Utrecht University New Media Studies | Master’s thesis The Utopia of Apocalypse Anti-human exceptionalism in Shin Megami Tensei & A critique on the anthropocentric understanding of established notions of utopia in science fiction studies Title: The Utopia of Apocalypse: Anti-human exceptiona- lism in Shin Megami Tensei & A critique on the an- thropocentric understanding of established notions of utopia in science fiction studies Date: 15 August 2012 By: Guan van Zoggel (3782611)
[email protected] Student MA New Media & Digital Cultures Supervisors: Dr. Ann-Sophie Lehmann (tutor/main supervisor) Dr. Kathrin Thiele (second reader) Table of contents Abstract .................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................. iv Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 What is this ‘monster’? ........................................................................... 6 Animated animals and anthropomorphism ................................. 6 Contextualising Shin Megami Tensei ............................................. 11 The monstrosity, the cyborg and the hybrid .............................. 16 How does this ‘monster’ work? ............................................................. 22 The Uncanny ................................................................................... 23 Intimate virtuality..........................................................................