Frank G Bosman
Biographic Data
| ID | 76254 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Frank G Bosman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Frank G |
| FAMILY NAME | Bosman |
| SIGNATURE | BOSMAN F G |
| AFFILIATIONS | Tilburg University |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-2100-1507 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 7 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
“This is the story of a man called Stanley”: Narrativity and Freedom in Video Games and Beyond: The Case of The Stanley Parable
This article explores the interplay between narrativity and player agency in the video game The Stanley Parable (2013). Through a communication-theoretical and theological lens, the paper investigates how the game challenges conventional notions of freedom in video games and beyond. Analyzing three endings, the article reveals how the narrator-player dynamic subverts narrative authority and simulates choice. Theologically, The Stanley Parable is …
Minerva’s Owl. Religion-inspired environmental skepticism. The case of Thierry Baudet
In March 2019, the Dutch right-wing politician Thierry Baudet won the provincial elections by a landslide. Baudet’s party, Forum voor Democratie (Forum for Democracy), is characterized by Euroskepticism, COVID 19 conspiracy theories, anti-immigration policies, and anti-environmental skepticism, overlayed with Christian-inspired conservatism. In his political speeches and interviews, Baudet is well-known for identifying environmental activism as a…
Look into My Eyes
Dutch painter Hans Versteeg’s Madonna del Mare Nostrum (2017) depicts a woman and child wrapped in thermal blankets, seemingly just rescued from the sea. Its composition draws from Christian iconography, particularly Eastern Orthodox icons and Western Madonna-and-Child symbolism, recontextualizing these traditions by applying them to the contemporary, interrelated refugee and climate crises. Through a communication-oriented analysis, the author a…
I Said: Hymn 38!' The Reception of the Protestant Reformation in The Netherlands at the Turn of the Millennium-The Case of 'The White Cowboy
From 1998 to 2005, the once left-wing Protestant Dutch broadcasting company VPRO aired 26 episodes of The White Cowboy, including the episode 'De Kerkgangers' ('The Churchgoers'). In this article, the author argues that this episode is an excellent example of the contemporary reception of the 16th century Protestant reformation within the Netherlands at the turn of the millennium. Within the secular context of contemporary Dutch society, the ster…
Video Games as Art: A Communication-Oriented Perspective on the Relationship between Gaming and the Art
Video games are a relative late arrival on the cultural stage. While the academic discipline of game studies has evolved quickly since the nineties of the last century, the academia is only beginning to grasp the intellectual, philosophical, aesthetical, and existential potency of the new medium. The same applies to the question whether video games are (or are not) art in and on themselves. Based on the Communication-Oriented Analysis, the author…
"I Am Not Good at Any of This." Playing with Homoeroticism in The Arabian Nights
The story collection known in the West as The Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights, is famous, among other things, for its erotic playfulness. This eroticism was (and is) one of the key reasons for its continuous popularity after Antoine Galland's French translation in 1704. The Arabian Nights includes, besides traditional, heterosexual acts, play, and desires, examples of homoerotic playfulness-even though we must tread lightly when usi…
The Crisis of Religion Journalism: The Case of the Netherlands
In the contemporary world, professional religion journalism is under pressure. De-institutionalization, individualism, and secularism have caused a steep decline in journalistic knowledge about the phenomenon of religion (both as a praxis and a confession) and the relegation by the mainstream media of “the religious” to the realm of the exotic and of human-interest stories. At the same time, religion has come to play an increasingly important rol…
"Five William Shakespeares Versus One Santa Claus; Self-Sacrifice and The Trolley Problem in the Series "The Good Place
The television series The Good Place (2016-2020), created by Michael Schur revolves around four humans who-after their deaths-end up in what they believe to be heaven: the "Good Place". In reality, however, they are in a very sophisticated torture place, built and directed by demons from the "Bad Place". During the four seasons of the series, the four humans discover the true nature of their predicament and try to reach to "real" Good Place, thro…
Gaming and the Divine: A New Systematic Theology of Video Games
This book formulates a new theological approach to the study of religion in gaming. Video games have become one of the most important cultural artifacts of modern society, both as mediators of cultural, social, and religious values and in terms of commercial success. This has led to a significant increase in the critical analysis of this relatively new medium, but theology as an academic discipline is noticeably behind the other humanities on thi…
The Sacred and the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Digital Games
