Narratives in Contemporary Games
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This document provides an overview of narratives in contemporary games. It discusses frameworks for understanding game narratives, including ludonarrative and the relationship between interactivity and storytelling. Different narrative elements are explored, such as setting, character, and challenge. Examples are given of embedded and emergent narratives. Techniques for delivering narratives, like cutscenes and instructional text, are covered. The document examines established narrative structures including the hero's journey. A brief history of narratives in games is provided with examples like Zork, Sierra games, and Elder Scrolls. Contemporary challenges in multi-player narratives are also discussed. Finally, the document promotes creating simple text adventures to experiment with narratives.
Narratives in Contemporary Games
- 1. Narratives in Contemporary Games Dr. Christian Bokhove Southampton Education School University of Southampton @cbokhove Disclaimer: I’ve tried to make sure all the content is referenced and accounted for. If you feel there is content that should not be there pleas elet me know.
- 2. Contents • Background and rationale • Frameworks and narrative elements • Exploring different games and their narrative elements • Creating a narrative: text adventures
- 3. This is me • Educational researcher • Maths education academic • Use of technology • Game enthusiast: shamelessly talk about my love for games • In perspective • Week 2 on narratives • Location based games and narratives: know Ingress?
- 4. The role of narratives • Contemporary discussions • Gamification! • Point • Leaderboards • Badges • Surely there is more to games than that • Looking back shortly at the games in 2014 I liked…
- 6. Example of interactive fiction https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtG6yw2IrlI
- 8. Frameworks (a lot of different entry points) • Setting, character, challenge • Ludonarrative: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludonarrative • Clash game and narrative: http://www.jesperjuul.net/text/clash_between_game_and_narrative. html • Very nice blog on narrative: http://hitboxteam.com/designing-game-narrative • http://www.lhn.uni-hamburg.de/article/narrativity-computer-games • This
- 9. Games and Narrative: a continuum.. InteractivityStorytelling source
- 10. Or two opposing aspects? There's a conflict between interactivity and storytelling: Most people imagine there's a spectrum between conventional written stories on one side and total interactivity on the other. But I believe that what you really have are two safe havens separated by a pit of hell that can absorb endless amounts of time, skill, and resources. -Walter Freitag, game designer. ... the fundamental qualities that make a good game have remained unchanged and elusive. Consumers still flock to buy original, addictive, and fun games, leaving many flashy products with million-dollar budgets languishing in the $9.99 bin. These costly failures demonstrate that the consumer does not desire a cinematic experience, but rather a quality gaming experience. -Sid Meier, game designer. “Where gameplay is all about interactivity, narrative is about predestination. There is a pervasive feeling in the game design community that narrative and interactivity are antithetical.” - Mateas and Stern, “Interaction and Narrative” http://www.jesperjuul.net/text/clash_between_game_and_narrative.html
- 13. Theory: Ludology vs. Narratologism • Narratologist / Narrativist • scholar who uses “narrative and literary theory as the foundation upon which to build a theory of interactive media.” –M. Mateas • Ludology • most often defined as the study of game structure (or gameplay) as opposed to the study of games as narratives or games as a visual medium.” –Game- research.com http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/~michaelm/publications/CMU-CS-02-206.pdf source
- 14. Plot vs. Narrative • Plot and narrative are often used interchangeably, but they don't necessarily operate as such. • Plot refers to the pattern of events in a narrative; the sequence of events: the causal chain of “what happened and why.” • Princess was kidnapped.-> Hero finds out. -> Hero must rescue the princess by completing these tasks. -> If hero completes task, princess is saved. • Narrative is the larger narrated story. This can exist without a plot or as a larger system in which plot exists. • Narrative does not necessarily require a causal chain. Could be a history of events or sequence, technically the level progression in Tetris could be a narrative. http://www.slideserve.com/julius/games-and-narrative source
- 15. Winter: Games tell stories • A game’s narrative is the aspects of a game that contributes to it telling a story • Questions concerning whether games are narratives, or whether narrative provides just one way to look at games are still actively debated. • Narrative is also used to describe the story itself • Computer games stretch the notion of narrative • The interactivity of computer games, like the interactivity of hypertext, pushes hard against existing theories of linear narrative • No longer just one privileged story being told; many possible ways to experience a non-linear narrative (computer game, hypertext fiction) http://classes.soe.ucsc.edu/cmps080k/Winter07/lectures/narrative.pdf source
- 16. Embedded vs Emergent Narratives • Embedded narrative • Pre-generated narrative content that exists prior to a player’s interaction with the game • Cut scenes, back story • Are often used to provide the fictional background for the game, motivation for actions in the game, and development of story arc • Emergent narrative • Arises from the player’s interaction with the gameworld, designed levels, rule structure • Moment-by-moment play in the game creates this emergent narrative • Varies from play session to play session, depending on user’s actions • Game design involves employing and balancing the use of these two elements source
- 17. Narrative descriptors • A narrative descriptor is an element of a game that communicates aspects of its story to the player • Broad concept, which encompasses most visual elements of a game and its surrounding context • Instructional text • Cut scenes (I would also add music) • Interface elements (joystick, buttons, controller, and how they’re used) • Visual elements comprising the field of view of the player • Narrative through mechanics (moral choices)
