Narratives in Contemporary Games

Dr. Christian BokhoveSouthampton 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.

Contents

• Background and rationale• Frameworks and narrative elements• Exploring different games and their narrative elements• Creating a narrative: text adventures

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?

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…

http://bokhove.net/2014/12/30/my-five-best-games-for-2014/

Example of interactive fiction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtG6yw2IrlI

In fashion

http://www.theguardian.com/culture/australia-culture-blog/2014/feb/21/writing-video-games-can-narrative-be-as-important-as-gameplay

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

Games and Narrative: a continuum..

InteractivityStorytelling

source

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

Previous attempts

source

Recent successful attempts

source

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.pdfsource

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

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

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

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)

Instructional text

Cutscenes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-cxtS51n8k(Music!)

Interface elements

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

Narrative through mechanics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQJA5YjvHDU(Moral choices)

Great channel: Extra Credits

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)

Techniques for narrative delivery

• Interactive narratives• Back stories• Cut scenes (incl. interactive)• Structures

• Emotions

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

TASKhttp://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

Embedded NarrativesBarry 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 cutscene and on-screen text;10. short game prompts (mission hints or pointers) presented as an integral part ofgameplay;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

Embedded Narratives: analysis (1)

Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definitiona and initial findings -Barry Ip

Embedded Narratives: analysis (2)

Narrative Structures in Computer and Video Games: Part 1: Context, Definitiona and initial findings -Barry Ip

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

The Amnesia problem

http://www.giantbomb.com/amnesia/92-286/games/

“Emotional rollercoaster”

http://www.musik-therapie.at/PederHill/Structure&Plot.htm

Pacing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LScL4CWe5E

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.)

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/gbrading/lists/a-brief-history-of-adventure-games/28894/

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

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

Lucasarts

• SCUMM• Maniac Mansion• Day of the Tentacle• Secret of Monkey Island

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySmLlHTV5rU

The Elder Scrolls

• Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim

• Lore• Music• Last version online:

big challenge balancingmultiplayer and narrativegameplay

L.A. Noire

• Film Noir(another top game in this genre: Max Payne 1 + 2,3 is good but not so muchFilm Noir any more)

• Detective work• Facial features• Narrative and investigation

central (recent: Velvet Sunset, but

http://www.giantbomb.com/la-noire/3030-21500/

The Witcher

• Medieval fantasy• Part Three coming up

(I would hope it is sort of the next Skyrim that never came)

Fallout (3)

• Clearly interface from Oblivion• Post-nuclear theme• Many games with these elements• (Sometimes with zombies)

Mass Effect 1-3

• My favourite game series(certainly in space, thoughDead 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)

Bioshock

• 1, 2 and Infinite• Under water & in skye• Lots of historical similarities• Movies of discussions

story plot

Completely different: Ingress

• Niantic• Strange powers• ‘Aliens’

https://www.ingress.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ss-Z-QjFUio

Zelda

Breaking free from traditional

• Dear Esther• http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/27/1250832/-Narrative-in-video-ga

mes#

• Originally Academic project• Mixed reception: story

v interaction

• Kentucky Route Zero

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlGdbziSwEY

The Stanley Parable

• Wreden• Break normal narratives

Last of us

• Only PS4• Post-apocalyptic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkLPKd-Vs8g

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

Moral choices (Walking Dead series 2 example)

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

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

Thank You