Carnal Hermeneutics and the Digital Game

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

At the same time the finger experiences the resistance of the flat, smooth surface, and the eye catches the finger as a visible thing.

“But at the same time the finger experiences (is touched by) the resistance of the flat, smooth surface, and the eye catches the finger as a visible thing.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

In La Petite Mort, a heavily pixelated image of a vulva fills the mobile screen; the player's goal is to simulate a climax by touching the image in the right way.

“In La Petite Mort a heavily pixelated image of a vulva fills the mobile screen; the player's goal is to simulate a climax by touching the image in the right way.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

When there is a harsh sound and colours rapidly fade, I immediately know what it means without second-order interpretation; this is still an interpretation.

“When there is a harsh sound and the colours rapidly fade I immediately know what it means.There is no need for any second-order interpretation: the finger stops what it is doing straight away.This is still, however, an interpretation.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The player's play-through is a valid source of data for understanding interpretation in digital games.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The game features four different vulvas, each of which respond in different ways to different combinations of touch.

“The game features four different vulvas, each of which respond in different ways to different combinations of touch.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

In my play-through, the process is not without predicative assertions or conscious hypothesis testing, but at moments the body takes a lead on interpretation.

“This process is not without predicative assertions or the conscious forming and testing of hypotheses.However, this is not all that is happening.At moments, the body is taking a lead on interpretation.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The player's play-through is a valid source of data for understanding interpretation in digital games.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Passing over the screen, the finger explores the image, creating differences that the eye and ear follow and the player-body makes sense of.

“Passing over the screen, the finger explores the image, creating differences that the eye and ear follow and the player-body makes sense of.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

The screen registers location and duration of touch as well as speed of movement.

“The screen registers location and duration of touch as well as speed of movement.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

In La Petite Mort the eye is usually focussed behind the finger-taking in the differentiations the finger effects on the image.

“In La Petite Mort the eye is usually focussed behind the finger-taking in the differentiations the finger effects on the image.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

A player of PC games moving a character in three-dimensional space will adopt a similar configuration of hands across different games (e.g., Half-Life 2, Thief, Skyrim), and this generic configuration is generally adopted across different games and, within limits, across game genres.

“For example, if I sit down to play a PC game in which I move a character in three-dimensional spacewhether that is the quite different games of Half-Life 2, Thief, or Skyrim-I will adopt a similar configuration of my hands.”

May combine two claims.

Controllers are always described by their manufacturers in terms of control, but this control is framed differently for the wireless controllers of Xbox One and PlayStation 4, the tactile gestural controllers of PlayStation Move and Nintendo Wii-U, and the touchless controller of Microsoft's Kinect 2.

“Controllers are always, as one would expect, described by their manufacturers in terms of control, but this control is framed differently for the wireless controllers of the Xbox One (Microsoft 2016a) and the PlayStation 4 (Sony 2016a), the tactile gestural controllers of PlayStation Move (Sony 2016b) and the Nintendo Wii-U (Nintendo 2016) and the touchless controller of Microsoft's Kinect 2 (”

• cites Microsoft 2016aNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Sony 2016aNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Sony 2016bNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The copy for the Wii-U's controller emphasises how this controller connects players together, but also creates a 'relationship' between the player and the television/console.

“The copy for the Wii-U's controller, which is a tablet that serves both as a controller and a second screen, emphasises how this controller connects players together, but also creates a”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

Descriptions of the wireless controllers for Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One emphasise precision, accuracy, speed, and comfort, using terms like 'intensity' and 'feel' to describe immersion through force feedback.

“Descriptions of the wireless controllers for Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One emphasise precision, accuracy, speed, and comfort.The copy uses terms like”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

The PlayStation Move draws on a discourse of 'feeling' and the immediate connection between the player and the gameworld, claiming game experiences are 'delivered directly to the palm of your hand'.

“The PlayStation Move also draws on a discourse of”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

In Dear Esther, pressing the SHIFT key does nothing.

“In Dear Esther, pressing the SHIFT key does nothing.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

The Kinect 2's ad copy is markedly different from the wireless controllers, PlayStation Move, and Wii-U; it is about power, with the keyword 'command'.

