Abstract
This chapter expands on the relation between the Virtual and the Real, examining the structures of fantasy that sustain their interaction within cybernetic consciousness. The Real is explored as the death drive, while the Virtual is positioned as the desire for life, an interplay that opens a space for symbolic death and a critique of the objective-based structures of desire in the computer gaming medium. The analysis of art games that disrupt the life-death convention offers a new mode of viewing the fantasy of the medium, and a case study of the Portal series’ antagonist GLaDOS furthers the discussion of immortality as monstrous torment. Expressing impossible perceptions and experiences of life and death expose the fantasy between cyborg player and digital medium.
Keywords
- Portal Series
- Digital World
- Virtual Functioning
- Pleasure Principle
- Player Character
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
References
Albert, D.Z. 1992. Quantum Mechanics and Experience. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Asimov, I. 1996. I, Robot. London: Voyager.
Banks, I.M. 2008. Excession. London: Kindle editionHachette.
Bell, S. 2008. Braid Preview (Xbox Live Arcade, PC), Accessed 17 September 2015. http://www.darkzero.co.uk/game-articles/braid-xbox-live-arcade-pc/
Bohm, D. 1994. Thought as a System. London: Routledge.
——— 2002. Wholeness and the Implicate Order. London: Routledge.
Buchanan, M. 2007. See Me Here, See Me There. Nature 448: 15–18.
Couric, K. 2013. Are Video Games Ruining Your Life? Accessed 26 September 2013. http://katiecouric.com/2013/05/01/daniel-petric-video-games/
Daily Mail Reporter. 2003. “Of Course I Love You Darling… Now Just Let Me Finish This Game.” Could Computer Games Spell the Death of Your Relationship? Accessed 17 September 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1329877/Of-course-I-love-darling--Now-just-let-finish-game-Could-games-spell-death-relationship.html
Deleuze, G. 2004a. Difference and Repetition. London: Continuum.
Deleuze, G., and F. Guattari. 2004b. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. London: Continuum.
Everett, H. 1973. The Theory of the Universal Wave Function. In The Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Physics, eds. B.S. DeWitt, and N. Graham. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Fox19. 2011. How Video Games Could Ruin Your Relationships. Accessed 17 September 2015. http://www.fox19.com/story/15997323/how-video-games-could-ruin-your-relationships
Gibson, W. 1995a. Neuromancer. London: Voyager.
——— 1995b. Count Zero. London: Voyager.
Gunkel, D. 2012. The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots, and Ethics. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Lacan, J. 1977. The Four Fundamental Concepts of Psycho-Analysis. London: The Hogarth Press.
Linden Labs. 2014. Vampire. Accessed 17 September 2015. http://secondlife.com/destinations/roleplay/vampire
Lockwood, M. 1996. Many Minds’ Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 47(2): 159–188.
Lovecraft, H. P. 2011. The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft. Kindle edition (public domain: Amazon Media; CthulhuChick.com, Creative Commons 3.0).
Moravec, H. 1988. Mind Children: The Future of Robot and Human Intelligence. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Newheiser, M. 2009. Michaël Samyn, Auriea Harvey: Tale of Tales—Interview. Accessed 17 September 2015. www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/473/
Nusselder, A. 2012. Interface Fantasy: A Lacanian Cyborg Ontology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
O’Sullivan, S. 2009. The Strange Temporality of the Subject: Badiou and Deleuze between the Finite and the Infinite. Subjectivity 27: 155–171.
Rancière, J. 2011. The Emancipated Spectator. London: Verso.
Rubin, M.A. 2001. Locality in the Everett Interpretation of Heisenberg-Picture Quantum Mechanics. Foundations of Physics Letters 14(4): 301–322.
Samyn, M. 2008. The Graveyard Post Mortem. Accessed 17 September 2015. www.taleoftales.com/blog/the-graveyard-post-mortem/
Sawyer, R. 2011. ‘Loom’ and ‘458nm’—Two Short Films by Polynoid. Accessed 26 March 2012. www.somethingmostdreadful.com
Sheffield, B. 2010. GDC Europe: Limbo’s Carlsen on Making Players Your Worst Enemy and Your Best Friend. Accessed 17 September 2015. www.gamasutra.com/view/news/120739/
Tegmark, M. 2014. Our Mathematical Universe. London: Penguin.
