Interactive Narrative Week 7 Blog Entry 6

For this week I played the game Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It is pointed out in the opening of the game that it was made for exploring the game world. And for me, I think that the most interesting narrative element in the game is the player's role in progressing the story. The protagonist, Daniel, acts as the player's avatar in the game; the embodiment of presence and agency within that world. There is a good relationship between the duality of the character and the player. The case of amnesia that Daniel is suffering provides a perfect situation to integrate the personalities of the character and the player.

Daniel is the main character of the game. He is also a character in a sense that he is imbued with certain characteristics; he has his own identity separate from the player. The state of amnesia provides a great vehicle for the player to imbue the avatar with his/her own personality. The identity of the character (Daniel) only comes in certain situations, mostly through diary entries and notes (and a flashback gameplay). As the game progresses, the identity of Daniel slowly forms.

The game has a linear narrative. The gameplay is non-linear as the player has to explore different sections of the castle to gather items that are essential in progressing the story. Daniel has to collect tinder cans and oil for the torch to keep him sane. Not only is it a mechanic of the game but player empathy plays a part in this. The player empathizes with the character he/she is controlling. As Daniel is an avatar of the player, the player is driven to keep his/her avatar as healthy as they can in order to progress the story.

 According to Salen and Zimmerman, players are constantly shifting between cognitive frames that alternately place them “inside” their character in a relationship of direct identification and very much outside of it, aware of the character as an artificial construct and fictional entity, as well as their own status as players manipulating a tool or “puppet” according to the rules of the game. - Jessica Aldred, Characters (2013)

Double consciousness exists within the avatar of the game, When Daniel moves about the game world and interacting with different objects, the player's consciousness is the one present. But when the diary entries are narrated, the consciousness of Daniel comes into play and that reminds the player that he/she is playing as that character. The game uses diary entries and notes as exposition for the character to give Daniel context; how he fits in with the game world. The game is about exploring and that ties into the story itself which is a mystery that has to be uncovered by navigating different areas for certain items to progress it. Information about the story is told directly to the character, which is the player's avatar in the game world, through interaction with different objects.

The player's role is important in the progression of the story because without the player, the avatar is essentially non-existent; an empty husk. In saying that, the avatar is also important for the player because it embodies the player's presence and agency. The avatar is both ludic and representational because it is a stand in for the player. It has a certain mechanism which evokes empathy from the player eg. sanity level and health. It is representational because it is an entity that exists within the fictional world. The story makes sense through this fictional entity (Daniel) in the game.


References:

Aldred J. (Author). (2013). ,Characters from: The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies [Book]. Retrieved from: http://animation.onlearn.co.nz/pluginfile.php/2711/mod_resource/content/0/Characters.pdf

Frictional Games (Developer). (2010). Amnesia: The Dark Descent [Video Game]. Sweden: Frictional Games

Interactive Narrative Week 6 Blog Entry 5

For this week I played Grim Fandango. As the player of the game, I control a character named Manuel "Manny" Calavera as I interact with other characters which are non-playable. I wouldn't consider Manny as an avatar based on Laetitia Wilson's definitions of character and avatar. Laetitia Wilson (2003) suggests that avatars are virtual selves that stand in for our real-space selves, at the same time as they function “as a locus for our extended agency; a locus that is multifarious and polymorphous, displaced from the reality of our realspace selves.” Wilson asserts that video game characters are interpassive entities rather than truly “interactive” ones, soliciting “a mode of relating that involves the consensual transferral of activity or emotion onto another being or object—who consequently ‘acts’ in one’s place” - Jessica Aldred, Characters (2013).

Manny is already a premade persona imbued with certain personality and traits. In the game, I can't alter these traits but just merely physically control him. Even with his conversations with other characters of the game, I can only choose what he would say. He says his lines as the character he is. He is a character with an identity for himself; an icon for the game franchise he is in.

The game has a linear narrative. My involvement is what allows the story to progress and the character to develop. I direct the interpassive character to objects or people to interact with. The character is interpassive because I act in its place. Interaction only occurs when the character interacts with other characters, wherein I receive information (story and task info) from the game as it receives information from me to go talk to a certain character. Grim Fandango is an ergodic literary work, almost like a movie rather than a game. Ergodic literature is literature that is not needed to be read; in this case (video game) it can be experienced. Grim Fandango is a cybertext, like a hypertext fiction but without the trivial effort, wherein each object and NPC provide information for the story and what is needed in order to progress. Espen J. Aarseth states that non trivial effort is needed in order to traverse the text in ergodic literature (Cybertext- Perspectives of Ergodic Literature, 1997). There is no clear sequence for the story to be uncovered in the game and that's the reason why the traversal of the player, through the iconic character, into the game is needed. Non-trivial effort (point and click to control the character) is required for the character to follow the path needed to be taken in order to progress the story. The story can be experienced by controlling an interpassive character as the player physically moves this character within the game world to interact with NPCs.


