Upon some further digging and research into the topic of affect, it seems that I’ve definitely gone down the rabbit hole of research. Whereas I initially had a focus on embodiment, the almost obsessive nature in which I decided to tackle the concept of affect has left it to almost swallow everything else in this thesis. At this rate, embodiment may just become the secondary topic of this research! As a result, the overall structure of this paper has definitely evolved over this past month. Here is another quick breakdown of how it is looking so far:

Firstly, I plan to an overview of the subject of affect, and how it relates to games in general. As a case study, I will also refer to affective games such as the 2001 game Rez in order to have some point of reference when trying to discuss something as abstract as affect.

In addition I will need to explain its impact on the body as a biological imprint, explaining the aforementioned concepts of intensities and qualifications – the impact and the acknowledgement

In previous attempts to explain the idea, I have found that I will need to better explain the manner in which affect distinguishes itself from emotion, and the subconscious level at which it tends to operate. In relation to games, I may also need to refer to the reciprocal nature of this constant ‘intensity manufacturing’ between the player and the game.

Secondly, I will explore and try to draw links between player embodiment and affect, determining what classifies as embodiment, and how games such as thatgamecompany’s Journey could be seen to affect the player with and without the presence of an avatar or player character.

Lastly, I thought it would be important to address games that seem to have no embodiment at first sight. In these cases, one could say that it could be more about the agency than it is about embodiment. Embodiment may be a factor in this conversation, but it may be tough to decide whether it has a causal relationship to the affective experience. I don’t plan to find a definite answer so much as just explore the topic.

Overall I am finding this to become a somewhat tough subject, due to the subjectivity and abstract nature of this topic. I definitely strived for a challenge when deciding on this topic, and it seems that I have found it!

I also feel that this challenge would be remiss without some kind of supplementary artefact. It might be worth creating something to aid in a reader’s understanding of affect, especially when it is difficult enough trying to explain affect in words! I hope to make it part visual breakdown of the essay and part demonstration of concepts. If anything, making game-like exhibits of affect will help improve my understanding of the topic at hand (not to mention my sanity)!