Phenomenology

Phenomenology is prevalent in most horror games as the player is under constant pressure and may feel more anxious. The genre's tendency to utilize jumpscares also allows the player to become more aware of their own body. Rising blood pressure and increased heart rate is more common when playing these games.

Another example of phenomenology is more immersive games. With the recent release of VR to the public, players can become more immersed within games. They utilize parts of their body to play, specifically the head, which allows for a more interactive experience. Systems such as the Nintendo Wii and the Kinect also utilize this, forcing players to become more aware of themselves and their surroundings.

A lot of action games lack the ability to keep players aware of their own body as most players will typically become immersed within the genre. Games such as Halo or Counterstrike allow little in terms of phenomenology as they focus more on the experience and the gameplay rather than interactivity.

The PS Vita (RIP) attempted to allow players to interact with games using parts of their body more, whether it be blowing into the mic, turning and tilting the console or using the dual touchscreen to increase dynamics.

Ludonarrative Dissonance

MMO's and MMORPG's are not examples of ludonarrative dissonance as they do not typically have a structured narrative.

Games such as Runescape focus much more on the gameplay aspect - with skill grinding, money making and loot collecting being the primary focus. This does not deviate from the story much, as the story basically encourages this behaviour as certain levels or items are required to progress further in the "story". MMO's from around the time of Runescape also follow suit, bar WoW and a few exceptions.

Typically, games that have a extensive overworld such as a GTA V, The Witcher or even Metroid follow the rules of ludonarrative dissonance. The games constantly remind the player of the protagonists "quests" and intentions, whereas the player can simply go on a murderous rampage, even if their character is considered somewhat good. For example, Michael and Franklin from GTA V do not enjoy killing the innocent or committing unnecessary crime, whereas the player can simply run down every pedestrian in sight or slaughter police forces. This seems to show that the more overall freedom a player has within a game, the more ludonarrative dissonance can be seen.

Linear and more story driven games are also examples of games without ludonarrative dissonance. Games such as Metro, Firewatch and most FPS campaigns follow a set narrative where the player is given little to do than to follow the story and the will of the character, almost like a first person movie.

The Spectator's Gaze

Bayonetta is a third-person action game that was released in 2010. The game's gameplay is similar to that of games such as Devil May Cry. The game's main character, Bayonetta, has been a subject of controversy over her apparently "over-sexualized" design and personality.

Bayonetta is often targeted by feminists due to her character design and rather sexual persona. Her character itself is very dominant and powerful and isn't not apologetic about it in the slightest. Some people would say that Bayonetta is one of the most powerful female lead characters in modern gaming today alongside silent protagonist Samus Aran and even Lara Croft.
Bayonetta's anatomy is very exaggerated and goes against typical and average female anatomy - extremely wide hips, long legs and thin waist. Some might say that her design is specifically focused around appealing to the male gaze which in some cases could be entirely true. But generalization like that is also as big as a problem, on both sides.

Not all characters have to be "sexy" or have impossible body types, but treating those characters as taboo and offensive is blowing the situation way of of proportion. Not all games can cater to every persons individual views, opinions or "sexuality". Some games have more realistic character designs like Life is Strange, some have a diverse cast of characters like Overwatch.

The problem with most of the complaints and shaming about Bayonetta because of the sexualization is purely that - despite the sexual and innuendo filled game supporting her as a character. Bayonetta, to some, may be over-sexualized. But people fail to dig deeper and appreciate the game for what it is and Bayonetta's character for what it is. Bayonneta fills the role of a single mother, is extremely powerful/dominant and fights with deities in space which is a lot of diversity that is not covered by many female lead characters!

My opinion as gamer who plays Bayonetta for the gameplay and not the "male gaze" is that the sexualized nature of the game suits her character completely. I'd rather play a game as a sexualized, contortionist witch with a sense of style than a typical witch in baggy robes. A lot of feminists seem to attack the game with very little knowledge about it, whereas many other games can objectify men in similar ways but nobody bats an eye.

Contextual Studies: Seven Stories examples.

Overcoming Evil - Earthbound

Within the game Earthbound, the protagonists are sent on a quest to overcome evil bent on the destruction of the world. This game could easily fit more of the story types, however I feel that it best suits overcoming evil due to its prevalence within the game.

Rags to Riches - GTA 4

In GTA 4, you play as an immigrant that comes to America with the hope of making it big. Going from barely being able to afford rent money to purchasing high-end cars and other vehicles. This is a good example of rags to riches, despite the game title being rather controversial around the topic and others.

The Quest - The Legend of Zelda

A very good and easy to see example. Every LoZ game is layed out in a very similar fashion; the hero, Link, sets out on a quest to rescue the princess Zelda and the city of Hyrule or in some cases, the world. The game follows the quest story very closely, and the character archetypes found also mimic this.

Voyage and Return - Metroid Prime 

The reason I picked Metroid Prime for this story type even though the game fits many others is due to the repetition within the trilogy. Samus Aran lands on a planet, voyages through multiple areas and returns to her ship at the end of the game. The games lack an obvious storyline, which allows the players to imagine and immerse themselves within the game world; exploring and creating their own adventures.

