Abstract

The study of the video game as a medium is characterized by several problems characteristic of new domains of study, as the projects, methods, terminologies and assumptions of other disciplines have been carried into discussions of this form. These epistemological assumptions have both confounded the nature of the video game and led to circular debates on the relevance of particular approaches in video game research. This has led to a relative dearth in academic inquiries that is disproportionate to the importance and growth of this medium in everyday life. This thesis aims to address this debate and promote theoretically-sound methodologies that adequately describe the traits of the video game. The research first identifies the key fields mobilized within the current literature and then investigates the epistemological roots of each field, thereby identifying the relevant aspects of particular disciplines and the elements that obscure the unique nature of the medium. The research also involves case studies of several different games, which allows for the proposal of methodological approaches that are open to scholars from varying fields and premised upon rigorous theoretical examination of both the form and traditional approaches to media.