W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture: “Videogames and the Gothic”

This talk explores the relationship between digital games and Gothic novels, cinema and popular culture. Literary definitions of “the Gothic” are presented, which clarify the various aesthetics, storytelling structures and themes associated with this term. Examples from stage, film, television, animation and comics are cited as evidence of the pervasive nature of this cycle of entertainment. Qualities of the videogame medium are identified as particularly receptive to Gothic stories. Videogames are a spatial medium, frequently trapping their protagonists in maze-like structures, positioning players as detectives unearthing hidden histories while they fend off uncanny undead entities. Gothic tropes have subsequently found an unlikely home within these digital worlds. Three case studies are explored: Haunting Ground represents a ludic adaptation of the classic Gothic romance where a heroine finds herself trapped in a medieval prison, pursued by a succession of villainous figures. What Remains of Edith Finch involves the excavation of a domestic space, in a typically Gothic experience incorporating an ambiguous family curse, locked rooms, hidden manuscripts, melancholy and death. Mouthwashing creates a recognisably Gothic atmosphere of isolation, claustrophobia and impending doom, in a science fiction narrative, which also reflects the problematic position of disability and disfigurement within Gothic fiction.

Ewan Kirkland has published extensively on videogame, focusing on survival horror and the Silent Hill series. Exploring issues such as storytelling, self-reflexivity, gender, genre and psychoanalysis, Kirkland’s work has appeared in Games and Culture, Convergence, Gothic Studies and Camera Obscura. Routledge recently published Kirkland’s study examining the influence of Gothic literature on contemporary videogames. As a Senior Lecturer in Critical Studies at the University for the Creative Arts, Kirkland teaches cultural theory to games designers, graphic novelists and concept artists. In addition to videogames, Kirkland’s research interests include children’s media, animation and fandom, and his current research project involves an exploration of UK fan conventions surrounding Hasbro’s My Little Pony series.

Learn more about the W.E.B. Du Bois Lecture Series.