Conceptualising Teleological Dissonance

This study explores the concept of teleological dissonance, describing a semiotic conflict between game-afforded goals and end-game conditions. Drawing on Seraphine’s groundwork (2016), this proposed revision of the notion ”ludonarrative dissonance” – originally coined in an (in)famous blog post by Hocking (2007) – is motivated by a) the latter’s lack of coherence; and b) the latter’s apparent negative connotations. Indeed, the powerful potentials of dissonance should be of great interest to researchers and designers alike – to whom a teleological approach may prove productive.