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Restless dreams in Silent Hill : approaches to video game analysis

2005; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1386/jmpr.6.3.167/1

2040-0926

Ewan Kirkland,

Gothic Literature and Media Analysis

This paper explores Konami's Silent Hill video game franchise in terms of narrative, genre and identity representation. Situating this analysis within ludological and narratological perspectives and debates, the paper argues that these traditional film and media studies approaches to textual analysis can be productively applied to video games. Narrative's incompatibility with interactivity is discussed, alongside the various ways Silent Hill employs storytelling. The series' generic relationship within horror cinema and horror gaming is illustrated, particularly its status as a survival horror video game. Finally, issues of gender, sexuality and race are examined, including constructions of masculinity, femininity, heterosexuality and whiteness.