“The Kinect 2's ad copy is markedly different from this.If the wireless controllers are about precision, the PlayStation Move is about feel, and the Wii-U is about a familial relationship with technology, the Kinect 2 is about power.The keyword in Kinect 2's copy is”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The phrase 'Navigate your console without lifting a finger' shows the ease with which the player can make the Kinect 2 do its bidding.

“The ease with which the player can make the Kinect 2 do its bidding is seen in the phrase”

May combine two claims.

At the level of the body, and taking Merleau-Ponty's definition of understanding as harmony between intention and performance, the body understands the SHIFT key as sprint in Half-Life 2 but fails to understand it, at least initially, in Dear Esther.

“At the level of the body, and taking Merleau-Ponty's definition of understanding as harmony between intention and performance, my body understands the SHIFT key as sprint in Half-Life 2 but fails to understand it, at least initially, in Dear Esther.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The role of touch in interpretation has been discussed in other media forms, such as cinema.

“The role of touch in interpretation has been discussed in other media forms, for example in cinema (Sobchack 2004;Marks 2000).”

• cites Sobchack 2004 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Marks 2000Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

There is a gap in the literature: theory addressing the link between the body and interpretation in games is missing.

“what is missing is the development of theory that addresses the link between the body and in-terpretation in games.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

In making distinctions, the body is making sense of the world; this is a form of understanding and interpretation.

“In making distinctions the body is making sense of the world.This is a form of understanding; a form of interpretation.”

• Also stated in: § The Body, Meaning and Carnal Hermeneutics · plain

  “To summarise: carnal hermeneutics claims that the body does not merely receive information but makes sense of the world.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

If carnal hermeneutics succeeds in its general aim, it should be applicable to the narrower sphere of digital game interpretation.

“If carnal hermeneutics succeeds in this general aim it should be applicable to the narrower sphere of digital game interpretation.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Touch and taste are at the heart of carnal hermeneutics, being the foundation on which all distinctions we make in the world rest.

“Touch and taste are at the heart of a carnal hermeneutics, being the foundation on which all distinctions we make in the world rest.”

• cites Kearney 2015 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Behrenshausen convincingly argues that attending to senses other than the visual would lead to a richer understanding of how games are actually experienced by players.

“This would, he convincingly argues, lead to a richer understanding of how games are actually experienced by players.”

• cites Behrenshausen (2007) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The privileging of sight (and sound and language) is evident in some game scholarship.

“The privileging of sight (and, we might add sound and language) is certainly evident in some game scholarship”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

Applying carnal hermeneutics to digital games addresses the fundamental ways that players make sense of digital game playing through sensation.

“Applying carnal hermeneutics to digital games addresses the fundamental ways that players make sense of digital game playing through sensation.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Carnal hermeneutics is Kearney's attempt to recall the body to the sphere of interpretation.

“Carnal hermeneutics is Kearney's attempt to recall the body to the sphere of interpretation.”

• cites Kearney (2015) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Games offer an interesting example of the interaction of text, meaning and body, and so help to extend Kearney's discussions of carnal hermeneutics in new directions.

“Games offer an interesting example of the interaction of text, meaning and body, and so help to extend Kearney's discussions of carnal hermeneutics in new directions.”

• cites Kearney (2015) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Kearney's carnal hermeneutics is an attempt to theorise understanding as such rather than how understanding takes place in relation to a particular kind of text.

“It is, then, an attempt to theorise understanding as such rather than how understanding takes place in relation to a particular kind of text.”

• cites Kearney (2015) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Kearney sees the great achievement of Husserl and his followers to be the establishment of the body as a site of philosophy.

“Kearney (2015) sees the great achievement of Husserl and his followers to be the establishment of the body as a site of philosophy.”

• cites Kearney (2015) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Perception is to perceive difference in our perceptual field and to evaluate this difference in a pre-linguistic, non-predicative way.

“perceive is to perceive difference in our perceptual field and to evaluate this difference in a pre-linguistic, non-predicative way.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Carnal hermeneutics claims that the body makes sense of the world by making distinctions and evaluating those distinctions in a non-predicative mode.

“Carnal hermeneutics claims that the body makes sense of the world by making distinctions and evaluating those distinctions in a non-predicative mode.”

• cites Kearney (2015) sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

Bodily interpretation is not predicative (not in mental representations or linguistic statements); it is evaluative without being predicative.

