Abstract
ABSTRACT Acknowledging the rising popularity of food-themed video games, the paper scrutinized what beliefs about real-life food accessibility can be found in video games in which food is an important part of worldbuilding. Drawing from what James H. Wandersee and Elisabeth H. Schussler called ‘plant blindness’ in relation to humans’ attitudes and bias towards plants, I propose the term food imperception to describe how video games often treat food (which might function as an ingredient or a health-restorative item) as the most reliable, easy to obtain, cheapest or even free resource, as contrasted with, depending on the setting of the game, with medicine or magic potions. The analysis, apart from engaging with the interesting topic of how popular media represent food, thus reflecting discourses surrounding it in reality, additionally offers critice of the priviledged behaviors relating to food wastefulness in developing countries. Thus, the analysis is twofold, showing how food representation in video games can engage with food imperception: in the idyllic environments of cozy games and in mainstream action-adventure titles such as BioShock and Dishonored that utilize food as a world-building device and a ludic means of restoring health.
Published Version
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