ABSTRACT CASHMAN, SHAUN LEE. The Rhetoric of Immersion in Video Game Technologies. (Under the direction of Dr. Victoria Gallagher.) Immersion is a crucial concept for understanding how people engage, interact, and understand mediated messages. This work examines the concept of immersion within video game technologies. It argues that immersion is a rhetorical function and that we can understand how a media text induces immersion using rhetorical theory. Immersion itself is defined as a unique, multifaceted relationship that forms between a person and a media message that acts on the body, mind, and emotions of a person and is intrinsically tied to the unique experience of a medium. To that end, video games are distinct in that they are comprised of a game, screen, computer, and interface. These four components allow us to understand the medium as a communicative act that can be studied through rhetoric. Justified in existing game and media theory, this work constructs a rhetorical model of immersion that highlights seven rhetorical means through which video game technologies can immerse. The rhetorical model of immersion is then compared to two existing immersion models through and analysis of five distinct video. Through this analysis the rhetorical model shows its viability by comparison and its contributions to our understanding of immersion in video game technologies. The Rhetoric of Immersion in Video Game Technologies by Shaun Cashman A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Communication & Rhetoric in Digital Media Raleigh, North Carolina 2010 APPROVED BY: _________________________ _________________________ Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva Dr. Stephen B. Crofts Wiley _________________________ _________________________ Dr. Jason Swarts Dr. Victoria J. Gallagher Chair of Advisory Committee ii DEDICATION To my wife Sarah for all of her support and encouragement. iii BIOGRAPHY Shaun Cashman hails from Charlotte, North Carolina as the oldest of five children. He graduated with his Bachelor's in mass communication from UNC-Asheville in 2000, his masters in Communication from UNC-Greensboro in 2006, and his Ph.D. in Communication and Rhetoric in Digital Media from North Carolina State University in 2010. His scholarly work includes game studies, audience participation, and issues of identity in computer mediated communication. He is married with three children. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thanks all of those instructors who encouraged me to pursue my higher education. In particular I want to thank Dr. Alan Hantz, Dr. Mark West, and Dr. Donald Diefenbach for inspiring me in the early years of my educational career. I would also like to thank Dr. Etsuko Fujimoto and Dr. Christopher Poulos for encouraging me to pursue my academic interests. I am sincerely grateful for my dissertation committee. Dr. Victoria Gallagher, Dr. Adriana de Souza e Silva, Dr. Jason Swarts, and Dr. Stephen Wiley were all so supportive and patient with me throughout this research process. I appreciate all of their hard work and support for me. I would also like to thank family and friends who helped support my family emotionally and financially as I pursued my higher degrees. I would not have come this far without you. Thank you, all. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................. x CHAPTER 1. DISSERTATION OVERVIEW .........................................................................1 Introduction............................................................................................................................1 The Rhetoric of Immersion....................................................................................................4 Study Relevance.....................................................................................................................6 Methodology..........................................................................................................................8 Chapter Overview ................................................................................................................14 Conclusions..........................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2. THE VIDEO GAME AS A MEDIUM.............................................................18 Introduction..........................................................................................................................18 Game....................................................................................................................................19 Screens .................................................................................................................................27 Computer..............................................................................................................................28 The Interface ........................................................................................................................32 Play ......................................................................................................................................36 The Communication of Games ............................................................................................42 Conclusions..........................................................................................................................45 CHAPTER 3. IMMERSION ...................................................................................................47 Introduction..........................................................................................................................47 The Value of Studying Immersion in Video Games............................................................48 Physical Immersion..............................................................................................................52 Description.......................................................................................................................52 Historical Tradition in Art, Photography, & Virtual Reality...........................................52 Techniques of Physical Immersion..................................................................................58 Summary..........................................................................................................................60 Psychological Immersion.....................................................................................................61 Description.......................................................................................................................61 Historical Tradition in Literature, Film, and Television..................................................61 Techniques of Psychological Immersion.........................................................................65 Summary..........................................................................................................................66 Attention Immersion ............................................................................................................67 Description.......................................................................................................................67 Historical Tradition in Cognitive Science........................................................................68 Techniques of Attention Immersion ................................................................................69 Summary..........................................................................................................................70 The Meaning of Immersion .................................................................................................71 Immersion Literature in Video Games ................................................................................75 Conclusions..........................................................................................................................80 vi Introduction..........................................................................................................................87 The Presence Model.............................................................................................................91 The Rhetorical Model ........................................................................................................105 Description.....................................................................................................................105 Theoretical Background.................................................................................................106 The Narrative Means of Immersion...................................................................................110 Description.....................................................................................................................110 Theory............................................................................................................................112 Techniques .....................................................................................................................113 Summary........................................................................................................................119