Video Games and Audiencing:

How Meanings are Negotiated and Rejected

Audiencing refers to the process by which a visual image has its meanings renegotiated, or even rejected, by particular audiences watching in specific circumstances. Many games by the very nature of their design games encourage negotiated meanings. For example: Fallout 3 encourages players to think about the morality of their actions in the virtual world (Schulzke) and does not force them down one path, allowing them to negotiate the meanings of the game as they play it. Other games which have a similar bent include The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (I know I bring this game up a lot but it makes for a very good example for these sorts of things) the game is set over a backdrop of civil war; the player is given a choice of whether to side with the rebel Stormcloaks or the ruling Empire or the player can not make a choice at all remaining neutral in the war. All throughout the civil war quest line the player is expected to negotiate meanings and think about their actions.

The Imperials Facing down the Stormcloaks in the Stormcloak fortress. Note the sbutle use of reds and blues to distinguish the two sides.

In Skyrim this opposition is supported visually with the Imperial color being red while the Stormcloaks wear blue so as to make them easy to distinguish and to give the player visual cues to know who’s their ally or enemy at any given moment. The two Imperial soldiers are also given many visual Imperial Roman motifs to solidify in the players mind their position of authority while the Stormcloaks are given more rebelious and wild looking armor to signify their opposition to authority.

One of the most contentious issues related to audiencing in contemporary gaming is the Mass Effect 3 ending controversy and how the game's audience reacted to it.

Hm, this Mass Effect ending controversy intrests me. Please, tell me more.

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