“The kind of interpretation that the body engages in is evaluative without being predicative.”

• Also stated in: § The Body, Meaning and Carnal Hermeneutics · plain

  “Interpretation in the body is not predicative, either in terms of mental representations or linguistic statements.”

• cites Heidegger 2008Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Traditionally, hermeneutics has concerned itself with interpretation of statements in abstract, symbolic systems, such as language.

May combine two claims.

Touch is multisensory: it does not have a single proper sensible but many possible proper sensibles (e.g., temperature, pressure), and is strongly mediated by body position and motion (kinaesthetic and proprioceptive systems).

“Touch is alone in not having a single proper sensible but many possible proper sensibles, such as temperature and pressure.What we experience as touch is also strongly mediated by body position and motion, and so the kinaesthetic and proprioceptive systems are intimately involved in most experiences of touch.”

• cites Aristotle 2001Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Giddings and Kennedy 2010 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Ludo-hermeneutics encourages us to situate the player-interpreter not outside the game looking in but as a participant in an event that is both in need of interpretation and, in a recursive fashion, constituted by interpretation.

“it encourages us to situate the player-interpreter not outside the game looking in but as a participant in an event that is both in need of interpretation and, in a recursive fashion, constituted by interpretation.”

• cites Aarseth (2013)Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

The meaning of touch is not universal; what touch (or its absence) means is mediated by marketing of digital games and more fundamental cultural associations.

“In the last example I argue that the meaning of touch is not universal.What touch (or its absence) means is mediated by marketing of digital games, and also more fundamental cultural associations.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

One cannot imagine a sentient organism that is not also sensible.

“One cannot imagine a sentient organism that is not also sensible.”

• cites Merleau-Ponty (1968)Not checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The game leaves room for touch to take a leading role in how the player makes sense of the image.

“However, it is also leaving room for touch to take a leading role in how the player makes sense of the image.”

May combine two claims.

Some touch-screen games put players in touch with the image, and these games provide a potential counter-argument to the idea that digital technology represents a deadening of touch and an alienation from the world.

“Not all touch-screen games make use of this capacity to put us in touch with the image.But those that do show a potential counter-argument to the idea that digital technology represents a deadening of touch (Classen 2005, 404) and an alienation from the world (Robins 1996, Monbiot 2017).”

• cites Classen 2005, 404Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Robins 1996Not checked — no full text of the source
• cites Monbiot 2017Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

We should expect designed experiences like digital games to modulate this awareness depending on specific design decisions.

“Similarly, we should expect designed experiences like digital games to modulate this awareness depending on specific design decisions.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Merleau-Ponty's carnal hermeneutics (the chiasm, the flesh of the world) is applicable to digital game play.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The decisions that designers make when producing a game have implications for both abstract reasoning and carnal sense-making.

“The decisions that designers make when producing a game have implications for both kinds of sense-making.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The way that the senses interact in La Petite Mort intertwines the player and the image in a relationship that neither places the player absolutely outside the image nor collapses the difference between player and image.

“The way that the senses interact in La Petite Mort intertwines the player and the image in a relationship that neither places the player absolutely outside the image nor collapses the difference between player and image.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Merleau-Ponty's carnal hermeneutics (the chiasm, the flesh of the world) is applicable to digital game play.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

Just as the player-body knows itself to be not just a thing in the world but also a sentient and searching subject, so too we must grant the image its subjectivity.

“And just as the player-body knows itself to be not just a thing in the world, but also a sentient and searching subject, so too we must grant the image its subjectivity.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Other scholars have discussed the importance of the body in games in a way that brings us close to a carnal hermeneutics.

“Other scholars have discussed the importance of the body in games in a way that brings us close to a carnal hermeneutics.”

• cites Calleja 2007 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Nørgård 2011Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Kirkpatrick 2009Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

The self that makes predicative statements about what a game means is only one form of interpretation, and it is based on a prior form of non-predicative differentiations at the level of the body.

“It is a central claim of my argument that the self that makes predicative statements to do with what a game means is only one form of interpretation, and one that is based on a prior form of non-predicative differentiations at the level of the body.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Here is sensation as sense-making.

“Here is sensation as sense-making.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

Games from the same genre often have common patterns of touch, and designers can mine the embodied memory of this generic touch to create meaningful game experiences.

