RT Article
T1 The mythic scope of journey: a comparative assessment concerning the spirit at play and cybernetic shamanism
JF Online - Heidelberg journal of religions on the internet
VO 5
SP 314
OP 351
A1 Guyker, Robert W.
LA English
PB Heidelberg University Publishing
YR 2014
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1472124782
AB Video games yield some of the most immersive virtual experiences of mythos today. They render, conceive and engage in a shared heritage of symbols and images drawn from world stories, mythical tropes, creatures, and environments. Thatgamecompany’s Journey has recently emerged as a concise expression of this impulse to keep myth innovative, and gaming evocative. Working towards unraveling layers of motifs, I will approach Journey as a cybertext and mythic text, drawing on works ranging from philosophical treatises, poetry, sacred narratives and shamanism for comparative analysis. My initial task is to establish the video game as a participatory rendering of the Hero’s Journey, while then breaking the cycle into individual components of motifs, themes and mythemes to parse the discourse of Journey’s exposition. I then argue for Journey’s ongoing engagement with reimagining the gaming experience through a commitment to synergistic immersion in a myth-minded environment.
K1 hero’s journey
K1 Journey
K1 Motif
K1 Mythology
K1 Narrative
K1 Shamanism
K1 Simulation
K1 video game
DO 10.11588/rel.2014.0.12176