How are Games Interpreted? Hermeneutics for Game Studies

Abstract

This paper presents a hermeneutic theory for game studies. It starts by giving an overview of hermeneutics, shows how in understanding games it is useful to divide hermeneutics into two aspects -- real-time hermeneutics and game hermeneutics -- and finishes by detailing complementary approaches to hermeneutics for games. The article builds upon earlier work in the hermeneutics of games and draws from philosophical hermeneutics.