%0 Journal Article 
%A Rivera-Dundas, Adena
%T Ecocritical engagement in a pixelated world

%D 2017
%@ 2171-9594
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10017/31333
%X How does one talk about materiality or embodiment when the “body” and the “environment” in question are forever separated by a screen? Through close readings of “Proteus” (Twisted Tree, 2013) and “Islands:  Non-Places” (Ice  Water  Games,  2016),  this  essay  argues  that  certain  video  games  articulate empathetic  relationships  between  player  and  world,  because  of—rather  than  despite—the video game’s position as a virtual realm. Because these two games limit player interaction and manipulate experiences of time, “Proteus” and “Islands: Non-Places” force the player to critically inhabit her position in the world and to   question   her   expectations   of   dominance   and   control   as   typically   experienced   in   video   games. Applications of material ecocriticism drive the readings of these video games. Specifically, by considering theories  of  time—both Anna Tsing’s pace of walking and Rob Nixon’s slow time of environmental disaster—together with Jane Bennett’s concept of vibrant   matter   and  Serenella   Iovino   and   Serpil Oppermann’s definition of material ecocriticism, this essay argues that the worlds of “Proteus” and “Islands: Non-Places” demand an environmental attention from the player. These two games reject the human desire to  touch,  cultivate,  and  master  the  environment,  offering,  instead, a  digital  assemblage  that  includes  the corporeal  player  and  the  virtual  world. “Proteus” and “Islands:  Non-Places”, human-made  constructions designed  for  human  consumption,  drive  an  investment in  the  vibrancy  of  the  world—both  within  the game and without.

%K Videojuegos
%K Ecocrítica material
%K Interactividad
%K Atención
%K Video games
%K Material ecocriticism
%K Interactivity
%K Attention
%K Literatura
%K Literature
%K Medio ambiente
%K Environmental science
%~ Biblioteca Universidad de Alcala