Stations of awakening: musical subject-strategies in the unconscious levels of the video games Kingdom hearts: birth by Sleep (2011) & Persona 5 (2017)

Simple item page
dc.contributor.advisorVenter, Carinaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorStevens, Joshuaen_ZA
dc.contributor.otherStellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Music.en_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-03T12:11:32Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-26T09:45:06Z
dc.date.available2024-03-03T12:11:32Z
dc.date.available2024-04-26T09:45:06Z
dc.date.issued2024-03
dc.descriptionThesis (MMus)--Stellenbosch University, 2024. en_ZA
dc.description.abstractENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the non-diegetic soundtracks of what I dub Unconscious levels: video game representations of the human Unconscious. My aim in this study is to illuminate the inner workings of Unconscious levels as complex interactive representations of character subjectivity, where music plays a meaningful role in the constitution of those representations. The Unconscious levels of the video games Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (2011) and Persona 5 (2017) are chosen as demonstrative examples and interpreted from the perspective of Freudian and post-Freudian psychoanalytic theory. These interpretations aim at detailing the assertions each level makes about the psychology of particular characters and their inner life. The soundtracks of these levels are subsequently analyzed under the rubric of musical subject-strategies, a concept coined by Susanna Välimäki (2005), which refers to instances within a musical text where music represents aspects of (psychoanalytic) human subjectivity through the use of gesture, topic, melody or other musico-semiotic units. In discussing Unconscious levels and their soundtracks as complex interactive representations of character subjectivity, I hope to shed light on a common but relatively undertheorized component of a large number of postmillennial video games and demonstrate how contemporary media representations of subjectivity simultaneously influence and are influenced by popular sociocultural understandings of the experience of human subjectivity as a whole.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractAFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie fokus op die nie-diëgetiese klankbane van video-speletjie voorstellings van die menslike Onderbewussyn, wat ek deurgaans Onderbewussynvlakke noem. Die doel in hierdie studie is om hierdie speletjievlakke te bespreek as komplekse voorstellings van karaktersubjektiwiteit, waarin musiek ‘n betekenisvolle rol speel. Ek kies speletjievlakke uit die speletjies Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (2011) en Persona 5 (2017) as noemenswaardige voorbeelde en interpreteer elk uit die teoretiese perspektief van Freudiese en post-Freudiese psigoanalitiese teorie. Die gekose speletjievlak-klankbane word bespreek as musikale subjek- strategieë, ‘n konstruk wat ek leen by Susanna Välimäki. Hierdie konstruk verwys na oomblikke binne ‘n musikale teks waar die musiek aspekte van (psigoanalitiese) menslike subjektiwiteit voorstel met behulp van musikale gebare, musikale topoi en melodie of ander musikale- semiotiese eenhede. Deur aandag te skenk aan hoe hierdie speletjievlakke en hulle klankbane as interaktiewe voorstellings van menslike subjektiwiteit werk, bekyk hierdie studie ‘n algemene maar onderbestudeerde aspek van baie na-millenial video-speletjies en demonstreer hoe hedendaagse media voorstellings van menslike subjektiwiteit alledaagse kennis oor die ervaring van subjektiwiteit as ’n geheel gelyktydig vorm en versterk.en_ZA
dc.description.versionMastersen_ZA
dc.format.extent138 pages : illustrations (some color)en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttps://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/130222
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.language.isoen_ZAen_ZA
dc.publisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.rights.holderStellenbosch Universityen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshVideo game music -- Psychological aspectsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshVideo game music -- Analysis, appreciationen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshMusic -- Semioticsen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshPsychoanalysis and musicen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSubjectivity in musicen_ZA
dc.subject.lcshSubjectivityen_ZA
dc.subject.nameUCTDen_ZA
dc.titleStations of awakening: musical subject-strategies in the unconscious levels of the video games Kingdom hearts: birth by Sleep (2011) & Persona 5 (2017)en_ZA
dc.typeThesisen_ZA
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
stevens_stations_2024.pdf
Size:
6.82 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Collections
Masters Degrees (Music)