A Feeling of Wrongness by Joseph Packer & Ethan Stoneman

Author:Joseph Packer & Ethan Stoneman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Pennsylvania State University Press

Video Games and the Death-Denying Illusion of Agency

Agency as Structured Belief

Perhaps the most powerful, certainly the most common, way of denying or deindividuating death resides in the optimistic notion of agency. In terms of the incongruity between pessimists and optimists, agency is undoubtedly the most immediate source of misunderstanding and miscommunication. For although the gulf separating an authentic being-towards-death from various inauthentic modes, the latter would all seem to involve, perhaps even stem from, the perceived existence of human agency; not incidentally, this perception is virtually presupposed by optimistic orientations on life, just as it is called into serious question or disposed of by more pessimistic frames of reference. As we move through life we are confronted with an immeasurable number of choices, and common-sense reasoning—or common optimism—instills in us the belief that these choices will leave a lasting impact, that they will in no small part determine our future chances of happiness and success. While this conviction can itself be productive of anxiety, it nevertheless speaks the language of possibility, fulfillment, and actualization: “Attending a four-year college will allow me to secure a high-paying job and provide either for myself or myself and my family. . . . Diet and exercise will make me stronger, healthier, more attractive. . . . Commitment, dedication, and practice will lead to improvement and allow me to impress others. . . .” To be sure, these and many other similar beliefs require something of the doer, and though they offer pathways of success they cannot guarantee against failure. Nevertheless, while some of our long-range plans will likely go unfulfilled or fall apart due to some outside contingency or lack in ability, at the most basic level, belief in human agency remains intact and for some very understandable, practical reasons: I drive to McDonald’s, order a value meal at the drive-through and voilà, I am feasting on a mass-produced hamburger and French fries; I sneak out of work early; I hit the snooze button on the alarm clock; I order a movie using my On Demand service; and so on.

On the basis of such mundane episodes, most of us arrive at the justifiable, dramatized belief that our lives have a story to tell and, significantly, that these stories are plotted first and foremost by means of our freely chosen courses of action, as well as the effects of those actions on future outcomes. Through this dramatized belief we envision how we will relate to something in the future or how something happened in the past, while imagining our present consciousness as occupying the seat of central command. Agency is therefore always dramatic and objective, for it involves the active relationship with things both in the phenomenal, empirical real world and in our imaginations. It organizes our experiences of the sensible world into a coherent dramatic structure, establishing relationships and helping us to interpret and regulate our world. Most important, subjective adherence to the notion of agency confers on the individual a sense of indeterminability and control, of authorship, unity, and power.

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