In this editorial, guest editor Frank Bosman introduces the theme of the special issue on critical depictions of religion in video games. He does so by giving a tentative oversight of the academic field of religion and video game research up until present day, and by presenting different ways in which game developers critically approach (institutionalized, fictional and non-fictional) religions in-game, of which many are discussed by individual a…
There Is No Solution: "Wicked Problems" in Digital Games
Ethical gameplay can be defined as "the outcome of a game sequence in which players take definitive choices based on moral thinking, rather than instrumental thinking." Often moral problems presented by video games can be solved easily once the ethical framework of the game is understood, or on the basis of help from the visible moral feedback of the game, or simply by experimenting with the different outcomes by using the game's saving/loading s…
Requiescat in Pace'. Initiation and Assassination Rituals in the Assassin's Creed Game Series
The Assassin's Creed game series (Ubisoft 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015, 2017) revolves around an alternative interpretation of human history as an ongoing battle between two rival factions: the Assassin Brotherhood (modelled on the historical Nizar Isma'ilis) and the Templar Order (inspired by the historical Order of the Knights Templar). Both factions compete over the possession of mythical artefacts, called the 'Apples…
I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac
The game The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a game that incorporates criticism of religion. Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons. Both from the perspective of narrative and of game design, McMillen built The Binding of Isaac around the Biblical story of Genesis 22:1-19, which has the same name in Jewish and Christian tradition, but he placed it in a modern-day setting in which a young boy is endangere…
There Is No Solution: "Wicked Problems" in Digital Games
Ethical gameplay can be defined as "the outcome of a game sequence in which players take definitive choices based on moral thinking, rather than instrumental thinking." Often moral problems presented by video games can be solved easily once the ethical framework of the game is understood, or on the basis of help from the visible moral feedback of the game, or simply by experimenting with the different outcomes by using the game's saving/loading s…
"I Am Not Good at Any of This." Playing with Homoeroticism in The Arabian Nights
The story collection known in the West as The Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights, is famous, among other things, for its erotic playfulness. This eroticism was (and is) one of the key reasons for its continuous popularity after Antoine Galland's French translation in 1704. The Arabian Nights includes, besides traditional, heterosexual acts, play, and desires, examples of homoerotic playfulness-even though we must tread lightly when usi…
The Crisis of Religion Journalism: The Case of the Netherlands
In the contemporary world, professional religion journalism is under pressure. De-institutionalization, individualism, and secularism have caused a steep decline in journalistic knowledge about the phenomenon of religion (both as a praxis and a confession) and the relegation by the mainstream media of “the religious” to the realm of the exotic and of human-interest stories. At the same time, religion has come to play an increasingly important rol…
The Sacred and the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Digital Games
In this editorial, guest editor Frank Bosman introduces the theme of the special issue on critical depictions of religion in video games. He does so by giving a tentative oversight of the academic field of religion and video game research up until present day, and by presenting different ways in which game developers critically approach (institutionalized, fictional and non-fictional) religions in-game, of which many are discussed by individual a…
Requiescat in Pace'. Initiation and Assassination Rituals in the Assassin's Creed Game Series
The Assassin's Creed game series (Ubisoft 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2014, 2015, 2017) revolves around an alternative interpretation of human history as an ongoing battle between two rival factions: the Assassin Brotherhood (modelled on the historical Nizar Isma'ilis) and the Templar Order (inspired by the historical Order of the Knights Templar). Both factions compete over the possession of mythical artefacts, called the 'Apples…
I Have Faith in Thee, Lord: Criticism of Religion and Child Abuse in the Video Game the Binding of Isaac
The game The Binding of Isaac is an excellent example of a game that incorporates criticism of religion. Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler with randomly generated dungeons. Both from the perspective of narrative and of game design, McMillen built The Binding of Isaac around the Biblical story of Genesis 22:1-19, which has the same name in Jewish and Christian tradition, but he placed it in a modern-day setting in which a young boy is endangere…
Gaming and the Divine: A New Systematic Theology of Video Games
This book formulates a new theological approach to the study of religion in gaming. Video games have become one of the most important cultural artifacts of modern society, both as mediators of cultural, social, and religious values and in terms of commercial success. This has led to a significant increase in the critical analysis of this relatively new medium, but theology as an academic discipline is noticeably behind the other humanities on thi…
The Sacred and the Digital. Critical Depictions of Religions in Digital Games