References:

Aldred J. (Author). (2013). Characters from: The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies [Book]. Retrieved from: http://animation.onlearn.co.nz/pluginfile.php/2711/mod_resource/content/0/Characters.pdf


LucasArts (Developer). (1998). Grim Fandango [Video Game]. United Sates: LucasArts

Wilson, L. (Author). (2003). Interactivity or Interpassivity: a Question of Agency in Digital Play [Article]. Australia: University of Australia

Aarseth, E. (Author). (1997). Cybertext- Perspectives of Ergodic Literature [Article]. United States: John Hopkins University Press

Interactive Narrative Week 5 Blog Entry 4

For this week I played Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy. The choices I made in the game resulted in branching narrative paths. The game has an embedded story with three possible outcomes at the very end. But when I played this game, one thing really struck me. At the very start of the game, right after the intro, I failed the game. I failed to escape the police man who went inside the men's room. I was then caught and the game ended there. Lucas then narrated that it was the end of his story. It really struck me because I found out that failing is one of the narrative paths I can take as a player. I can choose to end the story there and that's the story of Lucas. It made me feel that I have agency because I can end the story any way I want. I don't even have to reach the very end of the game. Of course this is only possible in certain situations but my actions do matter and have a big impact on the narrative of the game.

Choice situations can be either a-temporal or have a temporal dimension, which means that there might be a limited amount of time during which the options are available, or that – after a finite amount of time – not making any choices will produce an outcome that is different from the choice situation and that therefore constitutes a choice in itself. - Sebastian Domsch, Storyplaying (2013)

The game gives the player agency through choice situations. An example of this is when the screen splits into two. It prompts a situation wherein the player has to act quickly. The temporal dimension of this choice situation creates tension. The player can choose to act quickly or do nothing. As a player of the game, I am motivated to succeed so I chose to act quickly. Whether the player succeeds or not within the time limit determines the outcome. An example is when Lucas had to get out of the crime scene. I can either get caught and that's the end of Lucas' story or find a get away vehicle quickly and escape. After I succeeded at escaping the police, I felt like my actions prevented Lucas from getting caught and now I can learn more about the mystery.



References:


Domsch, S. (Author). (2013). Storyplay [Book]. Germany: Walter de Gruyter GmbH

Quantic Dream (Developer). (2005). Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy [Video Game]. United States: Atari Inc.

Interactive Narrative Week 4 Blog Entry 3

For this week I played The Wolf Among Us (2013). I really enjoyed it, it's a great game with a great story. I haven't finished it but I got the gist of the game. I'm really keen to finish it. Morality is in the core of the game. It influenced the choices I made while playing the game. The game lets the player pick either a positive or negative moral choice e.g. diplomatic or aggressive approach to problems. The player's approach will determine the course of the narrative and how the NPC would interact with the main character. (They remember things that you have done e.g. maiming Gren) Taking a certain path would mean that I would miss out something which is evident in the Book of Fables and Player Choices from the Extras e.g. Save Prince Lawrence.

The game presents moral dilemmas that the player has to face. It works because the characters are so relatable to real life that you feel empathy and sympathy towards them. But it presents you with an ethical dilemma because Bigby is a sheriff. So even though you feel sorry for other characters, it's still his job to obey and enforce the law. He is after all a sheriff, not a charity worker. For example, in the early phase of the game, Mr. Toad has run out of glamour and I have to tell him to buy some because it's the law. I chose not to aggressively force him but rather just remind him that it's the law. I did this because I felt empathy for the condition Mr. Toad is living in and he does have a family to support. I reckon it's part of Bigby's job to understand people because he has to keep the peace in Fabletown.

Roleplay also affects the decisions the player has to make. The context of the character provides a frame for the actions that the player has to take but it's still up to the player to whether follow that or deviate from it. My actions had consequences that affect how other characters would view Bigby as the protector of the town e.g. violence would make them doubt Bigby's role as the town's protector.

 As has been shown, type two choices are created by the desire to prevent the state of the gameworld from becoming worse – to ensure the safety and continued existence of the player character, and possibly to prevent the destruction of the gameworld . Type one choices, on the other hand, are motivated by the desire to ameliorate the state of the gameworld. - Sebastian Domsch, Storyplaying (2013)

One of the biggest decisions I had to make was to either burn the tree or not. I'm quite embarrassed to say that I froze. I froze because I couldn't decide whether to do my job and burn the tree or keep a rare relic of the old world. I couldn't decide to condemn a criminal act and in a way add to the people's struggles or leave it and let more criminal activity spread. I froze and did nothing and that was the decision Bigby made. It was really difficult to choose and I made a morally gray decision. I chose to ignore this crime so that other people can cope but I also let crime spread. The action I made isn't clearly good or evil, it has some good and has some bad too. But it's a compromise that I had to do. From this example, in a way I wanted to make the people's lives better by turning a blind eye because it hurts for me to see them struggle in a world that they were forced to live in. The game is full of these situations wherein the player has to compromise.


