Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds

This paper proposes the notion of “meta-literacy”, understood as the player´s ability to navigate between spheres of reality and/or cross boundaries when interacting with a gameworld. We examine how meta-aesthetics functions in vide ogames and argue that it is relevant at both the fictional level (i...

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Main Authors: Silviano Carrasco, Susana Tosca
Format: Article
Language:Catalan
Published: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2016-12-01
Series:Anàlisi: Quaderns de Comunicació i Cultura
Subjects:
Online Access:https://analisi.cat/article/view/3083
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author Silviano Carrasco
Susana Tosca
author_facet Silviano Carrasco
Susana Tosca
author_sort Silviano Carrasco
collection DOAJ
description This paper proposes the notion of “meta-literacy”, understood as the player´s ability to navigate between spheres of reality and/or cross boundaries when interacting with a gameworld. We examine how meta-aesthetics functions in vide ogames and argue that it is relevant at both the fictional level (intertextual literacy) and at the ludic level (self-referential literacy). The user will have to activate their meta-literacy in order to understand relationships between the levels of a video game, several different video games or the video game itself and “reality”. We present examples in every category and show how players naturally navigate this complexity. We propose that meta-literacy works in this media as an ability to recreate a bridge between the ludic and the fictional, to use our game repertoire, and to connect disparate levels of reality in an aesthetic experience that is no less unified than that of other art forms. We’ll conclude that accounting for meta-literacy is indeed relevant for understanding the pleasures of inhabiting not only gameworlds but also virtual worlds of all kinds.
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spelling doaj.art-b32f83543d2846aea12b4480326928872022-12-22T03:22:50ZcatUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaAnàlisi: Quaderns de Comunicació i Cultura0211-21752340-52362016-12-015510.7238/a.v0i55.29361644Meta-Literacy in GameworldsSilviano Carrasco0Susana Tosca1Universidad de ExtremaduraIT UniversityThis paper proposes the notion of “meta-literacy”, understood as the player´s ability to navigate between spheres of reality and/or cross boundaries when interacting with a gameworld. We examine how meta-aesthetics functions in vide ogames and argue that it is relevant at both the fictional level (intertextual literacy) and at the ludic level (self-referential literacy). The user will have to activate their meta-literacy in order to understand relationships between the levels of a video game, several different video games or the video game itself and “reality”. We present examples in every category and show how players naturally navigate this complexity. We propose that meta-literacy works in this media as an ability to recreate a bridge between the ludic and the fictional, to use our game repertoire, and to connect disparate levels of reality in an aesthetic experience that is no less unified than that of other art forms. We’ll conclude that accounting for meta-literacy is indeed relevant for understanding the pleasures of inhabiting not only gameworlds but also virtual worlds of all kinds.https://analisi.cat/article/view/3083gameworldsvideo gamesmeta-literacymeta-aestheticsself-referentialitymetalepsis
spellingShingle Silviano Carrasco
Susana Tosca
Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
Anàlisi: Quaderns de Comunicació i Cultura
gameworlds
video games
meta-literacy
meta-aesthetics
self-referentiality
metalepsis
title Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
title_full Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
title_fullStr Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
title_full_unstemmed Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
title_short Meta-Literacy in Gameworlds
title_sort meta literacy in gameworlds
topic gameworlds
video games
meta-literacy
meta-aesthetics
self-referentiality
metalepsis
url https://analisi.cat/article/view/3083
work_keys_str_mv AT silvianocarrasco metaliteracyingameworlds
AT susanatosca metaliteracyingameworlds