Goodmanian variations on the video game

Résumé 0

In this paper, I examine Nelson Goodman’s theory of artistic variation, as outlined in Reconceptions in Philosophy (Goodman and Elgin 1988). Though variation is a common process in the arts, its specific nature and functioning prove hard to grasp. Goodman claims that variation is a complex semiotic and referential operation: it involves the exemplification of shared and contrasted characteristics, along with a reference from the variation to the theme through these exemplified characteristics. I argue here that this account fruitfully applies to video games, where variation is both more frequent and more salient than in other art forms. Variation also provides a key for understanding the medium of video games, on several grounds. It plays an important part in game design and in the gaming activity. Variation also makes it possible to understand video game genres and sheds some light on the hedonic and cognitive value of games. As such, video games can be understood as an art of variation, which is essentially about exploring and exhausting variations around a same theme.