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1981
Volume 17, Issue 3
  • ISSN: 1757-191X
  • E-ISSN: 1757-1928

Abstract

Mark Fisher’s foundational work, , introduced and examined the concept of flatline constructs (FCs): non-human virtual entities that interact in lifelike ways with humans. Despite FCs being functionally dead, they operate in a descriptive grey area, embodying an uncanny juxtaposition of unlife–undeath identity. This scholarship reinterprets Fisher’s FC notions as archetypes of the technogothic, applying this concept to examine Night School Studio’s 2016 video game . I argue deliberately ‘oscillates the flatline’ manipulates in-game characters and digital sprite performances in ways that cycle between emotive portrayals imbued with ‘alive’ symbols, contrasting with alternating portrayals of these same characters as ‘dead’ entities. Oscillations manufacture an uncanny and discordant yet enthralling player’s experience. By applying technogothic symbolism to , reinterpretation of Fisher’s foundational theorizing and linkages between translational meaning and power themes are revealed. A pathway for applying theoretical perspectives to future research is presented.

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2026-02-24
2026-04-15

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/content/journals/10.1386/jgvw_00132_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): affective technoculture; cybernetic identity; digital embodiment; gothic materialism; hauntology; hyperreality; theory-fiction; videogame symbolism

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