This page provides an overview of the evolution of my research, understanding, and development of the Digital Artefact throughout the semester. It tracks the progress made as I built the foundation for analysing Simlish songs, exploring how they relate to the key concepts in my analytical framework. The page includes planning for the Pitch, Blog Posts 1 and 2, and the final Digital Artefact. It also shows how I used AI tools to assist me in each of the assignments.

CONTENTS:

→ Preliminary Idea

→ Refined Idea

→ Blog Post 1: Analytical Framework and Game Media Text/Paratext

List of Simlish Songs

Blog Post 2: In-Depth Analysis of Game Media Text/Paratext

→ DA Audio Visual Shift

→ Specific Examples

Preliminary idea

Overview:

This project will explore the role of Simlish, the fictional language in The Sims series, as a paratextual element that enhances the game's cultural and narrative depth. The analysis will focus on how Simlish functions within the game's world, its impact on player engagement, and its broader cultural implications. Relevant critical and theoretical approaches will be employed to provide a comprehensive analysis.

Critical and Theoretical Approaches:

1. Narrative and Myth

• Investigate how Simlish contributes to the mythos of The Sims universe and enhances the game's immersive storytelling.
  • Myth is a symbolic guide or map of meaning and significance in the cosmos. It refers to the naturalization of the connotative level of meaning, making world-views appear unchallengeable because they seem natural or God-given.
• Analyse how the use of an invented language creates a unique cultural identity for the game's world.
  • National identity is constructed through the narrative of the nation using stories, images, symbols, and rituals representing shared meanings. This can be linked to the creation of a unique cultural identity within the game's world through Simlish.

2. Participatory Media Culture

• Explore the role of Simlish in fostering community engagement and creativity, including fan-made Simlish songs, videos, and translations.
  • Mass media's role in disseminating texts and its relationship with audience engagement can be applied to the fan activities surrounding Simlish. The active audience paradigm highlights how audiences actively produce significance.
• Investigate how players and fans interact with and expand upon Simlish through various media platforms.
  • The mass media provide a resource for audience members to create meanings, which is evident in how fans interact with and expand upon Simlish through creative media platforms.

3. Phenomenology