- 21. Visual elements ‣ So do the visual elements of the game places you in space ‣ Wrap-around space also contributes to this feeling ‣ UFO ties into cultural understandings
- 22. Narrative through mechanics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJA5YjvHDU(Moral choices) Great channel: Extra Credits
- 23. Ip, B. (2011). Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definitions, and Initial Findings . Games and Culture, 6, 103-134. There is a second part: Ip, B. (2011), ‘Narrative structures in computer and video games. Part 2: Emotions, structures, and archetypes’, Games and Culture, 6 (3), SAGE, 203-244. (DOI: 10.1177/1555412010364984)
- 24. Techniques for narrative delivery • Interactive narratives • Back stories • Cut scenes (incl. interactive) • Structures
- 25. • Emotions
- 26. Established narrative structures • The Hero’s Journey • 12 key stages • Classical three-act (Aristotle) • Begin, middle, end (denouement) http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/pruter/film/threeact.htm • Archplot, miniplot, antiplot • Kernels, satellites
- 27. TASK http://padlet.com/cbokhove/gamenarratives • In pairs • Explain to your neighbour what your favourite game is and what techniques for narrative delivery made an impression on you. • Add the game and these descriptors to the padlet
- 28. Embedded Narratives Barry Ip: Narrative interventions 1. narrative presented as passive game screen; 2. narrative presented as on-screen text; 3. narrative presented as cut scene; 4. narrative presented as cut scene combined with on-screen text; 5. narrative presented as combination of gameplay, cut scene, and on-screen text; 6. narrative presented as combination of gameplay, sound, and textual cues; 7. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented as on-screen text; 8. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented as a cut scene; 9. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented simultaneously as cut scene and on-screen text; 10. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented as an integral part of gameplay; 11. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented as gameplay, sound, and textual cues; 12. credit roll and/or ending sequence. Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definition and initial findings -Barry Ip
- 29. Embedded Narratives: analysis (1) Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definitiona and initial findings -Barry Ip
- 30. Embedded Narratives: analysis (2) Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definitiona and initial findings -Barry Ip
- 31. Story Graphs Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definition and initial findings -Barry Ip This shows that research on this becomes dated very quickly
- 32. The Amnesia problem http://www.giantbomb.com/amnesia/92-286/games/
- 35. Now for my history of narratives in gaming (while making this I realized there is far too much choice. Also, I can never do justice to all these games in a few buzz words. Finally, I think I do not reveal anything ‘secret’ but maybe spoilers.)
- 37. Zork I • Chronologically played this one after a lot of the other games • "It is pitch black, you are likely to be eaten by a grue." • Frotz on tablet
- 38. Sierra games • First game: Leisure Suit Larry in The Land of the Lounge Lizards • King’s Quest series • Police Quest series • Film Noir elements • Later: LA noire • Space Quest series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCgFYW1--JI
- 39. Lucasarts • SCUMM • Maniac Mansion • Day of the Tentacle • Secret of Monkey Island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmLlHTV5rU
- 40. The Elder Scrolls • Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim • Lore • Music • Last version online: big challenge balancing multiplayer and narrative gameplay
- 41. L.A. Noire • Film Noir (another top game in this genre: Max Payne 1 + 2, 3 is good but not so much Film Noir any more) • Detective work • Facial features • Narrative and investigation central (recent: Velvet Sunset, but http://www.giantbomb.com/la-noire/3030-21500/
- 42. The Witcher • Medieval fantasy • Part Three coming up (I would hope it is sort of the next Skyrim that never came)
- 43. Fallout (3) • Clearly interface from Oblivion • Post-nuclear theme • Many games with these elements • (Sometimes with zombies)
- 44. Mass Effect 1-3 • My favourite game series (certainly in space, though Dead Space excellent as well) • Space adventures • Different modes (action, story, RPG) • Moral decisions influence game progression • Lots of anger about ending (which shows the series was immersive, imo)
- 45. Bioshock • 1, 2 and Infinite • Under water & in skye • Lots of historical similarities • Movies of discussions story plot
- 46. Completely different: Ingress • Niantic • Strange powers • ‘Aliens’ https://www.ingress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss-Z-QjFUio
- 48. Zelda
- 49. Breaking free from traditional • Dear Esther • http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/27/1250832/-Narrative-in-video- games# • Originally Academic project • Mixed reception: story v interaction • Kentucky Route Zero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlGdbziSwEY
- 50. The Stanley Parable • Wreden • Break normal narratives
- 51. Last of us • Only PS4 • Post-apocalyptic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkLPKd-Vs8g
- 52. Telltale • The Walking Dead • Post-apocalyptic, zombies • Game of Thrones • The Wolf Among Us • Tales from the Borderlands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swYQEGmPm0k
- 53. Moral choices (Walking Dead series 2 example)
- 54. Contemporary challenges • And I could have done Mafia 1 and 2, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed • A lot of principles stayed the same • Although graphics, audio etc. have vastly improved • Multiplayer and narrative • Some use co-op for this e.g. Watch Dogs • How do you supply a good narrative and still integrate multiplayer
- 55. Now you are going to make a narrative • Would be a bit too involved to add graphics etc. • Text adventure makers: just as expressive for narratives • Adrift • QUEST: http://textadventures.co.uk/ (also has version of Zork!) • Platform independent (browser version) • TASK • Explore the site and register • Try out the tutorial and make a simple adventure http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/tutorial/ • Pay particular attention to the NARRATIVE
- 56. Thank You