Performance and Identity

Plan for today Lecture + discussion Talking about the exam New Features in game engine LUNCH BREAK Group work

performance Performances are actions. Although performance studies scholars use the “archive” extensively – what’s in books, photographs, the archaeological record, historical remains, etc. – their dedicated focus is on the “repertory” – namely, what people do in the activity of their doing it.” (Schechner)

a simple exercise Let’s pick an action that would not usually be thought of as a performance. For example, a waiting on line at the supermarket checkout counter. Analyze it as a “performance”. Remember that performances consist of “ritualized gestures and sounds”. Coded transmittable behaviours.

play -Playing – doing something that is “not for real” – is, like ritual, at the heart of performance. (Schechner) Relationship to metaphor (Marjanovic-Shane) -Transitional objects. Construct a “neutral space” of unchallenged illusion (Winnicott) -An ethological approach. Play in a biological sense: for education and practice, exercising, etc. (Loizos) -To play, we have to send a sign that we are playing (Bateson)

a condition for play Why is tragedy “playful”? Why are violent video games “playful”? Because these arts and entertainments refer to that which, if real, would be painful. We can empathize to that pain, or pull the trigger of that video-game gun without “really doing” what we would be doing if we were not playing. (Schechner)

identity -as flexible self: multiple fragments interacting with each other (Turkle) -she explores why people play MUDS and what kind of experiments they do with identity - Real life and MUD life blur together along the boundaries "between self and game, self and role, self and simulation" (192).

roleplaying -A person’s sense of self is very much tied to her belief in the roles she plays (ordinary life) -In rpgs, we have to decide which aspects are going to be part of the role. -Is there a difference between playing and role-playing?

gender bending -is gender more relevant than other aspects, say, playing an alien? What about females playing males? -Is it a matter of pure game advantages or are there identity questions at a stake?

- 25 interviewees (ages from 14 to 35) - 9 women / 16 men - each player tried between 2 and 5 games (ideal game session: 1hr) - information from 81 game sessions was collected a qualitative interviews field study numbers questions -What can you do in this game? -Who are you in the game? -What are you doing now? Why? -Where are you in the game? -Who is that (NPC)? What do you think from him? - How are you feeling now? - What have you learned from that action?

use against identification - The player wants to control the game world - The player sees himself as engaged with a multifaceted interaction The player sees himself as “managing” resources: thinking, deciding, acting.