In recent history, the field of video game studies has garnered more serious academic attention, but it has yet to reach its full potential. While the theorists who introduced this field took the first major steps in developing a methodology for the study of video games, they fell short in actually applying their proposed techniques. This thesis aims to synthesize a cohesive approach to the study of video games by actually reading one as a text in its own right. The focus is on Japanese video games and how they derive from a rich literary and aesthetic history, as well as how they play a key role in the evolution of these aspects of Japanese culture.