Silent Games: Influence of German Expressionism In Dystopian Video Games- Inside, Little Nightmares, Monochroma

Abstract

As tools of game development become accessable to more people, video games come closer to become an art form, rather than mere entertainment, without losing their entairtainment value. Albeit artistic value of video games has been accepted in time, the word ‘game’ causes people to overlook its relationship with art. Aim of this paper is to focus this problem by analysing Little Nightmares, Inside and Monochroma, in the context of German Expressionism as well as other art movements and silent movie era, and try to explain how these games use art as a means of artistic expression while creating psychological horror and dystopian worlds. Studied games are independent games that are similar both visually and thematically. These aspects determined the boundries of the study. In this qualitative study, chosen games are analyzed through semiotic analysis. Study showed that expressionist techniques such as distorted images, strong contrasts in lighting have been used in order to building the game world and creating an uncanny, totalitarian atmosphere; developers took advantage of silent movie era and cinematique techniques to convey the narrative visually, without using dialogs. Their interactivity and unique mechanics transforms art into a medium that can be experienced rather than a spectacle.