During the Fall Quarter of 2016, I was exposed to the works of Rousseau and his philosophies, who combined thoughts based on both the sciences and the arts of language. I was very intrigued of how the relationship between these two areas of thought had over time affected and shaped each other in one way or another. This field of thought I felt was a representation of me, and my position in which I am scientifically acclimated yet I am also infatuated with the world of art and humanities.
This train of thought initially inspired me to research the relationship between science and language over time, however I had trouble coming up with a specific artifact to research for this topic. Therefore, I looked to another passion of mine- videogames.
Growing up with videogames being a constant in my life, I figured using this passion as an approach to my research project would come easier to me, and would also keep my interest in the long run more so than my original idea. Videogames have just as much potential to shape and influence the mind of an individual as any amount of school and parenting can. They have the ability to instill certain ideas, or rather the ideas affiliated with empire and power.
Therefore, a specific videogame and artifact of focus that instantly came to mind was Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V. Not only does it portray the complexities of a war-torn world and power, but it also presents the underlying discrepancies of racism and marginalization (all while dragons threaten the world’s existence). All of these topics which have been apparent in our studies in Humanities Core of “Empire and its Ruins” and can be found in this videogame, and presenting in depth research and comparison on these ideas I feel would establish a solid foundation for my research project.
Watch the Skyrim: The Elder Scrolls V trailer.
Empire and Its Ruins 