Rhetoric Society Quarterly Aug 2019

Welcome to Decision Points Theater: Rhetoric, Museology, and Game Studies

Joshua Daniel-Wariya Oklahoma State University

Abstract

This essay analyzes Decision Points, an interactive exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, and illustrates how it leverages the digital properties of videogames to make an argument for the necessity of the Bush Doctrine. Starting with how the museum’s material and spatial environment builds identification between visitors and Bush, the piece proceeds to show how the exhibit relies on the affordances of digital environments to characterize Bush’s decision-making process as complex. Focusing on the exhibit’s simulation of the War in Iraq, I argue that rhetorical studies will need to account for the persuasive capacities of videogames in memory places in order to help visitors become more aware of and responsive to the rhetorical claims they encode. This necessity opens possibility spaces for collaboration between the fields of rhetoric, museology, and game studies.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2019-08-08
DOI
10.1080/02773945.2019.1627401
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism collaborative writing
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Grant (2026)
    Not Playing Around: Feminist and Queer Rhetorics in Videogames: by Rebecca Rich…
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly

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