Deepening Player Immersion with Jungian Symbolism

1
Deepening Player Immersion with Jungian Symbolism

• Presentation by Stephen Schafer
• Apology
• Due to upload constraints, this presentation
  contains only 20 of the original. All graphic
  content and some minor steps in the logic of my
  argument have been excluded. Stay tuned to this
  site. A forwarding address to the entire
  presentation is forthcoming.
• Thank you.

2
Psyche has rhetorical pattern

• Symbols in images (what you think you see) tell a
  story
• What we think we see is the subject of many
  fields of psychological research linguistics,
  marketing, perception, cognition, dream research,
  propaganda, psychoanalysis, Jungian
  Amplification, etc
• It is well-established fact that images focus
  attention in consciousness but, according to
  Carl Jung the archetypal dimensions of psyche
  generate the images (like projections onto a
  screen)
• Just as energy frequencies are ever-present for
  reception by our computer monitors, psychic
  frequencies are ever present for reception by the
  minds eye
• Insight as to the premise in a dream story (what
  a character learns) leads to Jungian
  individuation or at-one-ment with the soul
  (Joseph Campbells term for the end of the hero
  journey)
• The interactive process of extending symbolic
  metaphors is the key to a dreamers healing
  insight and to achieving meaningful player
  insight as to a game win

3
Jung and Einstein are of one mind

• Both view reality in terms of unified field
  dynamics
• Both understand uni-verse in terms of energy
• Both initiated the Paradigm Shift into a mediated
  age of psyche-physics

4
We are at the beginning of a paradigm shift

• A basic shift in the assumptions of science
  (Thomas Kuhn-1933)
• Psychecology a unified field of Psyche-Physics
• Holographic reality
• An interactive mediasphere

5
if you understand immersion interactivity in
Jungian terms

• Vital energy in a unified field of psyche-physics
• The part contains the whole (DNA, fractals)
• The unconscious is real and has autonomous
  purpose that it communicates (immersion) to
  consciousness with the symbolism of dreams
• Mediation (interactivity) is a two-way process
  between unconscious conscious dimensions
• Good SBG writers are like the psychiatrist that
  helps lead the dreamer (gamer) to insightful
  understanding of the meaning of his/her dreams

6
All the world (psyche) is a stage

• In the theatre metaphor the stage is the
  spotlight of consciousness
• Upon this stage plays a mediated dream in which
  narrative structure is the common denominator and
  personae are avatars of our numinous Self
• All the worlds a stage upon which our avatars
  play their parts
• Like images in dreams, images in SBGs are the
  staging ground of consciousness upon which we use
  the props and settings to learn to navigate the
  psychecology

7
All models of mental functioning are theatre
models (Bernard J. Baars, 1997)

• The theatre model is a way to understand how the
  Jungian functions (thinking, feeling, sensing,
  intuiting) communicate in dreams and games
• The theatre of consciousness is a metaphor used
  in global workspace theory (research in
  perception and cognition)
• Stage spotlight focus of conscious attention
  access to any part of the brain (Recent estimates
  of brain activity is that 55 billion neurons are
  sending electrical pulses 40-1000 times per
  second.)
• Audience receptive unconscious
• Backstage directive unconscious
• The theatre model is a good metaphor relative to
  Jungian definitions of psyche
• This presentation has all the dimensions of
  theatre and psyche
• Drama (narrative) as medium
• Symbolic content (character masks, sets as
  graphic image)
• Integrated holistic psyche (conscious-unconscious
  context)

8
Metaphorical resonance is the programmatic
matrix for immersion interactivity

• To provoke player insight, video games could be
  programmed to simulate the functions and dynamics
  of the psyche
• Games could simulate both dreams and the
  analytical feedback provided by the psychiatrist
• As in dreams, amplification of narrative
  symbolism in SBGs leads to meaningful insight

9
Narrative is A Kaleidoscopic Flux of Psychic
Energies

• Narrative is a rhetorical-psychological
  kaleidoscope that contains all the potentials of
  the personal collective search for meaning
• In the present moment, it impacts multiple
  dimensions of human psyche
• Kaleidoscopic psychic patterns may be deciphered
  using the symbols of alchemy such as cycles and
  the four elements that represent the functions of
  human psycheflesh, emotion, mind, and spirit
  earth, water, air, fire

