Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar

The most iconic character in the history of video games, Mario, is famous for his jump. Before knowing the scenario of Super Mario games, their objectives or even their peculiar lore, most players identify Mario with his ability to jump. In effect, many renowned video game characters are recognized...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alexandre Dubois
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Conserveries Mémorielles 2018-10-01
Series:Conserveries Mémorielles
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cm/3102
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1832096187732197376
author Alexandre Dubois
author_facet Alexandre Dubois
author_sort Alexandre Dubois
collection DOAJ
description The most iconic character in the history of video games, Mario, is famous for his jump. Before knowing the scenario of Super Mario games, their objectives or even their peculiar lore, most players identify Mario with his ability to jump. In effect, many renowned video game characters are recognized through their defining actions: while Mario jumps, Sonic runs, Megaman shoots and Solid Snake hides. Since a number of scholars attempted to verbalize such a common trait, and in doing so constituted a grammar in which verbs define entire games’ structures, this article takes these linguistic tropes at their word by suggesting that the infinitive is the primary form of video game verbs. Relying on the infinitive proves to be fruitful so as to emphasize the player’s means of expression when triggering inputs, but also when not triggering them, that is when verbs constitute dormant potentialities which lie unconjugated on the controller. This work also aims to showcase that video game verbs act as designations, from the player’s inputs to the screen, bringing into relief an oscillating image—one that may be glanced at from a renewed perspective.
format Article
id doaj-art-5b350668409747829a41e04985fe9d02
institution Kabale University
issn 1718-5556
language deu
publishDate 2018-10-01
publisher Conserveries Mémorielles
record_format Article
series Conserveries Mémorielles
spelling doaj-art-5b350668409747829a41e04985fe9d022025-02-05T16:16:17ZdeuConserveries MémoriellesConserveries Mémorielles1718-55562018-10-01Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New GrammarAlexandre DuboisThe most iconic character in the history of video games, Mario, is famous for his jump. Before knowing the scenario of Super Mario games, their objectives or even their peculiar lore, most players identify Mario with his ability to jump. In effect, many renowned video game characters are recognized through their defining actions: while Mario jumps, Sonic runs, Megaman shoots and Solid Snake hides. Since a number of scholars attempted to verbalize such a common trait, and in doing so constituted a grammar in which verbs define entire games’ structures, this article takes these linguistic tropes at their word by suggesting that the infinitive is the primary form of video game verbs. Relying on the infinitive proves to be fruitful so as to emphasize the player’s means of expression when triggering inputs, but also when not triggering them, that is when verbs constitute dormant potentialities which lie unconjugated on the controller. This work also aims to showcase that video game verbs act as designations, from the player’s inputs to the screen, bringing into relief an oscillating image—one that may be glanced at from a renewed perspective.https://journals.openedition.org/cm/3102linguisticsgrammarinfinitiveverbspotentialitiesdesignation
spellingShingle Alexandre Dubois
Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
Conserveries Mémorielles
linguistics
grammar
infinitive
verbs
potentialities
designation
title Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
title_full Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
title_fullStr Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
title_full_unstemmed Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
title_short Speaking About and Through Video Games: Towards Verbalizing a New Grammar
title_sort speaking about and through video games towards verbalizing a new grammar
topic linguistics
grammar
infinitive
verbs
potentialities
designation
url https://journals.openedition.org/cm/3102
work_keys_str_mv AT alexandredubois speakingaboutandthroughvideogamestowardsverbalizinganewgrammar