Ludic Mechanics, Psychic Mechanisms and Explorations of “Inner Space” in Mindwheel and Psychonauts

An essay compares two video games, Robert Pinsky's Mindwheel (1984) and Tim Schafer's Psychonauts (2005), as examples of the "inner space" tradition from science fiction, where the human mind is depicted as a physical space to explore. It examines how each game's mechanics create either adversarial or cooperative interactions with the player, shaping different forms of inner space exploration. Drawing on Lakoff and Johnson's concept of orientational metaphors from embodied experience, the essay analyzes the coherence of each game's metaphors and narratives.

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Abstract

Robert Pinsky's Mindwheel (1984) and Tim Schafer's Psychonauts (2005) are dissimilar games in terms of player interface and ludic mechanics, but both participate in the creative tradition of “inner space,” which begins in science fiction literature and depicts the human mind metaphorically as a physical space which can be explored and interacted with. This essay examines how each game contributes to this tradition, with particular attention to how the mechanics of each game develops an adversarial or cooperative tone to the player's interaction with the game, and how this produces different forms of inner space exploration. This essay also draws on Lakoff's and Johnson's concept of “orientational metaphors” which are familiar from embodied experience and various conventional expressions, and examines how coherent each game's metaphors and narratives are.