A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts

of Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts VIDEO GAMES: PERSPECTIVE, POINT-OF-VIEW, AND IMMERSION By Laurie N. Taylor May 2002 Chair: Dr. Terry Harpold Department: English Presently, video game designers, players, and often even video game theorists approach the representation of point-of-view in video games as intuitive and uncomplicated. Drawing on the current critical work on video games, theories of immersion and engagement, and theories of human-computer-interaction, I question the significance of optical perspective in video games in terms of player point-of-view. Because video games are an experiential medium, critical study of video games must include the study of the diegetic, visual-auditory, interface, and experiential (often termed interactive or participatory) aspects of video game play. Through an analysis of the various points-of-view within different games and the differing points-of-view within a single game, I attempt to delineate the differences both in the creation of the experiential game space and in the possibilities for immersion within the game space. For this, I delimit two types of immersion: diegetic immersion, which corresponds to immersion in the game, and intra-diegetic or situated immersion, which corresponds to immersion