Comedy - Simpsons Hit and Run

The game is essentially a parody of the GTA series with humour one would expect from The Simpsons characters and franchise in general. The fact that the game is somewhat a parody easily allows it to fit into this category.

Tragidies - Fallout

The franchise as a whole revolves around the tragidies and effects of nuclear warfare, as the game places you in an environment and setting where you lose your former life/family/companions and venture out into the disastrous wasteland.

Rebirth - Skyrim

Although Skyrim could easily fit into any other category, I feel like the story as a whole fits much more tightly into this category. At the start of the game, you play a prisoner waiting to be executed. When Alduin appears, it is almost as if your character is "rebirth" and given a second chance where you ultimately end up saving Tamriel.

Iconic/important characters from 1970 - 2016

1970~

During the 1970's, many video games lacked any real "characters" such as the ones found in todays games. Some games however have recognizable assets, enemies or icons that could be referred to as the characters of their time. Many examples include the aliens from Space Invaders and even the paddles from Pong, despite their simplicity.

1980~

In this decade, game characters became much more prevalent in games and narrative became more of a driving point for the industry. In my opinion, quite a few characters are iconic during this decade for varying reasons. Donkey Kong introduced us to characters (Donkey Kong, Pauline and Jump-man) in a similar fashion to the 1970's, without any "true" narrative to the game itself other than simple backstory. The Legend of Zelda was also quite a revelation for its time, especially within the RPG genre. Whereas Ms. Pacman and Metroid introduced the first real female protagonists within a video game. 

For me it would have to be Ms. Pacman and Samus for this decade as I believe the usage of female protagonists had broadened game developers views of narrative and the structure of games. No longer did games have to follow the cliché of a male protagonist saving a female damsel from a villain. 

1990~

During the 1990's, I believe that the most important character of this decade was Mario, specifically because of the game Super Mario 64. I feel like this game started and signified the transition between 2D pixel based games and the usage of 3d polygons. Many games followed suit after this release during the popularity and peak of Super Mario 64.

2000~

For the 2000's I feel like Master Chief from Halo is regarded as one of the most important characters from that era. Without Halo the Xbox would have failed in sales and popularity and today's games may be much different, with Sony and Nintendo dominating the market. Halo's FPS multiplayer was also quite an innovation from its time; sparking the competitive scene for the genre that we see today.

2010~

It was hard to decide on a character for this current decade, as more and more games are being produced and more characters created. With the recent boom to the indie scene, game characters such as Shovel Knight and Steve (Minecraft) should be more deserving of this section as of now.

Caillois and play forms.

Here are the five games that I admire the most in various ways organized onto a table in the categories I feel like they fill.

The Metroid Prime trilogy to me is my all-time favourite series of games. I feel like it fits the mimicry category due to the player taking the position of a main character, with set history, lore and their own morals. The player effectively takes on the "roll" of the protagonist and has a set narrative to abide by. However, the emphasis on the exploration element and non-linear progression leads to some very immersive experiences that leads you through alien worlds, which is why I also placed Metroid in the ilinx section also.

Maybe it is my own misunderstanding of the category "ilinx", but I feel like a good amount of games could be considered for this slot as in my opinion immersion can alter your perception. Whether it be time in the real world, or accidentally applying in game knowledge to real world scenarios, wouldn't this class as ilinx?

Nonetheless I continue. I placed Earthbound in the Alea, mimicry and ilinx for similar reasons. The "chance" elements seem very prevalent within the RPG genre as RNG damage systems and such can alter every playthrough of the game, even in small amounts. I believe this can add up through the "butterfly" effect, changing playthroughs in forms such as enemy encounters, experience gains and loot drops. By playing a game with these mechanics, aren't you surrendering to destiny and the will of the game? As an RPG by nature, you play a protagonist; taking their appearance, gestures and voice. (Unless the game in question allows for character creation such as fallout and skyrim, although the story remains unchanged and is independent of the protagonist).
I placed it in ilinx not because of immersion but because of the ways the game portrays real world problems and cultures in a skewed and quirky perspective towards the player. For example, one chapter of the game has you battle against members of a cult whose clothing mirrors that of the Ku Klux Klan albeit blue and with the intent of painting everything blue.

Halo and DOOM share the same reasoning for its placements as Metroid. Although due to the competitive multiplayer experiences found in halo, where ranks display a players experience and in some instances skill, players can be sorted into various groups according to who is "better" and "worse" at the game.

Runescape is a MMORPG in a similar vein to World of Warcraft. I feel like Runescape is primarily a competitive game but not for the basic PVP elements as expected. The games lifespan primarily consists of grinding levels to reach an inevitable cap (which can take MONTHS to reach, by the way) while slaying monsters and completing quests. The skill cap system rewards players with cosmetic items to "flaunt their gains" alongside regularly updated leaderboards for almost every aspect of the game - providing a lot of competitive gameplay, without player interaction.