Doctoral Dissertation Template
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE THE AESTHETIC VALUE OF VIDEOGAMES: AN ANALYSIS OF INTERACTIVITY, GAMEPLAY, AND PLAYER PERFORMANCE A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By ZACHARY LEE JURGENSEN Norman, Oklahoma 2018 THE AESTHETIC VALUE OF VIDEOGAMES: AN ANALYSIS OF INTERACTIVITY, GAMEPLAY, AND PLAYER PERFORMANCE A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PHILOSOPHY BY ______________________________ Dr. Sherri Irvin, Chair ______________________________ Dr. Hugh Benson ______________________________ Dr. Stephen Ellis ______________________________ Dr. Dean Hougen ______________________________ Dr. Martin Montminy © Copyright by ZACHARY LEE JURGENSEN 2018 All Rights Reserved. For my parents: Perry and Betty Jurgensen Acknowledgements This dissertation is the product of a long, demanding journey made possible by the continued support of my family, my wife, close friends, colleagues, and mentors. There undoubtedly will be someone I miss, but I am indebted and deeply grateful to the following people who helped shape me into the philosopher, gamer, and person capable of finishing this project: My father, Perry Jurgensen, for showing me the value of hard work; my mother, Betty Jurgensen, for encouraging my endless curiosity and love of knowledge; my friends, Rob Byer, Steve Dwyer, Casey Stull, and Mike Jordan for challenging me both literally and figuratively when it comes to playing and thinking about games; my wife, Trish Catalano for keeping me focused when my will and spirit were tested time and again; my undergraduate teachers, Gene Rice, Doug Drabkin, Stephen Tramel, and Ruth Tallman for turning a freshman student interested in arguing about religion into an aspiring philosopher; my graduate professors, Martin Montminy, Stephen Ellis, Chris Swoyer, Hugh Benson, and Ray Elugardo for teaching me how to properly engage in rigorous, disciplined philosophical thought and writing; and my dissertation committee for their continued patience and advice.
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