“Beyond Their Actual Limits”: Immersion, Interactivity, and the Virtual Sublime in Burke and Video Games

Abstract

This article examines the experience of the sublime engendered by video games and the function of immersion and interactivity in producing this effect. A close inspection of the history of the sublime as an aesthetic principle and related cultural practices reveals that the elements of immersion, interactivity, and virtuality were already integral to Burke’s seminal conceptualization, as well as in architecture and visual media, before the emergence of digital media. The techniques and technologies of the immersive sublime deployed by preexisting spatial and visual art forms are inherited, revised, and enhanced in video games, as demonstrated by the analysis of the undersea exploration game ABZÛ. In this sense, the video game simultaneously marks the continuation of and new developments in the interlinked histories of the sublime and technology.

Armchair travel through video games: stories from elsewheres and elsewhens

“…Subsequently, players can choose their avatar's gender, race, or occupation in certain games, and this information can have a profound impact on the virtual world (Bernal-Merino, 2015). The only method to perceive a game's environment is via immersive perception and movement of the avatar (Kim, 2022).…”

“…Consequently, the development of aesthetics occurs as the result of our own physiological enjoyment of the game's mechanics (Niedenthal, 2009). In spite of Atkinson and Parsayi's (2021) assertion that the connection between video games and their players may be incompatible with aesthetic contemplation because of the immersion, interaction, and speed of gameplay; Kim (2022) claims that the audio-visual stimuli of video games do indeed broaden the manner in which aesthetic values are absorbed and experienced. In point of fact, a player's total immersion and engagement in a game are prerequisites for a sublime experience (Kim, 2022).…”

“…In spite of Atkinson and Parsayi's (2021) assertion that the connection between video games and their players may be incompatible with aesthetic contemplation because of the immersion, interaction, and speed of gameplay; Kim (2022) claims that the audio-visual stimuli of video games do indeed broaden the manner in which aesthetic values are absorbed and experienced. In point of fact, a player's total immersion and engagement in a game are prerequisites for a sublime experience (Kim, 2022). Furthermore, Wolf (2013) asserts that, apart from engagement and emotional involvement, the mental experience of an imaginary world offered by an artefact is the most important aspect of experiencing an aesthetic illusion.…”

“…Escapism is defined as the way we temporarily get away from mundane parts of our everyday lives (Muriel and Crawford, 2018). While video games offer an escape from the mundanity and limited possibilities of reality (Muriel and Crawford, 2018), they can also be regarded as forms of art (Niedenthal, 2009;Tavinor, 2009;Atkinson and Parsayi, 2021;Kim, 2022). Due to their narrative, they are a form of minor literature (Mukherjee, 2015).…”

“…Like the traditional forms of art, video games engage with themes concerning aesthetics, representation, narrative, emotional engagement, and even morality (Tavinor, 2009). Therefore, they might also be suitable for analysed from an aesthetic perspective, even though the historical aesthetic values and classifications developed for static art forms might not be entirely appropriate for evaluating video games due to their immersive and interactive aspects (Atkinson and Parsayi, 2021;Kim, 2022).…”