doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2024-8-4-54-68
Abstract. The article researches the mythopoetic symbolism that manifested itself in the game «The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth». The relevance of the article is caused by the insufficient study in the field of philology of the problem of mythopoetic symbolism as an artistic technique in creating a plot for indie games, where the symbolism of sacrifice, fear, guilt, and redemption is revealed through religious images. Indie games are popular due to their originality, which allows us to make a comparison with auteur movies, as such games are characterized not only by a distinct author's vision, but by metaphorical layers as well that require a special reading. Indie games (from the English word «independent») are computer games that are developed by small teams or individual developers without financial support from major publishers. These games are created independently from large game companies and are often released digitally via Internet platforms. They are distinguished by a variety of genres, styles, and approaches to gameplay. They can be both commercial and free-to-play, as well as distributed on a buy-to-play or subscription model. The study project of the game industry is one of those examples when we discover the amphiboly of the work through texts and tools of philological analysis. The complex method of analysis includes mythopoetic, semiotic, and structural-typological approaches. The use of these approaches is justified by the complexity of analyzing the game plot, where mythopoetic symbols also require intertextual, and historical-cultural approaches. The novelty of the article is the consideration of symbolism, determining: the unity of the plot at the game reality levels; the game philosophy, where the user has to discover mythological structures in the plot, and to make sense of the intersection of the laws of the game with the laws of our world to win. Thus, it was found out that the game not only entertains, but also serves an educational function by demonstrating how archetypes and mythological structures exist in the child's mind. Through the allegory of suffering, the game helps to understand psychological conflicts (intrapersonal, interpersonal, complexes, victimhood), turning into an unobtrusive psychoanalysis manual.
Keywords: mythopoetics, mythopoetic symbolism, indie games, The Binding of Isaac, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, The Bible, the Koran
Information about the author
Khabirov K. A. – Master’s degree in philology, Assistant at the Department of Linguistics and Literary studies, Institute of Humanitarian Education, Nosov Magnitogorsk State Technical University (NMSTU).
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For citation: Khabirov К. A. Mythopoetic symbolism of indie games (on the example of «The Binding oF Isaac: Rebirth»), Gumanitarno-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya = Humanitarian and pedagogical Research, 2024, vol. 8, no. 4, pp.54 –68. (In Russ.), doi:10.18503/2658-3186-2024-8-4-54-68