ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I propose an original, systematic model for the analysis of metareference in videogames. To do so, I first outline the model’s main theoretical and methodological premises, followed by an introduction of systematic distinctions between different metareferential elements according to the dimensions of form and content. To illustrate these distinctions, I draw on examples from an extensive corpus of videogames, including but not limited to Break the Game (2019), Deadpool (2013), Hades (2018), There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension (2020), and Undertale (2015). The resulting analytical model not only helps to map individual metareferential elements, making them easier to describe and compare, but also forms the basis for the detailed videogame analyses in later chapters.
