etc.

It's not a text. There's no interpretation to be had of the descriptions, it's all shown to you, especially with the current graphics. So that's why I don't think it's really allowed.

Speaking from an English standpoint, you have written texts, visual texts... As I said before, my teacher said audio is fine as well. Images and videos are texts. I know, weird.