“In the second example I argue that games from the same genre often have common patterns of touch, and that designers can mine the embodied memory of this generic touch to create meaningful game experiences.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

We become aware of our bodies in this way in ordinary life too as different activities distribute our awareness differently.

“The above experiment shows the chiasm brought into awareness, but we become aware of our bodies in this way in ordinary life too as different activities distribute our awareness differently.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

La Petite Mort encourages this interpretation through its use of touch-screen interface, visual imagery and sound.

“The game encourages this interpretation through its use of touch-screen interface, visual imagery and sound.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Sometimes one becomes keenly aware of this doubleness-of ourselves as sentient and sensible.

“Sometimes one becomes keenly aware of this doubleness-of ourselves as sentient and sensible.”

May combine two claims.

The experiment of touching the right hand with the left hand demonstrates that the right hand shifts from an interrogating subject to a thing among things; this brings to awareness an intertwining between self and world that is the constant state of existence.

“What is happening here, Merleau-Ponty argues, is that the right hand is shifting from an interrogating subject touching an object in the world to a thing among things; an object of your body's attention.This experiment only brings to awareness an intertwining (or chiasm, or crossing) between the self and the world that is the constant state of existence.”

• cites Merleau-Ponty (1968)Not checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Touch is the sense used in this experiment because it most easily brings the chiasm into our awareness.

“Touch is the sense used in this experiment not because it is the only sense through which this intertwining happens but because it is the sense that most easily brings the chiasm into our awareness.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

The image represents for the player-body a thing in the world, but so does the player-body.

“The image represents for the player-body a thing in the world but, importantly, so does the player-body.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Applying the touch-in-interpretation approach to digital games presents a new set of issues.

“Applying this approach to digital games presents a new set of issues.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Merleau-Ponty claims that we can only perceive because we are perceptible.

“Merleau-Ponty (1968) claims that we can only perceive because we are perceptible.”

• cites Merleau-Ponty (1968)Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

By avoiding identifying the woman as a particular audio-visual type, the game is treading familiar ground in feminist thought and game design.

“By avoiding the route of identifying the woman as a particular audio-visual type the game is treading familiar ground in feminist thought and game design (Pozo 2015).”

• cites Pozo 2015Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based). May combine two claims.

The difference in La Petite Mort lies partly in how the game sets up structures through which the player understands his or her relationship to the image as one of independent equals, and that this understanding happens through the body in the intertwining of self and image, the visible and the tangible.

“I claim that the difference lies partly in how the game sets up structures through which the player understands his or her relationship to the image as one of independent equals, and that this understanding happens through the body in the intertwining of self and image, the visible and the tangible.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Merleau-Ponty's carnal hermeneutics (the chiasm, the flesh of the world) is applicable to digital game play.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

In games, we understand our relationship to the image through an intertwining of self and image, the visible and the tangible.

“In the first example, I focus on the touch-screen and claim that in games we understand our relationship to the image through an intertwining of self and image, the visible and the tangible.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Merleau-Ponty's carnal hermeneutics (the chiasm, the flesh of the world) is applicable to digital game play.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

We are left with an insistent reminder of our body in both its interrogatory and passive modes.

“What we're left with is an insistent reminder of our body in both its interrogatory and passive modes.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

When playing a game, we understand our relationship to the digital image through a combination of abstract reasoning and non-predicative carnal interpretations.

“When playing a game, we understand our relationship to the digital image through a combination of abstract reasoning and non-predicative carnal interpretations.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Merleau-Ponty's carnal hermeneutics (the chiasm, the flesh of the world) is applicable to digital game play.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

To be the sort of being that can see one must also be capable of being seen, but it is easier to remain unaware of our intertwining with the world in vision than in touch.

“To be the sort of being that can see one must also be capable of being seen, but it is easier to remain unaware of our intertwining with the world in vision than in touch, where the world insistently presses against us.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Merleau-Ponty shows that the performance of typing involves 'knowledge in the hands' rather than conscious remembering and recalling of objective distances between fingers and keys or the relative position of keys on the typewriter.

“Using the example of a typist, Merleau-Ponty (2002 166-7) shows that the performance of typing involves”

• cites Merleau-Ponty 2002 166-7Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Fuchs distinguishes between explicit recollection, which functions by representing the past, and implicit or body memory, which 're-enacts [the past] through the body's present performance'.

