Interactivity, inhabitation and pragmatist aesthetics

Abstract

As the cultural presence of video games continues to grow and pop culture has become even more of a subject for philosophy, a debate has raged over the aesthetic character of video games. While refraining from the familiar debate over whether games are in fact art, this article argues that a valuable and previously unexplored framework for analyzing their aesthetic character is John Dewey's pragmatist aesthetics. Spectatorial and institutional approaches are rejected on the grounds that they do not speak to the unique qualities of the video game medium. Dewey's aesthetic theory gives a central place to interactivity and embodiment, critical elements of video games. It also allows gamers to respond to the charge that games are trivial and childish by means of a distinction between simple discharge of emotions and their expression. © 2001 - 2011 Game Studies.