The Happily Defeated Gamer’s Face: Empirical Horizons on the Paradox of Tragedy

This contribution explores the potential of the face as an object of empirical study capable of informing philosophical theories concerning the paradox of tragedy. More specifically, it presents an exploratory analysis, conducted through emotion-recognition software (the AffDex algorithm), of the facial expressions found in a series of videos of gamers repeatedly defeated during gameplay. The data collected through the software suggest the simultaneity of positive and negative emotions in players’ faces in close proximity to moments of defeat. These expressions are therefore described and interpreted as potential indicators of a theoretical solution to the paradox, one that allows for the possible co-existence of pleasure and displeasure. Finally, the paper shows how this solution aligns well with linguistic and semiotic theories that explain human subjectivity as constituted by a multiplicity of “I”s.