Funzioni e valori del volto nei giochi digitali

In this paper we look into digital games from a semiotic perspective to understand the influence of faces on the meaning-making of these texts. More specifically, we look into the three fundamental functions of the face: expression of feelings and non-verbal communication, representation of interiority and social values, and self-identity leading to subjectivity. For each one of these three functions we inquire on how they are implemented and how they are used and interpreted by players. To do so, we look both into the features of almost one hundred games and at different kinds of interpretations produced by the gaming community such as articles, gameplay videos and online discussions. Faces in digital games are thus examined in their relations with the one of the player, with the other faces of NPCs and with the faces belonging to the avatars of other players. Moreover, we also examine how such faces are represented on the screen and used by the players: we distinguish between given faces, editable faces and absent faces (such as in first-person view games). Finally, in the conclusion we compare our main claims with the ones of game studies about the relation between avatars and subjectivity. This work will thus highlight fundamental similarities and differences about the functions of the face in videogames. But it will most importantly prove how a semiotics of the face can give insightful explanations on meaning-making in digital games and how the study of such games can be useful for the scientific inquiry on the face.