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PHILOSOPHY OF THE MODERN ERA AND VIDEOGAMES: THE “DISENCHANTMENT OF THE WORLD” MYTH
Abstract
This article refers to the philosophical study of myth construction in videogames. We have studied how the philosophical ideas of the Modern Era (which has the idea of rationalization in its core) were presented in videogames using horror games as examples. We have analyzed the narrative of Modernization as “disenchantment of the world” (M. Weber) in several game series (Outlast, The Evil Within, Resident Evil). Eventually, we have concluded that the narration in these games is constructed in accordance with a certain scheme: a) supernatural powers are set in action, b) a player discovers their real essence – they are the product of scientific experiments. Thus, mystical, supernatural and religious objects appear to be merely illusions, but the objects of science are proclaimed to really exist. We claim therefore that the “disenchantment of the world” myth functions in these games. Basing on videogames as a phenomenon of modern culture we show how the ideas and the culture of the Modern Era accepting science as the only possible source of the truth continue to exist today.
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