Narrative analysis of mythological elements in cinema and digital game designs: Comparative narrative and hero analyses in post-apocalyptic films and digital game

In addressing the relation between cinema, digital games and mythology, this study focuses on all the constituents of games and films in general, and on the fiction and representation of the hero in particular, which are functional in the processes of narrative formation. It is important to start from the assumption that cinema and digital games are texts and to underline that these two genres have a narrative structure. In both texts, there is a process of meaning transfer. In fact, the existence of a world that conveys "cinematic meaning" in both texts cannot be denied. In films and digital games, the meaning-transferring universe of cinema is in question, and the viewer/player has to "plunge into an imaginary world", identify himself/herself with that world, and put himself/herself in the place of the hero in that world. In this process, which is created in films and digital games through various visual, linguistic and auditory indicators, there are complex stages such as constructing the cinematic universe in accordance with the meanings desired to be conveyed and shooting it in accordance with the prepared scenario. In what context and how do films and digital games, which are assumed to be products of popular culture, convey meaning by articulating with myths that have been told since the past, transmitted between generations and narrated? The elements at the origin of mythology and mythological narratives are encountered in films and, of course, undoubtedly, in games. Do these elements carry their meanings from mythological narratives to filmic narratives and/or games? How are the hero(s), who are the main elements of films or games, conveyed, especially when we look at certain genres, such as films about the afterlife, science fiction films, fantasy films, post apocalyptic films? In this context, it is aimed to define the algorithm of post apocalyptic science fiction, which constitutes the object of the study, and to compare the narratives in films and games dealing with the post apocalypse, and to focus comparatively on the hero fiction and the characteristics of the hero. In accordance with this aim of the study, a descriptive research will be conducted. In the study, the part related to the narrative in films and plays and the film language valid for both will be analysed through visual semiotic analysis, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and visual semiotic analysis, which emerged as a science in the second half of the 20th century.In the study, based on the narrative analysis method of Russian morphologist Vladimir Propp, who is accepted as a pioneer when it comes to the analysis of narratives with a structuralist approach, which emerged as a science in the second half of the 20th century, and narrative theorists until today, it is aimed to use an eclectic method by focusing on the narrative structures of the two visual texts and making use of the main theorists focusing on "hero representation", especially Joseph Campbell. In the study, while questioning the universe of films and plays constructed through signs such as time/space/hero/plot/filmic stages, in other words, the narrative structure, it will be focused on which strategies are used in films and plays, what kind of "language" is used to reveal the function of "heroisation" and the meaning that "interaction with mythological elements" adds to the texts in films and plays will be tried to be revealed. Based on the hypothesis that films and cinematic plays are "modern mythological narratives", mythology-based heroes and the characteristics of "mythologised" heroes in these narratives will be revealed. In the literature, studies comparing the narrative structures in both films and games, especially in terms of "hero representation and fiction" and examining the function of mythological interaction in the context of meaning transmission for this purpose are quite limited. This further reinforces the importance of this study. While forming the sample of the study, films and plays with similar qualities based on post apocalyptic myths were selected. Post apocalyptic myths can be classified as both eschatological and afterlife myths. In these narratives, a kind of post-apocalyptic fiction and the fiction of "surviving and fighting for life" after the apocalypse are conveyed. In these narratives, which are accepted as a subcategory of the science fiction genre in literature, the end of the world for some reason, what kind of life awaits the survivors after great destruction, and how they can continue their lives. However, in this study, it is important to refer not only to these two myth types but also to prestige myths and anthropogonic myths, because the main subject of the study is "hero representation and fiction". Based on the aforementioned sampling and limitations, it is believed that the study will contribute to those who work on communication science, cinema, digital game design in general and those who study or study mythology and cinema in particular. In this descriptive qualitative study in which a holistic approach will be adopted in which data will be collected through document analysis, the main criteria are that the films and games in the sample are post-2000 productions and that the films and games have a score of 6 and above according to IMDB (International Movie Data Base). The games to be examined within the scope of the sample and according to the subject of the study are "games created based on the selected films". The fact that the games are set in a cinematic universe and that the narrative plot of the game is built on the protagonist character are important in the selection of the game. The analysis of the films and digital games inspired by the films will be carried out with the eclectic method mentioned earlier, and data related to the research topic will be collected and the findings obtained will be discussed in detail.