Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: HELENA CARVALHAIS MENEZES

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de DOUTORADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : HELENA CARVALHAIS MENEZES
DATE: 23/07/2025
TIME: 14:00
LOCAL: Sala da Defesa do Posling - Sala 445
TITLE:

IDENTITIES AND VIDEO GAMES: The impact of the developers' identities on video games

KEY WORDS:

Video game. Identities. Research-creation.

PAGES: 28
BIG AREA: Lingüística, Letras e Artes
AREA: Letras
SUMMARY:

This thesis presents an investigation into how the developers' identities manifest themselves in the works they produce, influencing the players' experience. This research is based on the mapping done by James Paul Gee (2023) of the identities present during gaming experiences, which he named “real-world” (the player's), “virtual” (the avatar's, controlled by the player), and “projective” (resulting from a dialogue between the two previous ones).

The study presented in this thesis demonstrates the impact of developers' identities on video games, analyzing how their personal choices and experiences are reflected in the rules, mechanics, and narratives of these games, directly influencing the players' experience. Using the nomenclature proposed by Gee, this research proposes to investigate the influence of developers in the composition of the “virtual identity”, which impacts the construction of the “projective identity”.

Initially, the research is based on a theoretical review, case analysis, and research-creation (also called "art-based research"). Four independent games—Papers, Please (2013), Hollow Knight (2017), Celeste (2018), and Death’s Door (2021)—were studied based on the developers’ statements in interviews for magazines and blogs, their discourses on social media, and player comments. Later, the work included documentation of the development of an authorial game, recorded through a field diary.

The method combines research-creation, interview study, analysis of player comments, and observation on social media, exploring how rules and mechanics reflect the creators’ intentions and personal values. The thesis points out that, even in games that offer freedom to the player, the scope of choices is always conditioned by the design and narrative decisions made by the developers, reinforcing that the game bears marks of their identities. Finally, the work underscores the significance of acknowledging the role of creators in game studies, proposing a closer examination of their intentions, worldviews, and creative processes.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa à Instituição - AMANDA RAFAELA GOMES MARTINS
Presidente - ROGERIO BARBOSA DA SILVA
Interno - WAGNER JOSE MOREIRA