Meaning What? - Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games - page 142

just exist in their own right, they have to belong somewhere; characters exist in an
environment which enables them and which they in turn enrich.
Let's go through the signifi ers found in Pac-Man but this time draw up the signs
in terms of associations between signifi ers and their connotations (Table 10.3).
We observed in Chapter 3 that Pac-Man was lacking in terms of the spatial and
encyclopedic characteristics that underpin interactive aesthetics. In this chapter we
already observed that the consequence of this is that Pac-Man very quickly becomes
a game of accumulating points and protecting “lives” while the environmental
context of Pac-Man fi ghting the forces of evil soon becomes lost. However, in
terms of levels of meaning, of levels of connotation beyond the level of denotation,

Table 10.3 Signifi ers and Their Connotations in Pac-Man

Signifi er Signifi ed

Pac - Man (inside
game area)

Consumption, we are what we eat. Pac-Man is a creature who
consists only of a mouth, this coupled with his very basic
behavior enables us to connote him as a “character”

Chomping noise Reinforces the notion of rampant consumption. Pac-Man' s

sole concern is eating. He has no manners or discretion

Beeping noise Connotes activity, Pac-Man responds to our wishes by

moving and eating when he can. Reinforces the visual
signifi er of movement

Score A reference to arithmetic (counting) as a system of meaning

Pac - Man (below
game area)

Connotes rebirth, the transcendence of our usual, mortal
human state, a welcome unrealism

Small yellow dot Could be seen as representing ordinary everyday food. Why

is Pac-Man's food the same color and more or less the same
shape as he is?

Large yellow dot Connotes special foods with special properties, a power-up,

analogous to Popeye's spinach maybe?

Ghosts (brightly
colored)

Fear, the unnatural. Reference to superstition and folk legends
about the supernatural. The active eyes help to connote the
presence of purposeful life forms

Ghosts (pale blue,
blank expression)

Stunned or mesmerized. Their staring eyes and twisted
mouths are somehow reminiscent of stupor or mental
defi ciency, the look of zombies with unblinking eyes

Ghosts (fl ashing) Flashing lights have all sorts of connotations with

emergencies and emergency services, alien space craft, etc.

Pair of eyes Lost souls returning to their place of origin

Blue lines The color blue for the “ walls ” reinforces other connotations

of night and the supernatural, as does the black background
to the whole game

Exit left and right Connotations of teleporting and the supernatural

Fruit Special, luxury foods; treats. The bright primary colors of the

fruit seem to reinforce the notion that they are special