Publication: İnteraktif sinema bağlamında neoliberal öznellik inşası : Late Shift örneği üzerinden bir alımlama çalışması
Abstract
İnteraktif sinema bağlamında neoliberal öznellik inşası : Late Shift örneği üzerinden bir alımlama çalışması Dijitalleşmenin sunduğu yeni olanaklardan biri olan interaktivite, birçok medya aracının yapısal özelliklerini dönüştürmüş ve katılımcı kültürün gelişmesine zemin hazırlamıştır. Sinema da bu dönüşümden etkilenerek klasik biçimde sadece bilişsel ve çoğunlukla duygusal düzeyde anlatıya çağrılan izleyici modeli, yerini mouse, kumanda veya joystick aracılığıyla seçimler yaparak hikayeye doğrudan müdahale eden bir katılımcıya bırakmıştır. Bu bağlamda interaktif sinema, klasik sinema biçiminde arkasına yaslanarak filmi takip eden izleyici konumuna ek olarak, seçim anlarında öne eğilerek eyleme geçen oyuncu konumunu da kapsayan bir alan hale gelmiştir. Sinemanın oyunla iç içe geçmesi, izleyiciyi hikayenin gelişimini yönlendiren ve başarılı ya da mutlu bir sona ulaşmak için kendi kaderini belirleyen bir oyuncu durumuna getirmektedir. Çalışmada interaktivitenin sunduğu katılım ve özgürlük alanı önemli bir olgu olarak değerlendirilmiş, ancak bu yapının bir bilinç ve söylem üretme potansiyeli de eleştirel bir bakışla incelenmiştir. Marshall McLuhan’ın “araç mesajdır” yaklaşımından hareketle, interaktif sinemanın yalnızca biçimsel bir yenilik olmadığı, bunun yanında ideolojik işlevler de taşıdığı ileri sürülmüştür. Bu bağlamda interaktif sinema, zamanın ruhunu belirleyen ve egemen ekonomi-politik ideoloji olan neoliberal rasyonalitenin söylem ve etik değerlerini, izleyici/ oyuncu üzerinden üreten bir yapı olarak değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırmada örneklem olarak Steam platformunda yayımlanan “Late Shift” filmi tercih edilmiştir. Bu seçimde, yapımın, film-oyun sentezini tartışmaya açması ve izleyiciye etik seçim ile stratejik seçim arasında konumlanabileceği geniş bir eleştirel alan sunması etkili olmuştur. Amaçlı örneklem yoluyla belirlenen 26 katılımcıyla etnografik bir çalışma yürütülmüştür. Katılımcıların izleme-oynama deneyimleri sırasında yapılan gözlemler aracılığıyla veriler elde edilmiş, sonrasında gerçekleştirilen derinlemesine görüşmelerle bu veriler detaylandırılarak alan notları olarak kayıt altına alınmıştır. İzleyicilerin-oyuncuların katılım, sorumluluk, özgür seçim, etik ve stratejik seçimler gibi olgularla nasıl bir anlamlandırma ilişkisi kurdukları incelenmiştir. Bazı katılımcıların yönetme, karar verme ve özdeşleşme süreçlerinde deneyimi bir oyun olarak görerek, kendi kararlarını veren, sorumluluk üstlenen ve başarı odaklı bir oynama biçimi benimsedikleri görülmüştür. Bu durum, neoliberal söylemlerin öne çıkardığı bireyci, risk alan ve stratejik seçimler yapan girişimci özne konumuyla uyum göstermektedir. Buna karşılık, diğer katılımcılar interaktif sinemanın sunduğu özgürlük alanını sorgulayarak seçimlerin sınırlılığına, oyunsal mantığın zayıflıklarına ve etik oynanışın oyun tarafından cezalandırılmasına dikkat çekerek eleştirel bir tutum geliştirmiştir.
