1 Brandi Brace THE EXPERIENCE OF CHARACTER AND THE FRAMEWORK OF AN IDEAL PLAYER: An Enactivist Approach to Character and Theme in The Last of Us Faculty of Communication Sciences Master’s Thesis April 2020 ABSTRACT Brandi Brace: The Experience of Character and the Framework of an Ideal Player: An Enactivist Approach to Character and Theme in The Last of Us Master’s Thesis Tampere University Internet and Game Studies April 2020 This thesis explores enactivism as a framework to understand player interaction with video games as digital environments. It proposes a theory of an ideal player which takes into context the player’s socio-cultural familiarity, form familiarity, play setting, and player identity. Finally, the theme of good and evil is shown through characters as a contrast of connection and isolation. Enactivism, a branch of cognitive science, explores the embodied interactions that the player has with the characters in a game. This experience will be affected by the context of their own lives. Players enact a new world through engaging with the game (Di Paolo, Rohde & De Jaegher, 2010). In order to look at how the characters in The Last of Us affect a player, personal context needs to be understood. Since enactivism examines how organisms (in this case, players) interact with their environment in order to build an understanding of the world and themselves, it is clear that not only will players bring context to the game, but through interaction with the game environment, they will redefine their own identity (Di Paolo, Rohde & De Jaegher, 2010; Caracciolo, 2012). To draw comparisons to established literary theory, I compare enactivism to reader-response theory and explain the mimetic/synthetic division of a reader’s approach to character. Using this background, I establish the way that theme can be conveyed through character. This is especially crucial in terms of an emotional reaction to character which can affect a reader’s (and thus I posit, player’s) judgement of the larger work (Schneider, 2001). In order to show how enactivism and the ideal player can be applied to an analysis of theme, I use The Last of Us as an example of connection as good and isolation as evil. Deconstructing four scenes, I break down how Joel’s character will be understood by an ideal player who I define, among other factors, as utilizing a mimetic approach to character. I look at how mental models are affected by each scene and break down the narratological and ludic design that supports this change. To finish, I evaluate how cyclical design mirrors Joel’s redemption arc, and the portrayal of character death is an extension of his processing of death. I conclude that without a predefined ideal player, any analysis of any game’s design or theme is dependent upon the player’s own interpretation and is therefore less usable. Furthermore, I show that enactivism provides many potential avenues for exploration of identity formation and cultural change through the themes portrayed in games. Keywords: The Last of Us, Enactivism, Ideal Player, Mimetic Character, Theme, Connection The originality of this thesis has been checked using the Turnitin OriginalityCheck service. Preface I want to thank my husband, Jeremy Benscoter, who supported me throughout my time in the master’s program at Tampere. It was not easy being away from home, but having someone who was always supportive helped me make it through. Thank you, Jeremy, for always believing in me, for every hour of video chatting, for all the pictures of our pets, and of course, for your feedback along the way. I will always love and appreciate you. I would also like to thank Leland Masek, Daniel Fernández Galeote, and Essi Jämsä. Your friendship and support were unlike any I have ever known. I am thankful for every tangential conversation and friendly debate. Our moments of laughter, of tears, and of simply being together are some of the best of my life. You defined my experience at Tampere. I am lucky to call you all my friends. Tampere, 19 April 2020 Brandi Brace Table of Contents ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... 2 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND: ENACTIVISM AND CHARACTER APPROACH .... 6 2.1. Framework ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.1.1. Foundation of Argument ........................................................................................... 6 2.1.2. Situated in Enactivism .............................................................................................. 8 2.2. Mental Models.................................................................................................................. 9 2.3. Mental Model Overlap: An Example ............................................................................. 11 2.4. Themes ........................................................................................................................... 12 2.5. Mimetic and Synthetic Characters ................................................................................. 13 2.6. Mimetic vs Synthetic: An Example ............................................................................... 14 2.7. Ludology and Narrative ................................................................................................. 16 2.8. Player Background ......................................................................................................... 17 2.9. Restructuring Mental Models: Interaction and Sense-making ....................................... 20 2.10. The Core of Enactivism .............................................................................................. 21 2.11. Character Identification, Conflict, and Identity .......................................................... 21 2.12. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 22 3 LITERATURE REVIEW: CRITICAL ANALYSES OF THE LAST OF US ..................... 24 3.1. Prevalence of Comparative Work .................................................................................. 24 3.2. Comparison of the Available Work ............................................................................... 24 3.3. Evaluation of Comparative Work .................................................................................. 25 3.4. Representation as a Force for Cultural Change .............................................................. 28 4 METHODS: THE IDEAL PLAYER AND THEMES ......................................................... 30 4.1. Creating the Model of the Ideal Player .......................................................................... 30 4.2. Identifying the Theme .................................................................................................... 30 5 APPLYING A MODEL: JOEL AND A FOUR SCENE ANALYSIS OF THEME ............ 34 5.1. Implications of the Theme.............................................................................................. 34 5.2. Joel’s Rejection of Humanity ......................................................................................... 35 5.3. Marlene’s Attempt at Self-Justification and the Upper Hand ........................................ 35 5.4. Ellie’s Guilt .................................................................................................................... 36 5.5. A Comparison of Frames – Making Sense of Perspectives ........................................... 37 5.6. Player Response to Joel .................................................................................................. 39 5.7. Overview of the Ideal Player .......................................................................................... 39 5.8. Structure of Analysis ...................................................................................................... 42 5.9. The Opening ................................................................................................................... 43 5.9.1. Mental Models: Joel as the Everyman, Father, and Protector ................................ 43 5.9.2. Ludic Impact: Playing as Sarah and Joel ................................................................ 45 5.9.3. Thematic Analysis: Sarah’s Death .......................................................................... 46 5.10. Part 1: The Evolution of the Ideal Player’s Mental Models ....................................... 49 5.10.1. Mental Models: Joel projects strength through a lack of emotionality ................... 49 5.10.2. Context: Comparison to the Other Characters Around Him ................................... 51 5.10.3. Thematic Analysis: Suppression of Feelings .......................................................... 52 5.10.4. Ludic Impact: Quarantine Zone .............................................................................. 54 5.11. Part 2: Ellie Saves Joel’s Life ..................................................................................... 55 5.11.1. Ellie Keeps Trying to Connect ................................................................................ 56 5.11.2. Ludic Impact of Connection ................................................................................... 58 5.12. Part 3: David’s Camp: