Music, Flow and the Video Game Experience of Celeste
Author
Jørgensen, Mathias Abildtrup
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-06-03
Pages
39
Abstract
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan flow manifesterer sig i videospillet Celeste, og hvilken rolle musikken spiller i den oplevelse. Indledningsvis rammesættes emnet gennem en gennemgang af teori om immersion, presence og trance, herunder schema-teori (Douglas & Hargadon), Ermi og Mäyräs SCI-model, Slaters terminologi for immersion/presence og Beckers arbejde om dyb lytning. Herefter anvendes Csikszentmihalyis flowteori med otte kriterier som analytisk ramme sammen med Johnny Wingstedts begreb om musikalske narrativitetsfunktioner. Metodisk kombinerer projektet et teoretisk litteraturreview med en kvalitativ analyse af Celestes spil- og musikoplevelse på udvalgte steder i spillet, hvor narrativitetsfunktioner kortlægges og sættes i forhold til flowkriterierne. Analysen peger på, at Celestes musik udgør et håndgribeligt narrativt lag: ændringer i instrumentation og modalitet markerer blandt andet øjeblikke med angst og overstimulering, og ledemotiver kommunikerer både protagonistens og antagonistens følelsesmæssige tilstande. Samtidig viser spillet, set objektivt, overensstemmelse med flowkriterierne; i den konkrete spilsituation var det dog vanskeligt at opretholde koncentrationen, og en udtalt autotelisk motivation manglede. På denne baggrund argumenteres der for, at den oplevede tilstand bedst beskrives som fordybelse snarere end fuldt flow. Afslutningsvis foreslås det, at Wingstedts narrativitetsfunktioner kan kobles til flowkriterierne for at tydeliggøre, hvordan musik direkte former flow-relaterede spiloplevelser, og at samme kobling kan anvendes på SCI-modellen og immersion i bredere forstand.
This thesis examines how flow manifests in the video game Celeste and the role music plays in that experience. It first reviews theories of immersion, presence, and trance, including schema theory (Douglas & Hargadon), Ermi and Mäyrä’s SCI model, Slater’s terminology for immersion/presence, and Becker’s work on deep listening. Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory and its eight criteria are then used as the main analytic framework alongside Johnny Wingstedt’s concept of musical narrative functions. Methodologically, the study combines a theoretical literature review with a qualitative analysis of Celeste’s gameplay and music at selected points, mapping narrative functions and relating them to the flow criteria. The analysis indicates that Celeste’s music provides a tangible narrative layer: shifts in instrumentation and modality highlight moments of anxiety and overstimulation, and leitmotifs communicate both the protagonist’s and antagonist’s emotional states. While the game, on an objective level, aligns with the flow criteria, the examined play session struggled with sustained concentration and lacked a strong autotelic motivation. Accordingly, the experience is characterized as immersive rather than full flow. Finally, the thesis argues that Wingstedt’s narrative functions can be linked to flow criteria to clarify how music directly shapes flow-related gameplay experiences, and that the same linkage can inform the SCI model and immersion more broadly.
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