10
According to Jung, dreams are symbolic images
in the narrative form of Greek drama

• A story
• Dramatic unities (space, time, and action)
• Character, plot, their interaction
• Character the persona or mask of archetypes
• Plot Journey of the Hero toward psychological
  individuation or at-one-ment (Campbell) with Self
• Meaning and purpose (premise)
• Told in the language of living symbols
• Living symbols are expressions of unconscious
  psychic energylike spin typesand are metaphors
  
• Unconscious spin types can be inferred by
  metaphorical extensionJungs Amplification
  Method of dream analysis

11
Symbolic mediation is the key to immersion

• By the process of amplifying (extending) the
  metaphorical meaning of symbols, SBG writers draw
  players into the immersed dimensions of the
  personal and collective unconscious

12
Symbolic mediation is the language of
interactivity between conscious unconscious
dimensions

• The specific form in which energy is manifested
  in the psyche is the image
• This creative activity of the psyche transforms
  unconscious contents into such images as appear
  in dreams, fantasies, visions, and every variety
  of creative art. (Jacoby p. 58-59)
• The psychological mechanism that transforms
  energy is the symbol (Jung, Energy, pp. 39, 40.)
• Like dreams, game images give form to contents of
  the unconscious (computational levels of a game)

13
Mediation is interactive

• Unconscious, preconscious contents are projected
  outward and expressed as a symbolic image-map
• The image grounds consciousness which then tests
  itself with interactive choices that engage the
  unconscious alter the map
• For example, the chess game is a symbolic map
  that grounds the conversation between opponents.
  Each move by each player is a choice that
  constitutes an interactive test of inferred
  unconscious states (that state of an opponents
  psyche that not known)
• We are constantly navigating such game-maps and
  seeking immersed meaning by the process of
  grounding living symbols (imbedded in a psychic
  field) with the focus of consciousness
• The result is evolutionconstant transformation
  of unconscious material into consciousness

14
Meaning can be psychologically associated with a
game win

• Dramatic pattern, on which most dreams are
  constructed, forms a suitable basis for
  interpretation of dreams (Jacoby, p 83)
• Advertisements associate symbolic resonance with
  product
• Writers can associate character premise and story
  purpose with winning the game
• The more writing skill, the deeper the player
  immersion in unconscious resonance of symbolic
  meaning

15
The function of mediation in dreams provides a
clue to interactive storytelling

• Jungian dreams arise from a unified field (time
  does not exist) so they seem to have random
  order. However, their narrative structure
  incorporates all the dynamics of storytelling
  while amplifying immersion and interactive
  choice.
• Manipulation of Plot sequence and View sequence
  (Andrew Glassner) constitutes complex and
  sophisticated interactivity
• Premise maintains the integrity of the
  interactive story-line (Schafer)
• Without losing the game storyline, SBGs can
  accommodate a dreamlike array of scenes triggered
  by imbedded symbols that prompt interactive
  choices yet lead to meaningful player insight
  (psychological premise associated with the game
  win)
• The dream dynamic provides great flexibility of
  choice and content while retaining a solid
  storyline

16
Psychecology has purpose immersed in a symbolic
map

• Psyche is the spiritual component of physics
• The energy of psyche is expressed as metaphorical
  resonance
• Physicists tap sub-atomic energy with
  mathematical formulae
• Writers tap the sub-conscious energy of psyche
  with living symbols rhetorical patterns
• Images (dreams game screens) are expressions of
  meaningful archetypal patterns
• Because SBGs have all the dimensions of dreams,
  they have the same immersive, interactive, and
  healing potentials

17
SBG writers can use the theatre metaphor to
understand Jungian immersion and interactivity

• To write stories for the spotlight (image)
• Simulations can be loaded with symbolic meaning
• The writer-director needs to understand how the
  symbols on stage affect the audience
  (unconscious)
• Relative to meaning (premisewhat a character
  learns)
• And purpose of the story
• The writer needs to direct from the pre-conscious
  (backstage)
• Living symbols have more interactive versatility
  than language structures
• Stories written with living symbols will have
  more interactive versatility