Introducing "bleed": a theoretical framework for video game analysis

<p>This thesis establishes the theory of ‘bleed’ as an alternative means of conceptualising the relationship between video game player and game-world. At present, bleed is currently a theoretically underdeveloped concept, with existing scholarship identifying two key features: the first, that bleed is a design principle, and the second, that bleed is an emotional investment between player and character. As a result, I argue that bleed is instrumental to understanding the way players form their beliefs and values, and how this in turn informs their behaviour in a game-internal and game-external context. To do this, existing theories of ideology, ethics, and performativity are used, demonstrating bleed’s value in the way it allows for a multipronged analysis of the process players undergo in the formation of their beliefs and values. This is combined with the textual analysis of CD Project Red’s <em>The Witcher </em>franchise to explore bleed as a functional theoretical framework through a concrete example, drawing on a single quest or paratext from each of the three games that comprise the franchise. This research establishes bleed as a unique theoretical framework to be adopted by video game studies, offering a viable alternative to existing media studies approaches to video game analysis. </p>