“Thomas Fuchs (2012) distinguishes between explicit recollection, which functions by representing the past, and implicit or body memory, which”

• cites Fuchs 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The ability of the body to draw on past experiences to act appropriately in the present situation is developed by Merleau-Ponty in his discussion of the formation of habit.

“The ability of the body to draw on its past experiences to act appropriately in the present situation is developed by Merleau-Ponty in his discussion of the formation of habit.”

• cites Merleau-Ponty 2002Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

In touching the image of La Petite Mort, we take the other it represents not as an object to be dominated but as a sentient-sensible thing like us.

“In touching the image of La Petite Mort we take the other it represents not as an object to be dominated but as a sentient-sensible thing like us.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Attending to carnal hermeneutics allows us to unpack whether the approach involved in touching the digital image has the character of an assault or a caress.

“Attending to carnal hermeneutics allows us to unpack whether this approach has the character of an assault or a caress.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Genres of games are often differentiated by generic control schemas.

“Genres of games are often differentiated by generic control schemas.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Toner demonstrates that in moments of crisis the body sometimes fails to understand (in the Merleau-Pontian sense), and this failure often motivates conscious reflection on the failed action.

“However, Toner demonstrates that in moments of crisis the body sometimes fails to understand (in the Merleau-Pontian sense), and this failure often motivates conscious reflection on the failed action.”

• cites Toner 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

May combine two claims.

The relationship between 'pre-thematic consciousness' and 'higher order meaning formations' is integral to interpretation in games, and mining this territory opens up interesting possibilities in the close-reading of digital games.

“Using this area of philosophical research as a platform, I argue here that the relationship between”

May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

Players who have learned the patterned sequences of movement required to play Call of Duty 3, when faced with a game with the same generic control schema, will be primed to re-enact these same sequences; their body will expect such a re-enactment to succeed, but is also capable of adapting to differences in the specific patterns required in the present case.

“Players who have learned the”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Summa characterises body memory as a 'pre-thematic' consciousness of the past that can form the 'basic layer for the genesis of higher order meaning formations'.

“The traffic between implicit body memory and a more conscious and active form of remembering and verbalising is also discussed by Michela Summa (2012), who characterises body memory as a”

• cites Summa 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

Body memories are not located exclusively in the body; they involve 'habitual reflexivity'-traffic between non-conscious enactment and deliberate, conscious reflection and adaptation.

“Body memories are not, then, located exclusively in the body.Rather they involve”

• cites Toner 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Merleau-Ponty claims that 'To understand is to experience the harmony between what we aim at and what is given'.

“Here, Merleau-Ponty approaches meaning, understanding and significance (he uses the terms somewhat interchangeably) from a new direction, in which he claims:”

• cites Merleau-Ponty 2002,167Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Digital games involve certain generic hand configurations and finger movements that players can expect to adopt in many different games.

“Digital games involve certain generic hand configurations and finger movements that players can expect to adopt in many different games.”

May combine two claims.

Dear Esther was designed using the same game engine and many of the same art assets as Half-Life 2.

“To discuss the mis-enactment of body memory and its possible relationship to higher order interpretation, let us take the example of Dear Esther (Pinchbeck 2012), an indie game designed using the same game engine and many of the same art assets as the hugely popular first person shooter Half-Life 2 (Valve 2004).”

• cites Pinchbeck 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Valve 2004Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

While the look and feel of Dear Esther and Half-Life 2 are very similar, there are also many differences; these differences are particularly striking because of the ground of similarity against which they are experienced.

“While the look and feel of the two games are very similar there are also many differences.These differences, because of the ground of similarity against which they are experienced, are particularly striking.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Fuchs argues that when a body memory is re-enacted in a present situation this can trigger the activation of an 'implicit memory core', a process he calls 'explication'.

“Fuchs (2012) argues that when a body memory is re-enacted in a present situation this can trigger the activation of an”

• cites Fuchs 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Toner catalogues the ways in which elite athletes consciously reflect on their bodily performances in times of crisis and intervals between performance.

“Taking the example of elite athletes, Toner (2017), for example, catalogues the ways in which athletes consciously reflect on their bodily performances in times of crisis (e.g.injuries) and intervals between performance (see also Shusterman 2012).”

