Procedural rhetoric was one of the topics covered in the "Rhetoric of Video Games" by Ian Bogost. I found this to be particularly interesting, as I took a class on rhetoric, but have never come across this term. Bogost describes procedural rhetoric as "the practice of using processes persuasively, just as verbal rhetoric is the practice of using oratory persuasively and visual rhetoric is the practice of using images persuasively" (125). He then connects this idea to video games and how they allow for the creators to communicate ideas through the use of processes and rules. This concept is then used to illustrate how it models consumer capitalism in Animal Crossing.
In contrast, the concept of procedural rhetoric is being used to promote new ideas and emerging technologies. For example, two scholars from Texas A&M University designed a case study with the purpose of creating a game that promotes sustainable energy while combining entertainment and learning. In the case study they argue that traditional games that do not relay information correctly "result in games that are often neither engaging nor educational" (Lars Doucet and Vinod Srinivasan). This delves deeper into how procedural rhetoric can apply to various forms of video games and emerging virtual reality entertainment.
Overall, I thought this was an interesting way to look at video games and how they can have an affect on human behavior. Moreover, it assigns a societal use to play, as we can look at the tasks, quests, etc. as a way to learn new things or test different models of things.
Hi Keenan,
ReplyDeleteI found the Bogost article to be intriguing. He touched on many interesting topics, one of which was procedural rhetoric. I have also taken a couple rhetoric classes, and had never heard much about this before. Upon reflecting on this idea, I realized that, to me, it seems that one of the most persuasive forms of rhetoric is process. By actively participating in an action, we can be persuaded of so much. In "Animal Crossing", the player participates in activities that correlate closely to the real world- sometimes without them even noticing. Through playing this game and participating in the process, we can easily be convinced that this system may be problematic. Without actively participating, we might not see as clearly the problems that arise. Games are a perfect way to use procedural rhetoric to allow people to experience things they might not otherwise, and therefore would not necessarily understand.