The construction of neoliberal subjectivity in the context of interactive cinema : a reception study on the case of late shift Interactivity, one of the new opportunities offered by digitalisation, has transformed the structural characteristics of many media tools and paved the way for the development of participatory culture. Cinema has also been affected by this transformation; the classic model of the audience, who is called upon to engage with the narrative only on a cognitive and mostly emotional level, has been replaced by a participant who directly intervenes in the story by making choices via a mouse, remote control or joystick. In this context, interactive cinema encompasses not only the position of the audience who leans back and follows the film in the classical cinema format, but also the position of the gamer who leans forward at moments of choice and takes action. The intertwining of cinema and game transforms the audience into a gamer who directs the development of the story and determines their own destiny to reach a successful or happy ending. The study evaluates the space for participation and freedom offered by interactivity as an important phenomenon; however, the potential of this structure to produce consciousness and discourse is also examined from a critical perspective. Drawing on Marshall McLuhan's ‘the medium is the message’ approach, it is argued that interactive cinema is not merely a formal innovation but also carries ideological functions. In this context, interactive cinema is evaluated as a structure that reproduces the discourse and ethical values of neoliberal rationality, an ideology that defines the spirit of the times and is the dominant economic-political ideology, through the audience/ gamer. The film Late Shift, released on the Steam platform, was chosen as the sample for the research. This choice was influenced by the film's ability to open up a discussion on the film-game synthesis and its offering of a broad critical space where the audience can position themselves between ethical and strategic choices. An ethnographic study was conducted with 26 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through observations made during the participants’ watching-gaming experiences, and these data were subsequently detailed through in-depth interviews and recorded as field notes. The study examined how audiences-gamers constructed meaning in relation to concepts such as participation, responsibility, free choice, and ethical and strategic choices. Some participants viewed the experience as a game in terms of management, decision-making and identification processes, adopting a game style focused on success, in which they made their own decisions and took responsibility. This attitude is consistent with the individualistic, risk-taking and strategic entrepreneurial subject position promoted by neoliberal discourse. In contrast, other participants questioned the freedom offered by interactive cinema, developing a critical stance by highlighting the limitations of choice, the weaknesses of the game logic, and the punishment of ethical gameplay by the game itself.
The construction of neoliberal subjectivity in the context of interactive cinema : a reception study on the case of late shift Interactivity, one of the new opportunities offered by digitalisation, has transformed the structural characteristics of many media tools and paved the way for the development of participatory culture. Cinema has also been affected by this transformation; the classic model of the audience, who is called upon to engage with the narrative only on a cognitive and mostly emotional level, has been replaced by a participant who directly intervenes in the story by making choices via a mouse, remote control or joystick. In this context, interactive cinema encompasses not only the position of the audience who leans back and follows the film in the classical cinema format, but also the position of the gamer who leans forward at moments of choice and takes action. The intertwining of cinema and game transforms the audience into a gamer who directs the development of the story and determines their own destiny to reach a successful or happy ending. The study evaluates the space for participation and freedom offered by interactivity as an important phenomenon; however, the potential of this structure to produce consciousness and discourse is also examined from a critical perspective. Drawing on Marshall McLuhan's ‘the medium is the message’ approach, it is argued that interactive cinema is not merely a formal innovation but also carries ideological functions. In this context, interactive cinema is evaluated as a structure that reproduces the discourse and ethical values of neoliberal rationality, an ideology that defines the spirit of the times and is the dominant economic-political ideology, through the audience/ gamer. The film Late Shift, released on the Steam platform, was chosen as the sample for the research. This choice was influenced by the film's ability to open up a discussion on the film-game synthesis and its offering of a broad critical space where the audience can position themselves between ethical and strategic choices. An ethnographic study was conducted with 26 participants selected through purposive sampling. Data was collected through observations made during the participants’ watching-gaming experiences, and these data were subsequently detailed through in-depth interviews and recorded as field notes. The study examined how audiences-gamers constructed meaning in relation to concepts such as participation, responsibility, free choice, and ethical and strategic choices. Some participants viewed the experience as a game in terms of management, decision-making and identification processes, adopting a game style focused on success, in which they made their own decisions and took responsibility. This attitude is consistent with the individualistic, risk-taking and strategic entrepreneurial subject position promoted by neoliberal discourse. In contrast, other participants questioned the freedom offered by interactive cinema, developing a critical stance by highlighting the limitations of choice, the weaknesses of the game logic, and the punishment of ethical gameplay by the game itself.