In this dissertation, I analyze the videogame as a way of approaching
emerging forms of selfhood, as well as new models of technological innovation,
economic activity, and artistic production, utilizing writings by theorists of visual
culture, in particular Theodor W. Adorno. By evaluating the media phenomenon
of the videogame, I assess the new ludic individual and elucidate the problems
and possibilities that accompany her. I propose that games be played critically,
not simply as expressions of culture or as products for consumption, but as
objects through which we can think. In this way, games function much like
artworks, as pieces of visual culture that allow us to explore different avenues of
reflection. Games can be catalysts for deliberation on a variety of topics, from
aesthetics to constructions of selfhood. Individuals often play the role of the
gamer even without knowing it, due to the unavoidability of games on phones,
computers, TV, etc. The individual as a gamer is active, but entrapped; she has
choices, but they are from a menu; she has a purpose (or a quest), but its
outcome is predetermined. My project is to scrutinize this tendency in order to
explain how technologies have shaped us and, more importantly, how we can
reclaim play for our benefit.