Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Postmodern Videogames: Fragmented Representations: Year 13 OCR Media Studies
Postmodern Videogames: Fragmented Representations: Year 13 OCR Media Studies
Postmodern Videogames:
Fragmented Representations
Learning Objectives
2. Intertextuality
- genre hybridity, media interdependence, immersion and rabbit holes
3. Lack of Verisimilitude
- machinima, shifting contexts, temporal mastery
4. Open-endedness
- micro-narratives, sandbox style vs. linearity
5. Interactivity
- player agency and emergent gameplay
Fragmentation of Representation
The idea that nothing is represented in
isolation. Representations in videogames
are sometimes conflicting. Thus, people
places and events are re-presented to us
as copies rather than an original.
NIKO BELLIC
NIKO BELLIC - GTA4
Voiced by Michael Hollick.
"Life is complicated. I killed people. Smuggled
people. Sold people. Perhaps here, things will be
different."
Grand Theft Auto IV's protagonist, Niko Bellic, is an ex-
soldier from Eastern Europe who moved to Liberty City
to escape his past and pursue the "American Dream."
Niko was persuaded to move by his cousin Roman, who
claimed to be living there with beautiful women, sports
cars and lots of money. It soon becomes apparent,
however, that Roman lied in order to cover up his own
failures in life - the truth is he runs a failing taxi
business, has mounting debts, and various criminals
from Liberty City's underworld have put a price on his
head. Niko also has other motivations for moving to
Liberty City, which are revealed as the story unfolds.
What are fragmented
representations?