• cites Toner 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source
• cites Shusterman 2012Not checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Merleau-Ponty has been criticised for making too sharp a distinction between conscious meaning-making and bodily understanding.

“Merleau-Ponty has been criticised for making too sharp a distinction between conscious meaning-making and bodily understanding (what I am terming”

• cites Toner 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Nørgård describes this kind of encoding as an 'in-body experience' and shows the implication that the relationship with the game is 'stored and recalled' in the player's body.

“Nørgård describes this kind of encoding as an”

• cites Nørgård 2011, 9Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Body memory can motivate a set of associations at a higher order of meaning.

“It is well known that body memory can also motivate a set of associations at a higher order of meaning.”

• cites Fuchs 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

If the touch-screen put players in direct touch with the image, the Kinect did the opposite.

“If the touch-screen put players in direct touch with the image, the Kinect did the opposite.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

The foregoing analysis suggests a methodology for close-reading in digital games and offers a case study that lends concreteness to the theory outlined by philosophers and theorists.

“In focusing on the relationship between memory, enactment and meaning, the foregoing analysis suggests a methodology for close-reading in digital games, but it also offers a case study that lends concreteness to the theory outlined by some of the philosophers and theorists in this section.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Kondo finds that craftsmen in Japan have a close relationship with the materials they work with, viewing materials as collaborators rather than mere objects or subordinates, and finds the same relationship of equals among machine-workers and their machines in industrial mass-production, explained by the Shinto belief that all objects have kami.

“Kondo finds that craftsmen in Japan have a close relationship with the materials they work with, in which the materials they use are viewed as collaborators rather than mere objects or subordinates.While this is perhaps unsurprising in craft, Kondo finds the same kind of relationship of equals among machine-workers and their machines in settings of industrial mass-production.She explains this in”

• cites Kondo 2005Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

In bypassing the touch of the flesh, the Kinect 2 impoverishes digital gameplay in one of its most interesting areas-in how it puts us in touch with digital technology.

“In bypassing the touch of the flesh the Kinect 2 impoverishes digital gameplay in one of its most interesting areas-in how it puts us in touch with digital technology.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

While the Kinect-like the Wii and the Move-was sold through a discourse of the body, this was a body characterised entirely by the kinaesthetic and proprioceptive.

“While the Kinect-like the Wii and the Move-was sold through a discourse of the body, this was a body characterised entirely by the kinaesthetic and proprioceptive.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

For Giddings and Kennedy, control in a digital game is often 'below attention, beneath consciousness'.

“For Giddings and Kennedy, control in a digital game is often”

• cites Giddings and Kennedy 2010,176 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

The sense-making at the level of sensation (the immediate and unarticulated feeling of obtrusiveness experienced at the level of the body) can be put to use in a more traditional reading of the game involving predicative statements.

“In other words, the sense-making at the level of sensation (the immediate and unarticulated feeling of obtrusiveness experienced at the level of the body) can be put to use in a more traditional reading of the game involving predicative statements (a reading that links absence experienced by the body with absence communicated through the game's story and atmosphere).”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

The sense-making that relies on the body memory of manual configurations becomes available as meaning when the player consciously links the experience of performing these configurations to other aspects of the game in a predicative statement on what the game is about.

“The sense-making that relies on the body memory of these manual configurations becomes available as meaning when the player consciously links the experience of performing these configurations (either successfully or unsuccessfully) to other aspects of the game in a predicative statement on what the game is about.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing).

The draining of function in Dear Esther's SHIFT key-and the consequent misunderstanding-is itself significant when seen in relation to the game's overarching themes.

“But this draining of function-and consequent misunderstanding-is itself significant when seen in relation to the game's overarching themes (see Leino 2011 and2013 for discussion of the significance of absence of game tropes in art games) .”

• cites Leino 2011Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

• cites Leino 2013Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

May combine two claims.

While the smart-phone's touch-screen was changing the role of touch in mobile gaming, gestural interfaces were changing the role of touch in console gaming in a very different way.

“While the smart-phone's touch-screen was changing the role of touch in mobile gaming, another development was changing the role of touch in console gaming in a very different way-gestural interfaces.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim. May combine two claims.

Heidegger comments on the experience of reaching for equipment to get a job done and finding it absent; when that happens, the equipment we are left with is 'obtrusive'.

