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-En intermedial studie av läsprocessen som den relaterar till Codex, det digitala uppslagsverket i tv- och dataspelet Mass Effect
This study examines the in-game encyclopaedia Codex as it appears within the videogame Mass Effect. The purpose of this study is to analyse the Codex with emphasis on how the reading process is affected by the videogame medium. In this regard the study seeks to uncover what characterises the Codex as a fictional encyclopaedia, what it entails and how it interacts with the rest of the game. The theoretical basis of this study is derived from a combination of the writings of Wolfgang Iser concerning the process of reading, Jesper Juul's writings on the relationship between games and narratives, and the concept of intermediality as discussed by Hans Lund and Jørgen Bruhn. This study is based on a close examination of the PC and Playstation 3 versions of the videogame Mass Effect, created by Bioware, with particular emphasis placed on the Codex. Mass Effect is a science fiction third-person shooter and RPG set in a future where mankind has begun interacting with aliens civilizations and colonising new planets. The Codex is an in-game encyclopaedia providing the player with information on various topics relating to the game world. While videogames are not narratives they cancontain and use narrative content. Mass Effect does this. Thus it is divided into two settings. The first is the actual environment accessible to the player. The second is the implied game-world that is derived from a combination of the game's narrative content and the player's imagination. Facilitating the production of this implied world is the main purpose of the Codex. The implied game-world is reminiscent of the virtual dimension of literary texts. Beyond the Codex however, Mass effect employs multiple medial strategies in order to facilitate the production of the implied game-world. The game also offers the player a certain degree of freedom when it comes to what narrative content is revealed. This in turn affects the production of the implied game-world.