Tegmark, M., and J. A. Wheeler. 2001. 100 Years of Quantum Mysteries. Scientific American, February, 73–79.
Valve. 2008. “Portal 2: About.” Accessed 17 September 2015. www.thinkwithportals.com/about.php
Virilio, P. 2003. Art and Fear. London: Continuum.
Zepke, S. 2011. The Sublime Conditions of Contemporary Art. Deleuze Studies 5(1): 855–862.
Žižek, S. 1991. Looking Awry. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
——— 1999. Is it Possible to Traverse the Fantasy in Cyberspace? In The Žižek Reader, eds. E. Wright, and E. Wright. Oxford: Blackwell.
——— 2006. Interrogating the Real. London: Bloomsbury.
——— 2007. The Indivisible Remainder: On Schelling and Related Matters. London: Verso.
——— 2008a. The Plague of Fantasies. London: Verso.
——— 2008b. The Sublime Object of Ideology. London: Verso.
——— 2009a. The Parallax View. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
——— 2009b. The Ticklish Subject: The Absent Centre of Political Ontology. London: Verso.
——— 2011. Living in the End Times. London: Verso.
——— 2012. Organs Without Bodies: On Deleuze and Consequences. London: Routledge.
——— 2014. Keynote: What does it Mean to be a Materialist Today? In International Žižek Studies Conference, University of Cincinnati, 4–6 June 2014.
Cultural Artefacts
458nm. 2006. J. Bitzer, I. Brunck, T. Weber (dirs.). http://www.polynoid.tv/458nm/
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn. 2000. PC, BioWare.
Braid. 2008. Xbox; PC (2009), Number None Inc. [J. Blow].
Chauffer. 2013. Television Advertisement, Framestore; Mars.
Coulton, J. 2007. Still Alive, Music [in Portal (Valve, 2007)].
——— 2011. Want You Gone, Music [in Portal 2 (Valve, 2011)].
Dead Space. 2008. PC; Playstation 3; Xbox 360, EA.
Edge of Tomorrow. 2014. D. Liman (dir.).
Every Day the Same Dream. 2009. Flash, Molleindustria.
The Graveyard. 2008. PC; Mac, Tale of Tales.
Half-Life. 1998. PC, Valve.
I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1. 2009. Xbox 360, Ska Studios.
I, Robot. 2004. A. Proyas (dir.)
Limbo. 2010. Xbox 360, Playdead.
Loom. 2010. J. Bitzer, I. Brunck, C. Letay (dirs.). http://www.polynoid.tv/loom/
The Matrix. 1999. The Wachowski Brothers (dirs.).
Minecraft. 2009. Online, Mojang.
Pac-Man. 1980. Arcade, Namco.
The Path. 2009. PC, Tale of Tales.
Perfect Dark. 2000. Nintendo 64, Rare.
Portal. 2007. PC; Xbox 360, Valve.
Portal 2. 2011. PC; Mac; PlayStation 3; Xbox 360, Valve.
Resident Evil. 1996. Playstation, Capcom.
Rez. 2001. Dreamcast; Playstation 2, SEGA.
Source Code. 2011. D. Jones (dir.).
Second Life. 2003. Online, Linden Labs.
South Park. 1997. T. Parker and M. Stone.
Spore. 2008. Windows; Mac, EA.
Tetris. 1984. Arcade, A. Pajitnov.
Tron. 1982. S. Lisberger (dir.).
World of Warcraft. 2004. PC; Mac. Blizzard Entertainment.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Benjamin, G. (2016). The Undead Subject: Virtual Monsters. In: The Cyborg Subject. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58449-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58449-6_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58448-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58449-6
eBook Packages: Literature, Cultural and Media StudiesLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)