Playing out the unspeakable: the rhetorics of trauma in The Day the Laughter Stopped digital game

The article undertakes a detailed analysis of Day the Laughter Stopped – simple text-based browser game about rape, told from perspective young teenage girl. While seemingly straightforward, uses choice poetics to build expectations agency on side player, only subvert them at most climactic moment, provoking emotional responses and serving as commentary experience loss control words in face traumatic event. Following existing approaches rhetorical, emotion-evoking qualities capabilities digital games, explores potential medium communicate unspeakable, overwhelming dimension trauma, illustrated by game. not medium-specific means expression which utilizes encourage audience explore rape victim an engaging way, but also leads conclusion that doing so, aims make persuasive statements social cultural discourse around trauma its representations, therefore contributes larger socio-cultural discourse. As such, aspires add pre-existing studies specific rhetorical fiction, well renditions trauma.