How can literary theories of psychoanalysis and postcolonialism uncover new dimensions of narrative/gameplay in video games like Disco Elysium?

This project draws upon psychoanalytic and postcolonial literary theories to analyze the video game, Disco Elysium, exploring how critical literary theories unravel the non-traditional medium of video game storytelling, and how players' interactive role enhances narrative elements.

Previous research has investigated role-playing opportunities in interactive storytelling and the general application of literary theory in critical analysis. This project addresses the gap in existing research by exploring how literary analysis reveals gameplay mechanics as being narrative elements that reinforce role-playing choices and complement the literary storytelling in video games.

Using psychoanalytic and postcolonial literary criticisms, the research explores the 24 personality-based skills used in gameplay, the narrative arc of the protagonist produced through role-playing decisions, and how dialogue choices intersect with narrative elements.

In Disco Elysium players control an amnesiac detective who lost all epistemological knowledge while solving a lynching. Players inhabit the protagonist's shattered identity and navigate a postcolonial setting, discovering a conspiracy beyond the lynching.

Psychoanalytic findings indicate that in-game psychosomatic skills are recontextualized as building blocks of the subconscious rising to the conscious, emphasizing the protagonist's lack of a cemented personality; players thus impose their personalities through gameplay. Postcolonial findings indicate players also become vulnerable to mimicry — the protagonist's ungrounded sense of self inhibits resisting radicalization when adopting preexisting ideologies during gameplay. Utilizing a close reading and interviews, gameplay reflects the Estonian developers' experiences witnessing conflicting ideologies fighting over national identity after the USSR's collapse, providing insight into the critical landscape of Disco Elysium.

These conclusions contribute to ongoing applications of literary theory in the critical analysis of video games, and how non-traditional storytelling mediums provide opportunities for expanding narrative into spaces of audience interaction.