Class
Article
College
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Lisa Gabbert
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract
Folklorists study the active rituals between humans and deities, as well as the inactive participation between them in narrative. However, they do not study the active participation that comes in the form of video games between them, though with shifts in society, this new way of engaging through digital forms is widespread and accessible. In my research, I studied Russian and Japanese tree spirits in a variety of video games to understand this new form of engagement with ancient deities. Through the lens of hypermodern and folkloresque folklore, I use the concepts of recontextualization and traditionalization to explain why video games are an exemplary format to engage with ancient deities through world-building, active player engagement, and deity representations.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-8-2022 12:00 AM
Included in
Making the Old New: The Recontextualization of Tree Spirits in Video Games
Logan, UT
Folklorists study the active rituals between humans and deities, as well as the inactive participation between them in narrative. However, they do not study the active participation that comes in the form of video games between them, though with shifts in society, this new way of engaging through digital forms is widespread and accessible. In my research, I studied Russian and Japanese tree spirits in a variety of video games to understand this new form of engagement with ancient deities. Through the lens of hypermodern and folkloresque folklore, I use the concepts of recontextualization and traditionalization to explain why video games are an exemplary format to engage with ancient deities through world-building, active player engagement, and deity representations.