A popular activity for many people are computer games, which can attract with compelling lore and stories. Taking Brian Richardson’s cause and effect as minimal standard for a narrative, this analysis aims to show narrative in computer games and motivate why they should be included in literary studies. In order to provide specific examples for narrative, the focus will be on key narrative strategies: characterization, setting (space), story and plot. Genette’s theory about order, voice, and mood functions as the base and is deepened, as well as broadened by further definitions and interpretations. The computer games chosen for this analysis are all based on literary works, in order to not only compare the games, but also have a reference to the original. Hence, establishing the place of games in the narrative field.
Who has not sometimes thought that a literary character is doing something wrong, or should consider other possibilities? Generally in a book, the narrative, including the decisions a character makes, cannot be altered and have to be taken ‘as is’. In story-driven video games, the player can decide which decision they want to make, with some limitations.
‘Story-driven’ computer games fulfill at least the minimal standard of a narrative, which is also in the foreground of the game. This minimal standard is based on Brian Richardson’s differentiation between a narrative and non-narrative cinema: cause and effect. However, the term ‘narrative’ can be understood in different ways and is not clear-cut. In order to provide specific examples for narrative in computer games and why they should be included in literary studies, this analysis is going to focus on key narrative strategies. This encompasses, an analysis of characterization, setting (space), story and plot. In order to also directly compare computer games and literary texts, specific games that are based on novels have been chosen for analysis. These games are Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murder (ABC), Ryan North’s To Be or Not To Be (To Be), and Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You (Orwell). The equivalent novels are Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murder (ABC Murder), Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and George Orwell’s 1984.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. A Brief Overview of Classical Narratology
3. Key Narrative Strategies
3.1. Key narrative strategies by Genette
3.2. Story
3.3. Plot
3.4. Narrative Space and Setting
3.5. Character
4. Difference Between Literary Texts and Story-driven Games
5. Agatha Christie: The ABC MURDERS
5.1 Story and Plot in ABC
5.2 Narrative Space and Setting in ABC
5.3 Characters in ABC
6. Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You
6.1 Story and Plot in Orwell
6.2 Narrative Space and Setting in Orwell
6.3 Characters in Orwell
7. To Be or Not To Be
7.1 Story of To Be
7.2 Plot of To Be
7.3 Narrative Space and Setting of To Be
7.4 Characters in To Be
8. Conclusion
Research Goals and Core Themes
This work aims to analyze narrative structures within story-driven computer games and demonstrate their validity as subjects of literary study. By examining specific games based on novels, the research explores how key narrative strategies like characterization, setting, story, and plot function in interactive media versus traditional literary texts.
- Application of Genette’s narratological theory to modern digital gaming experiences.
- Comparative analysis of literary source material and their computer game adaptations.
- Exploration of ludological elements and their intersection with narrative discourse.
- Investigation of character representation and development in interactive environments.
Excerpt from the Book
3.5. Character
In a narratological view, character “refers to a *storyworld participant, i.e., any individual or unified group” (Margolin 52). However, in a stricter definition, it is “restricted to participants in the narrated domain,” which excludes the narrator and narratee (ibid.). In everyday usage, the term includes a person’s personality. Based on Plato, but with a different notion, Aristotle presented the concept that “art is essentially mimetic” (Hagberg 366). However, Paul Woodruff argues “Mimēsis and its Greek cognates defy translation. Besides ‘imitation,’ we find in English such renderings as ‘image-making,’ ‘imitation,’ ‘representation,’ ‘reproduction,’ ‘expression,’ ‘fiction,’ ‘emulation,’ ‘make-believe,’ and so forth” (73). The first view treats the character as a human or human-like being, whereas the latter reduces the character “to a text-grammatical, lexical, thematic, or compositional unit” (Margolin 52). The non-mimetic version can be seen, for example, by the structuralist Barthes (ibid.). The mimetic field of study is mainly divided into “semantic (*possible-worlds theory), *cognitive (readers’ mental models), and communicative (the process of narrative mediation […]” (ibid. 53).
The semantic theory has possible worlds, in which the “character is modelled (sic!) as an individual who is a member of some non-actual state of affairs” (ibid.). In this, a character has, prototypically, human-like properties, but is also located in space and time. Human-like properties include “physical or external, actantial (including communicative), social, and mental or internal (cognitive, emotive, volitional and perceptual)” (ibid. 53).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the motivation for studying narrative in video games and introduces the selected case studies based on literary works.
2. A Brief Overview of Classical Narratology: Outlines the foundational theories of structuralism, particularly the work of Gérard Genette, which serves as the theoretical base.
3. Key Narrative Strategies: Defines essential narratological components, including story, plot, narrative space, and characterization.
4. Difference Between Literary Texts and Story-driven Games: Discusses the field of ludology and the unique challenges and opportunities in analyzing computer games as narratives.
5. Agatha Christie: The ABC MURDERS: Applies the established theory to the game and novel, focusing on detective genre norms and specific narrative strategies.
6. Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You: Analyzes how the surveillance-based gameplay in Orwell reconfigures narrative and player integration.
7. To Be or Not To Be: Examines this choose-your-own-adventure style game as a unique hybrid of literature and interactive storytelling.
8. Conclusion: Summarizes findings, affirming that computer games offer complex narratives that broaden the scope of literary studies.
Keywords
Narratology, Story-driven Games, Genette, Ludology, Characterization, Plot, Narrative Space, Setting, Interactive Media, Comparative Literature, The ABC Murders, Orwell, To Be or Not To Be, Structuralism, Digital Narrative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The thesis aims to analyze narrative elements in story-driven computer games and justify their inclusion in literary studies by applying established narratological frameworks.
What are the core thematic fields of the work?
The work focuses on characterization, story, plot, and narrative space within the context of interactive digital media.
What methodology is employed to analyze the games?
The research uses a structuralist approach, primarily utilizing Gérard Genette’s theory of narrative, supplemented by definitions from narratologists like Marie-Laure Ryan and Tzvetan Todorov.
What characterizes the games selected for this analysis?
The chosen games—Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders, Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You, and To Be or Not To Be—are all story-driven and based on pre-existing literary source material.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body examines the specific narrative strategies applied within each game, comparing them to their source material and evaluating them against general narratological laws.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The most important keywords include Narratology, Ludology, Story-driven Games, Narrative Strategies, and Literary Studies.
How does the game 'Orwell' distinguish itself from 'The ABC Murders' in its narrative approach?
While 'The ABC Murders' follows a more traditional detective structure with a third-person perspective, 'Orwell' integrates the player directly as an investigator within the game's world, using the computer interface as the primary narrative medium.
What role does the narrator play in the game 'To Be or Not To Be'?
The narrator in 'To Be or Not To Be' is a meta-level, omniscient entity—the author Ryan North—who actively interacts with, critiques, and guides the player's choices throughout the game.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Angelika M. Tank (Autor:in), 2018, Key Narrative Strategies in Computer Games. A comparative study, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/463904
