Tether and accretions: Fantasy as form in videogames

Abstract

I argue that videogames are structured by conscious fantasy. This project traces two fantasies (tether and accretions) that combine into the genre of the role-playing game, providing a rough timeline for the evolution of these fantasies in videogames. It also engages in close readings of individual works that highlight important aspects of each fantasy. This study can serve as the basis for a formal analysis of games that is reinforced by their divided nature (game and story). Fantasy can serve as an intermediate term between game and story, and as such can incorporate the player into a game's formal analysis. I also argue that videogames teach us that fantasy is a better term for describing media convergence than story. Note that "fantasy" here does not refer to the literary genre but rather to a dynamic psychological concept related to play. © The Author(s) 2012.