PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of the Arts / School of Music, Hugh A. Glauser

Part I of this dissertation is a large-scale composition for orchestra and mixed choir entitled The Forgotten Child of Zeal. This is a programmatic work inspired by the classic 1995 role-playing game Chrono Trigger. The piece chronicles the story of an enigmatic young boy named Janus, who possesses innate magical powers, and his terrifying transformation into Magus, the dark sorcerer who terrorizes the world. The composition is organized into two contrasting movements, Premonition and Degeneration, which vary greatly in style, but are unified through a recurring 4-note “mystic motive.” There are also key quotations of Scriabin's Prometheus: The Poem of Fire and Prefatory Action within the piece, creating a bridge between the musical and programmatic content of all three works. The Forgotten Child of Zeal lasts approximately 22 minutes in performance. Part II of this dissertation is a theoretical paper that analyzes the pitch organization of the first movement of Alexander Nemtin's realization of Scriabin's unfinished masterpiece, Prefatory Action. Prefatory Action is a programmatic work written for orchestra, mixed choir, vocal soloists, and tastiera per luce (light keyboard), lasting roughly two and a half hours in length. The piece is divided into three massive movements entitled Universe, Humanity, and Transfiguration. Scriabin originally began writing Prefatory Action as a prelude to the Mysterium, which he envisioned as a divine musical ceremony that would transfigure the human race and end the universe. More than half a century later, Nemtin spent 26 years of his life completing the piece, using the literary text and musical sketches that Scriabin left behind as a guide. This paper is organized into six chapters – the first two chapters discuss the genesis of Prefatory Action and its subsequent realization, the middle two chapters explore Scriabin's post-tonal style, and the final two chapters offer an in-depth analysis of Universe.

Committee: Richard Devore Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Frank Wiley D.M.A. (Committee Co-Chair); Adam Roberts Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Hricko Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gustav Medicus Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Music

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2017, Art

This research paper is about the differences in experiences video game players have when playing retro games, modern games, and recent games created using a retro aesthetic. The definition of modern games using a retro aesthetic is any game made for modern video game hardware (consoles, handhelds, and computers) that uses game design choices or visual stylings of older video games. The paper focuses on the types of games video game players enjoy, and the different emotions they associate with the games from different generations. A total of 17 participants took the survey, and a total of 6 study participants chose to be interviewed. Both of these research methods were utilized to gain a better understanding of how video game players experience games from different generations. The outcome of the study is a proof of concept experience that takes elements from across gaming generations and combines them into one event.The prototype is usability tested to see if video game players connect well with the multiple experiences converging together.

Committee: Dennis Cheatham (Committee Chair); Eric Hodgson (Committee Member); Ray Claxton (Committee Member) Subjects: Aesthetics; Design; Technology

Master of Arts in English, Cleveland State University, 2009, College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences

Traditional models used in examining narrative were built from the use of printed texts, the content of which is nothing more and nothing less than what appears on the page. Studying the narrative of video role-playing games such as Final Fantasy X with these models is problematic because of the interactive nature of the story. The element of choice in Final Fantasy X results in a narrative experience that differs with each playing. The game contains many recognizable elements of the myth as outlined by Joseph Campbell, but the model this model is inadequate for examining a narrative of this type. To overcome the hurdles that interactivity creates, as well as the way in which this modern myth re-defines Campbell's model, an adaptation of Deleuze and Guatteri's rhizome theory is used to examine Final Fantasy X. The rhizome provides a framework suitable for re-thinking the quest in the modern myth, as well as dealing with the way in which interactive narrative creates repetition with difference.

Committee: Jennifer Jeffers PhD (Committee Chair); Frederick Karem PhD (Committee Member); Gary Dyer PhD (Committee Member) Subjects:

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Popular Culture

The Purpose of this text is to examine the cultural mythologies present in Japanese console role-playing games as they are transliterated for American audiences in an effort to understand how these texts might influence notions of identity in contemporary Western culture. Specifically, this text is concerned with the way these games play out the conflict between traditional cultural values and posthumanity in a postmodern context; the narrative elements of Japanese RPGs seem to be deployed in an effort to problematize any relationship between the posthuman and the heroic, and the gameworlds reflect this demonization and Othering of posthumanity. Specific texts will be examined in the context of the traditional narrative elements which they employ, including various Japanese myths, legends, and narratives, in hopes of exploring not only the loaded comparison these games make between traditional Japanese heroism and posthumanism but also between Japanese and American notions of the heroic. Finally, this text will attempt to combine the theories of ludology, narratology, and folklore for the study of digital games, an approach uncommon in this highly factious discipline.

Committee: Marilyn Motz (Advisor) Subjects: