Press ‘F’ to pay respects : Grief and memorialization in video games

Abstract: This paper aims to present, discuss, and analyze the potential role of digital games within practices of memory, bereavement, and inheritance. The paper examines how users inhabit game environments, how their in-game memories and identities extend into the real world, and what kind of digital legacy players may be leaving behind. A study based on theoretical frameworks relating to memorialization and grief processing is conducted to look at how games can become part of mourning and memorialization practices.