Miss Millicent Rose Gunn
Contact
- Email: k1835558@kingston.ac.uk
- Location: Kingston Hill
- Faculty: Kingston School of Art
- Department: Department of Performing Arts
- Job market candidate
Research project: Soundscapes of Unease: Exploring the Development of Immersion in Horror and Fantasy Video Games
Abstract
My thesis explores the intersections of player literacy and immersion in the soundscape of video games, with particular focus on the fantasy and horror genre. Whilst games are regularly advertised as ‘immersive' as a means to draw in players, immersion in video games remains to be a widely debated topic somewhat lacking in an agreed consensus within ludology. Through mapping out the facets of a game's soundscape with regards to its diegetic and non-diegetic facets and aligning these with different understandings of immersion, this thesis creates a framework for immersion as a more fluid state which can be achieved through a combination of player literacy, schema and affect.
- Research degree: PhD
- Title of project: Soundscapes of Unease: Exploring the Development of Immersion in Horror and Fantasy Video Games
- Research supervisor: Dr Michael Gatt
Biography
I am currently a doctoral student in looking at the intersections between video game studies and musicology, particularly within the realms of the horror and fantasy genres. My background lies in Game Design, which was my undergraduate course of study, and where I had the opportunity to take part and win the UKIE Game Jam and become a finalist of the Tranzfuser Game Competition with my team. I am currently an Animation and Game Design Lecturer in a Further Education college and I am undertaking my ProfGCE at Canterbury Christ Church as I complete my PhD. Outside of my thesis, my research interests lie in the wider areas of visual and interactive media theory, musicology, and feminist and gender studies, and the portrayal of femininity within video games.
Areas of research interest
- Ludomusicology
- Game Design
- Musicology
- Game Studies
- Animation
- Visual Arts and Illustration
- Media Studies
- Ethnomusicology
- Feminist and Gender Studies
- Literacy Theory
Qualifications
- MA in Experimental Music, Brunel University London
- BA in Game Design & Creative Writing, Brunel University London
Conference papers
Gunn, M. (2021) The Soundscape of Alola: Exploring the use of Hawaiian and Polynesian musical tropes and diegetic signifiers in the world of Pokémon Sun and Moon at: Ludo2021, 23rd-25 April, Online.