The game itself?: Towards a Hermeneutics of Computer Games

Abstract

In this paper we reassess the notion and current state of ludo-hermeneutics in game studies, and propose a more solid foundation for how to conduct hermeneutic game analysis. We argue that there can be no ludo-hermeneutics as such, and that every game interpretation rests in a particular game ontology, whether implicit or explicit. The quality of this ontology then, determines a vital aspect of the quality of the analysis.