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Semiotics Theory in Video Games

Semiotics is defined as the "study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation" (Oxford Dictionary).

Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles S Pierce are regarded as the co-founders of semiotics. They established the two major theories on which they worked on independently. Saussure’s term "semiology" is sometimes used to refer to the Saussurean tradition and "semiotics" sometimes refers to the Peircean tradition. Today the "semiotics" is used as an general term for both.

Saussure’s term sémiologie (Semiology) dates from a manuscript of 1894. His Course in General Linguistics contains the following declaration:
It is . . . possible to conceive of a science which studies the role of signs as part of social life.It would form part of social psychology, and hence of general psychology. We shall call it semiology (from the Greek se¯meîon, ‘sign’). It would investigate the nature of signs and the laws governing them. Since it does not yet exist, one cannot say for certain that it will exist. But it has a right to exist, a place ready for it in advance. Linguistics is only one branch of this general science. The laws which semiology will discover will be laws applicable in linguistics, and linguistics will thus be assigned to a clearlydefined place in the field of human knowledge. (Saussure, 1983)

Saussurean tradition focuses on interpreting a sign is an object that consists of a signifier and signified. As an example if one sees the word "open" outside of a store (signifier / sound pattern) that would mean that the store is open for business (signified / concept). Word "open" signifier could also stand for a different signified making a very different sign. As an example inside of an elevator there could be a button with an "open" signifier. This would mean that pushing the button would open the elevator door (signified).

Peirce worked independently across the Atlantic ocean from Saussure and declared that:

Logic, in its general sense, is . . . only another name for semiotic (sémeiötiké), the quasi-necessary, or formal, doctrine of signs. By describing the doctrine as ‘quasi-necessary’, or formal, I mean that we observe the characters of such signs as we know, and . . . by a process which I will not object to naming abstraction, we are led to statements, eminently fallible, and therefore in one sense by no means necessary, as to what must be the characters of all signs used by a ‘scientific’ intelligence, that is to say, by an intelligence capable of learning by experience. (Peirce, 1932)

Pierce had a different view of semiotics from Saussure. Instead of focusing dual relation between the signifier and signified, he focused on what he defined as symbols, icons and indices.

Symbol is a mode in which the signifier does not resemble the signified but which is fundamentally arbitrary or purely conventional – so that this relationship must be agreed upon and learned (Chandler, 2007).
Example: Hazard symbols are very commonly used to identify danger of a specific kind. Most would be able to correlate radiation hazard or bio hazard symbols with a perceived danger if they saw one because they learned about them in the past.
Icon is a mode in which the signifier is perceived as resembling or imitating the signified (recognizably looking, sounding, feeling, tasting or smelling like it) – being similar in possessing some of its qualities (ibid).
Example: A person sends a smiley emoji via a text message. The smiley face indicates that the sender is happy.
Index is a mode in which the signifier is not arbitrary but is directly connected in some way (physically or causally) to the signified (regardless of intention) – this link can be observed or inferred (ibid).
Example: A image of a woman next to a bathroom door would indicate that this bathroom is for women. They associate the image with the room.

While semiotics theory has been used in the real world for centuries, in the digital world especially video games it is fairly new. Video games as well as movies make their content more engaging by using semiotics. Movies use semiotics to create self explaining artifacts so they don't have to explain it in the story. It makes the movie more enjoyable if it lets the viewer make their own evaluation as to what that symbol means. In video games however it is more interactive. A gamer can make decisions as they are playing the game and use semiotics to understand the environment to give them the best advantage in the game.

Games such as Eco use semiotics on every aspect of the game. The game is developed for all audiences to learn how the world works and utilize what they have learned about the world so far to progress in the game. It teaches teamwork and collaboration, survival, nutrition, preservation, and creates a better mindset on how to treat others and be a better member of society. The game's goals are not just to make it fun and engaging but to enhance one's knowledge and empathy for others and their surroundings. In the game you start off by being placed on a planet with basic survival skills. You must learn what to do to survive and how to develop a technology to get of the planet that will be destroyed by an asteroid lingering above it. How one uses resources, treats their body and collaborates with others will have a huge impact on each player's survival. Semiotics are at use across the entire game. When you see a tree and you see that you are carrying an axe, you know that you can likely chop it down. If you see a berry bush and you are hungry, you know that you can walk to it, pick the berries and eat them.

While many games can give video gaming a bad rep and exposing us to violence and gore, Eco does the opposite. It is there for everyone to learn and potentially create new symbolism that will impact the decisions made in the real world. It provides challenge and teaches our brain to use semiotics and make decisions faster because of our learnings.

References

Chandler, Daniel. 2007. Semiotics: The Basics. 2nd ed. Basics (Routledge (Firm). London ; New York: Routledge.
Oxford Dictionary. "Definition of Semiotics in English by Oxford Dictionaries", Oxford Dictionaries, English. Accessed January 31, 2018.
Peirce, Charles Sanders. 1932. Elements of Logic, ed. Charles Hartshorne and Paul Weiss.
Saussure, Ferdinand de. 1916/1983. Course in General Linguistics (trans. Roy Harris). London: Duckworth.