References:


Domsch, S. (Author). (2013). Storyplay [Book]. Germany: Walter de Gruyter GmbH

Telltale Games (Developer). (2013). The Wolf Among Us [Video Game]. United States: Telltale Games

Interactive Narrative Week 3 Blog Entry 2

For this week's blog entry I played all of the games and one that I really really enjoyed is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It uses a linear model to tell its story. Because it is linear, I am aware that I am simply following the story created and embedded by its developers. Even though I can't impact the embedded story in any manner, I still find myself engaged on playing the game. It's almost like watching a movie but reliving the experience of the protagonist.

I was really engaged on playing the game because I wanted to know more about the story. As pointed out by Marie-Laure Ryan in her article StoryWorlds: A Journal of Narrative Studies (2009), immersion to the fiction is what makes playing a game meaningful. Epistemic immersion plays a big part on this because as a player, I want to uncover the mystery. It's my goal and I have struggled to come so far. In Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, part of that mystery is the Prince's narration. He is telling the story as if it has already happened. Also whenever I save the game, I get a glimpse of what's to come and it ties into that mystery of the narration. Of course finding out what the Vizier's actual plan is also a mystery you would want to solve.

The game sets a straight path for the player to follow its linear story. Apart from the puzzles that the player has to solve, not much of exploration can be done. But it's not really off putting. The game environment suits the linear storytelling of the game. There aren't any side missions to do so exploration wouldn't really mean much. Even though I can't wander off and discover the landscape, the game has amazing set pieces that fleshes out the world of the story. Spatial immersion makes this game exciting, especially because the game environment has a vital role on the gameplay itself. The environment design completes the lore, it gives the player a taste of what it feels like to live in the world of Persian myth. The destroyed and ruined parts of the castle also give the player a sense of danger at every corner. Some of which fall off whenever the player approaches. It supports the dangerous situation the protagonist is facing. It creates an illusion that I'm part of this world; that I am involved (even if it's only by proxy) and that makes me feel immersed to the fiction.

The linear storytelling of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time doesn't offer me any meaningful choice to change the story. But being immersed to the fiction makes playing it meaningful and that's what makes it engaging and exciting to play. Continuing to progress the story in order to uncover the mystery is a choice by itself and maybe that's good enough. :)


References:

Ubisoft Montreal (Developer). (2003). Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time [Video Game]. France: Ubisoft

Ryan, M.L. (Author). (2009). StoryWorld: A Journal of Narrative Studies [Article]. United States: University of Nebraska Press

Interactive Narrative Week 2 Blog Entry 1

I played the game Never Alone and I really enjoyed it. An interesting thing about it is how the story is told. A narrator introduces the story from the ordinary world and what disruption pushes the protagonist, Nuna, to embark on a quest/adventure. This gives me, the player, a goal. The game doesn't really give me much freedom to change the course of the story (aside from dying) as the game itself is based from an Inuit myth and I have to follow that story. The story is even narrated every now and then. But it doesn't really put me off from playing the game. Even though the story is narrated and I'm aware that I wouldn't be able to make a significant impact, I'm still engaged on playing the game. Uncertainty plays a big part on that because I don't know how the story will progress. Uncertainty infuses the game with dramatic tension. (Salen and Zimmerman, Rules of Play, 2004) The game doesn't instantly reveal the overlying story arc, or what my real objective is; rather it gives me little puzzles to solve in order to progress into the story. The investigative nature of it keeps me engaged. After solving a number of puzzles, it reveals the story little by little. For example is the Terrible Man. I didn't really know who this villain is and what his objective is before helping the Owl Man. After retrieving the drum for the Owl Man, he gives me an item, the bola, which is what the villain is actually after.

The cinematic scenes of the game show the personality of the characters. I don't really have much control over the interaction of the main characters aside from making them run and switching between them. They just automatically follow each other and they both help each other, e.g.  the fox can communicate with spirits and Nuna can push objects. I haven't really gone very far in the game to exactly know why the fox is helping Nuna. But from the dynamic of Nuna and the fox, which I can both control, I can deduce that the spirits are guiding Nuna. Like the puzzles themselves, the story is told through discovery. Certain easter eggs are also found when playing the game which contain commentaries, interviews and behind the scene videos.  They all reveal a little something about the story such as symbols, the role of the spirits, the Inuit culture and the myth itself.




References:

Upper One Games (Developer). (2014). Never Alone [Video Game]. United States: E-Line Media

Salen, K., Zimmerman, E. (Authors). (2004). Rules of Play [Book]. United States: MIT Press