In this editorial, guest editor Frank Bosman introduces the theme of the special issue on critical depictions of religion in video games. He does so by giving a tentative oversight of the academic field of religion and video game research up until present day, and by presenting different ways in which game developers critically approach (institutionalized, fictional and non-fictional) religions in-game, of which many are discussed by individual a…
There Is No Solution: "Wicked Problems" in Digital Games
Ethical gameplay can be defined as "the outcome of a game sequence in which players take definitive choices based on moral thinking, rather than instrumental thinking." Often moral problems presented by video games can be solved easily once the ethical framework of the game is understood, or on the basis of help from the visible moral feedback of the game, or simply by experimenting with the different outcomes by using the game's saving/loading s…
The Crisis of Religion Journalism: The Case of the Netherlands
In the contemporary world, professional religion journalism is under pressure. De-institutionalization, individualism, and secularism have caused a steep decline in journalistic knowledge about the phenomenon of religion (both as a praxis and a confession) and the relegation by the mainstream media of “the religious” to the realm of the exotic and of human-interest stories. At the same time, religion has come to play an increasingly important rol…
"Five William Shakespeares Versus One Santa Claus; Self-Sacrifice and The Trolley Problem in the Series "The Good Place
The television series The Good Place (2016-2020), created by Michael Schur revolves around four humans who-after their deaths-end up in what they believe to be heaven: the "Good Place". In reality, however, they are in a very sophisticated torture place, built and directed by demons from the "Bad Place". During the four seasons of the series, the four humans discover the true nature of their predicament and try to reach to "real" Good Place, thro…
"I Am Not Good at Any of This." Playing with Homoeroticism in The Arabian Nights
The story collection known in the West as The Arabian Nights or One Thousand and One Nights, is famous, among other things, for its erotic playfulness. This eroticism was (and is) one of the key reasons for its continuous popularity after Antoine Galland's French translation in 1704. The Arabian Nights includes, besides traditional, heterosexual acts, play, and desires, examples of homoerotic playfulness-even though we must tread lightly when usi…
Video Games as Art: A Communication-Oriented Perspective on the Relationship between Gaming and the Art
Video games are a relative late arrival on the cultural stage. While the academic discipline of game studies has evolved quickly since the nineties of the last century, the academia is only beginning to grasp the intellectual, philosophical, aesthetical, and existential potency of the new medium. The same applies to the question whether video games are (or are not) art in and on themselves. Based on the Communication-Oriented Analysis, the author…
I Said: Hymn 38!' The Reception of the Protestant Reformation in The Netherlands at the Turn of the Millennium-The Case of 'The White Cowboy
From 1998 to 2005, the once left-wing Protestant Dutch broadcasting company VPRO aired 26 episodes of The White Cowboy, including the episode 'De Kerkgangers' ('The Churchgoers'). In this article, the author argues that this episode is an excellent example of the contemporary reception of the 16th century Protestant reformation within the Netherlands at the turn of the millennium. Within the secular context of contemporary Dutch society, the ster…
“This is the story of a man called Stanley”: Narrativity and Freedom in Video Games and Beyond: The Case of The Stanley Parable
This article explores the interplay between narrativity and player agency in the video game The Stanley Parable (2013). Through a communication-theoretical and theological lens, the paper investigates how the game challenges conventional notions of freedom in video games and beyond. Analyzing three endings, the article reveals how the narrator-player dynamic subverts narrative authority and simulates choice. Theologically, The Stanley Parable is …
Minerva’s Owl. Religion-inspired environmental skepticism. The case of Thierry Baudet
In March 2019, the Dutch right-wing politician Thierry Baudet won the provincial elections by a landslide. Baudet’s party, Forum voor Democratie (Forum for Democracy), is characterized by Euroskepticism, COVID 19 conspiracy theories, anti-immigration policies, and anti-environmental skepticism, overlayed with Christian-inspired conservatism. In his political speeches and interviews, Baudet is well-known for identifying environmental activism as a…
Look into My Eyes
Dutch painter Hans Versteeg’s Madonna del Mare Nostrum (2017) depicts a woman and child wrapped in thermal blankets, seemingly just rescued from the sea. Its composition draws from Christian iconography, particularly Eastern Orthodox icons and Western Madonna-and-Child symbolism, recontextualizing these traditions by applying them to the contemporary, interrelated refugee and climate crises. Through a communication-oriented analysis, the author a…
Philosophy (7 works) · Art (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Aesthetics (4 works) · Digital Games and Media (4 works) · History (4 works) · Law (4 works) · Political science (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works)