Week 5 introduced animated documentary and political animation, raising questions about authenticity, subjectivity and emotional truth. Although my research focuses on games rather than documentaries, the discussion was highly relevant.
The idea that animation can represent emotional and psychological realities more effectively than photographic realism directly connects to emotional healing. Games, like animated documentaries, often prioritise emotional truth over objective realism.
I began to consider cooperative games as a form of emotional representation rather than simulation of reality. Emotional healing in games does not depend on realistic depiction, but on the authenticity of emotional experience created through interaction.
This week helped me frame emotional healing as a valid research topic within broader academic discussions of representation, subjectivity and affect.