The Personal Experience of Ethics and Transcendence in Digital Games

To what extent does the gameplay experience of digital games reflect our most profound personal life experiences? This investigation leverages the philosophical anthropology of Karol Wojtyla and leading research in the field of digital games to provide a decisive explanation. The person experiences life as both subject and object. That experience is simultaneously grounded in realist metaphysics and phenomenological interpretation. When a person interacts with technology, including digital games, the personal experience is quite similar to that of everyday life. Yet a unique phenomenon of identity arises when a person interacts with digital games. The emergence of the player-subject brings forth the capacity for gameplay experiences to mirror life’s most profound experiences. Consequently, the player of digital games is thrust into meaningful ethical and transcendent gameplay experiences, which drive the person toward the ultimate goal of fulfillment.