The Show, the Game, and the Old Gods: On the Ontological Reframing and the Fiction/Real Boundary

Abstract

The recent decade brought increasing interest in metareferentiality in video games. The article builds upon the body of research regarding metaleptic transgression in games by discussing examples of specific occurrences in which a text or a character seemingly escapes from within the boundaries of their primary, fictional world in a way that resembles ontological metalepsis. Acknowledging that such transgression is impossible, the article proposes that discussed examples might not be examples of metalepsis but rather ontological reframing, a cognitive shift in perception. The case studies come from games by Daniel Mullins and Sam Lake.