The meaning of playing, about meaning in video games
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7494/human.2026.25.1.8009Keywords:
escapism, video games, metagames, motivation, psychology, meaning of lifeAbstract
The first decade of the 21st century proved to be a turning point in the history of video games, when a significant change in their function took place. Today, we can observe their evolution from tools that are a source of entertainment and a carrier of cultural information to a meaning-making medium. The aim of this article is to analyze the concept of meaning and the related concept of escapism and an attempt to structurize their presence in the medium of video games and to present current research related to this subject. We will focus on trying to present the concept of meaning from the perspective of a character in the game and the course of its narrative, metagames and the player's search for aspects of meaning.
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