The formal qualities of the video game: An exploration of super mario galaxy with gilles deleuze

Abstract

Approaching the video game Super Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii console using Deleuzian concepts, the article identifies a series of formal qualities it is argued pertain to all video games. Concepts from Gilles Deleuze's books on Francis Bacon and cinema are appropriated for this purpose. Three qualities in particular are identified; they center on the role of the player in contributing to the finished form, the nature of the player's canvas, and the sensations that return back to the player when traversing the video game field. It is argued that the concepts used to define the formal qualities of the video game can be deployed to distinguish where a video game succeeds or fails. On the basis of the position developed here, it is argued that Super Mario Galaxy is a masterpiece of the form. © SAGE Publications 2012.