“Martin Heidegger (2008) comments on the experience of reaching for equipment to get a job done and finding it absent.When that happens, the equipment we are left with is”

• cites Heidegger 2008Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

In the Wii-U advertising, the game console is described almost as another member of the family-the 'we' of the Wii-U includes the machine itself-and the tactile connection via the tablet controller is an essential part of forging this almost familial connection.

“What is striking in this advertising is how the game console is described almost as another member of the family-the”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The foregoing analysis adumbrates the contours of the 'surprise' that Fuchs mentions in relation to a disappointed procedural memory.

“In particular, the foregoing analysis adumbrates the contours of the”

• cites Fuchs 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Absence is integral to Dear Esther, manifest in its isolated setting, restrained exposition, and haunting music, and this makes sense in terms of the story of loss, grief and guilt related through the voiceover.

“Absence is integral to Dear Esther.There is absence in its isolated setting, in its restrained exposition, in its haunting music.And all of this makes sense in terms of the story of loss, grief and guilt related through the voiceover.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based).

In doing away with the manual labour of traditional control set-ups, the Kinect 2 also does away with touch's unique ability to aestheticize the difference between subject and object of touch.

“In doing away with the manual labour of traditional control set-ups the Kinect 2 also does away with touch's unique ability to aestheticize the difference between subject and object of touch.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Carnal hermeneutics suggests a number of different methodologies that could expand how we think of 'close-reading' in games.

“However, carnal hermeneutics suggests a number of different methodologies that could expand how we think of”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

In this article, the author relied on his own experiences playing computer games.

“In this article I have relied on my own experiences playing computer games.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.

That the difference is not raised to language in ordinary play does not mean it is 'pre-interpretative' but that it takes a particular form of bodily interpretation.

“That it is not raised to language in ordinary play does not mean that it is”

May combine two claims.

While the Wii and the PlayStation Move required players to hold controllers for their gestures to be captured by the console, the Microsoft Kinect severed the traditional tactile connection between player's hand and console.

“While the Wii and the PlayStation Move required players to hold controllers for their gestures to be captured by the console, the Microsoft Kinect severed the traditional tactile connection between player's hand and console.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

The Kinect's main slogan 'You are the controller' is not a technical description but a rhetorical separation of the player from the manual labour of pushing buttons, making the player a supervisor, manager, or general issuing commands without getting his hands dirty.

“Perhaps the most evident characterisation of the player-computer relationship as one of domination and subordination is the Kinect's main slogan:”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S4 (based). May combine two claims.

The player with generic experience of the first person shooter and of Half-Life 2 in particular will intuitively know that the island is where the game is going to take place, that getting to the island is the first task to be completed, and that this should be done as quickly as possible; these expectations prime the experienced player to reach for the shift key.

“The player with generic experience of the first person shooter and of Half-Life 2 in particular will intuitively know that the island is where the game is going to take place, that getting to the island is the first task to be completed, and that this should be done as quickly as possible, as very little will happen before getting there.These expectations prime the experienced player to reach for”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Much of the setup of Dear Esther primes the player to anticipate an experience similar to Source-based FPS games, including the control schema.

“Much of the setup of Dear Esther primes the player to anticipate an experience similar to Source-based FPS games, and this includes the control schema.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

In attempting to enact the body memory associated with this control schema, the player's body is disappointed.

“In attempting to enact the body memory associated with this control schema the player's body is disappointed.”

May combine two claims.

Drawing on Toner's critique of Merleau-Ponty, these memories are not only recalled in the body, but can also become available for conscious reflection, especially though not exclusively in times of 'crisis' when the re-enactment of the body memory fails to 'understand' the present situation.

“However, I draw on Toner's (2017) critique of Merleau-Ponty to claim that these memories are not only recalled in the body, but can also become available for conscious reflection, especially though not exclusively in times of”

• cites Toner 2017 sourceNot checked — no full text of the source

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

Nørgård has made important contributions in her methodology of 'gameplay corporeality'.

“In this, Nørgård (2013b) has made important contributions in her methodology of”

• cites Nørgård 2013bNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

For players familiar with Half-Life 2, the 'empty' keys in Dear Esther are not really empty at all.

