Paper presented on April 12, 2014 at the AG Games Workshop “Cutting Edges and Dead Ends”, Centre for Digital Cultures, Lüneburg, April 11-12, 2014.

1. Mind Games
Cognitive Approaches to
Video Game Studies
Felix Schröter, University of Hamburg
felix.schroeter@uni-hamburg.de
!
AG Games Workshop
„Cutting Edges and Dead Ends“
April 11-12, 2014
Centre for Digital Cultures, Lüneburg

2. Introduction
http://www.stihi.ru/pics/2011/07/15/7199.jpg

3. Introduction
Claim
A cognitive approach to video game studies can be used
(1) as a theoretical framework for describing player’s
cognitive, emotional, and bodily responses to video
games, and can
(2) inform the analysis of video games as artifacts
designed to elicit such responses.

4. Cognitive… what!?
4
Gregersen, A. L. (2014): „Cognition“. In:
Wolf, M.J.P. / Perron, B. (Eds.): The
Routledge Companion to Video Game
Studies. New York: Routledge, pp. 417-426.

5. Cognitive… what!?
5

6. Cognitive Game Studies
Premise
Models of how we perceive, comprehend and emotionally
engage with media can inform their systematical analysis.

7. Cognitive Game Studies

8. Cognitive Games Studies

9. Cognitive Game Studies
!
• Emotions: Frome 2006, Grodal 2003, Perron 2012
• Embodiment: Klevjer 2007, Gregersen 2008, Gregersen/Grodal 2009
• Gameplay patterns: Lindley/Sennersten 2008, Betts 2011
• Game design: Lankoski 2010, Isbister 2006
Cognitive approaches to video games:

10. Five Arguments
• Ecological models of cognitive (film) theory are universal.
• Many models of cognitive media studies can tackle the video game‘s
interactivity.
• Cognitive theory can help explain character engagement and emotions.
• Bodily turn in cognitive theory coincides with game studies’ embodiment
discourse.
• Models of cognitive psychology / emotion theory are used in game design.

11. Thank you!
Felix Schröter
felix.schroter@uni-hamburg.de
@felixjs
www.felixschroeter.de
www.cognitivegamestudies.com
www.facebook.com/cognitivegamestudies

12. References
• Betts, Tom (2011): "Pattern
Recognition: Gameplay as Negotiating
Procedural Form". In: Proceedings of
Digra 2011 Conference: Think Design
Play.!
• Frome, Jonathan (2006): Why Films
Make Us Cry But Video Games Don’t:
Emotions in Traditional and Interactive
Media. Madison, WI, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, dissertation.!
• Gregersen, Andreas L. (2008): Core
Cognition and Embodied Agency in
Gaming: Towards a Framework for
Analysing Structure and Function of
Computer Games. Kopenhagen,
Kobenhavns Universitet, dissertation.!
• Gregersen, A. L. (2014): „Cognition“.
In: Wolf, M.J.P. / Perron, B. (Eds.):
The Routledge Companion to Video
Game Studies. New York: Routledge,
pp. 417-426.!
• Gregersen, Andreas L. / Grodal,
Torben (2009): "Embodiment and
Interface". In: Perron, Bernard / Wolf,
Mark J. P. (Eds.): The Video Game
Theory Reader 2. New York, NY:
Routledge, pp. 65–83.
17
• Grodal, Torben (2003): "Stories for
Eye, Ear, and Muscles: Video
Games, Media, and Embodied
Experiences". In: Wolf, Mark J. P. /
Perron, Bernard (Eds.): The Video
Game Theory Reader. New York,
NY: Routledge, pp. 129–155.!
• Grodal, Torben (2009): Embodied
Visions: Evolution, Emotion,
Culture, and Film. New York, NY:
Oxford University Press.!
• Isbister, Katherine (2006): Better
Game Characters by Design. A
Psychological Approach. San
Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann
Publishers.!
• Klevjer, Rune (2007): What is the
Avatar? Fiction and Embodiment in
Avatar-Based Singleplayer
Computer Games. PhD Thesis,
University of Bergen. Online: http://
folk.uib.no/smkrk/docs/
RuneKlevjer_What%20is%20the
%20Avatar_finalprint.pdf!
• Lankoski, Petri (2010): Character-
Driven Game Design. A Design
Approach and Its Foundations in
Character Engagement. Online:
https://www.taik.fi/kirjakauppa/
images/
05b242aa4f26a8e03f8499599462f5f2
.pdf. !
• Lindley, Craig A. / Sennersten,
Charlotte C. (2008): "Game Play
Schemas. From Player Analysis to
Adaptive Game Mechanics". In:
International Journal of Computer
Games Technology 2008, pp. 1–7.
Online: http://
downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ijcgt/
2008/216784.pdf.!
• Perron, Bernard (2012): Silent Hill.
The Terror Engine. Ann Arbor, MI:
University of Michigan Press.!