“While different players no doubt experience Dear Esther in different ways, I would argue that for players familiar with Half-Life 2 these”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Players familiar with Half-Life 2 will share the author's bodily expectations and experiences when playing Dear Esther.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Kearney argues that the interpretations of the body happen without the conscious decoding that we generally associate with interpretation.

“Similarly, Kearney argues that the interpretations of the body happen without the conscious decoding that we generally associate with interpretation.”

• cites KearneyNot matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

The sense of absence in Dear Esther is first established-at least potentially-in the sense of loss of the empty SHIFT key.

“But this sense of absence is first established-at least potentially-in the sense of loss of the empty SHIFT key.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S4 (based).

Force feedback-first introduced to game consoles via the Nintendo 64's Rumble Pak-is not available on Kinect.

“Furthermore, force feedback-first introduced to game consoles via the Nintendo 64's Rumble Pak-is not available.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

The absence of function in the SHIFT key is registered at the level of the body through its difference from SHIFT's plenitude in Half-Life 2, the model for this type of game.

“The absence of function in the SHIFT is registered at the level of the body through its difference from SHIFT's plenitude in Half-Life 2, the model for this type of game.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable). May combine two claims.

By playing on the body memory of the player familiar with Half-Life 2, Dear Esther fills the emptiness of the SHIFT key with the meaning of absence, and establishes a connection between deficiency within the player's repertoire of touches and the character's experience of absence as grief.

“By playing on the body memory of the player familiar with Half-Life 2, Dear Esther fills the emptiness of the SHIFT key with the meaning of absence, and establishes a connection between deficiency within the player's repertoire of touches and the character's experience of absence as grief.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: Players familiar with Half-Life 2 will share the author's bodily expectations and experiences when playing Dear Esther.

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

Carnal hermeneutics is not an attempt to replace other theories of meaning in games but to supplement them with a theory of how understanding happens through the body.

“Carnal hermeneutics is not an attempt to replace other theories of meaning in games but to supplement them with a theory of how understanding happens through the body.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

We can say what a game is about because we have already made sense of it as a visible, audible, tangible/touching thing.

“We can say what a game is about because we have already made sense of it as a visible, audible, tangible/touching thing.”

Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

By diminishing the tactile element, Kinect creates a different relationship by removing the insistent reminder of the chiasm that direct contact with objects in the world provides us.

“By diminishing the tactile element, Kinect creates a different relationship by removing the insistent reminder of the chiasm that direct contact with objects in the world provides us.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Pressing the SHIFT key in Dear Esther leads to an acknowledgement of something absent that passes through the body without necessarily a conscious thought.

“Pressing the SHIFT key leads to an acknowledgement of something absent that passes through the body without necessarily a conscious thought.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing), S4 (based).

All three consoles launched in 2005/2006-Nintendo's Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360-employed gestural interfaces in one way or another.

“All three consoles launched in 2005/2006--Nintendo's Wii, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360-employed gestural interfaces in one way or another.”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

Fuchs briefly mentions the situation where the enactment of a particular procedural memory is anticipated but fails to materialise, and says the experience is one of 'surprise' but does not elaborate.

“Fuchs does briefly mention the situation where the enactment of a particular procedural memory is anticipated but fails to materialise.He says the experience of this is one of”

• cites Fuchs 2012Not matched

  Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

The tactile imagination, built up through the sense-making of sensation, is the resource from which predicative interpretations of what the game is 'about' are derived.

“The tactile imagination, built up through the sense-making of sensation is the resource from which predicative interpretations of what the game is”

Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable).

Whatever its cultural explanation, the difference between the Wii-U and the Kinect 2, articulated in the ad copy, is something that a carnal hermeneutics already intuits in playing with these controllers.

“Whatever its cultural explanation, this difference between the Wii-U and the Kinect 2, articulated in language in the ad copy for the different controllers, is something that a carnal hermeneutics already intuits in playing with these controllers.”

• AssumptionRests on an assumption: The marketing ad copy for game controllers accurately reflects the player-computer relationship or cultural framing that players experience.

May combine two claims.

The most immediate effect of this in terms of gameplay is that the player does not experience resistance to her moves in the heft of a controller and so gestures feel lighter.

“The most immediate effect of this in terms of gameplay is that the player does not experience resistance to her moves in the heft of a controller and so gestures feel lighter.”