Within the various medium wars game developers seem to wage with other forms of expression, writing and narrative are the most bitter of enemies. Even if we’re past arguments about whether narrative and play can even be in the same room, writing is by far less integrated into design processes than visuals and even audio. […]
Tag Archives: Narrative
as long as you worry about me, i’m fine
a pretty thing stuck in a pretty place that changes, forgetting you are there, closing in on you
Dispatches from IndieCade
Earlier this month was IndieCade, a festival that celebrates indie video games down in Culver City near LA.
Further Thoughts on the Tarot and Interpretation
Conventional game design often denies players the act of interpretation.
Once More, With Feeling – Using the Tarot for Play
Instead of rules, there’s ritual; instead of winning, there is play. While we colloquially conflate gaming and playing, there is a strong emphasis on their nuances when we take on this frame.
B-Side #1 – Depression Quest
The most powerful mechanic is actually the lack of choices open to the player. At least, all of the seemingly obvious ones most people assume are available are blocked off from those depressed.
Pokemon: Unchained
Pokemon: Unchained is a dramatic retelling of my journey through Pokemon White with an edited Nuzlocke Challenge.
Postpartum: Mainichi – How Personal Experience Became a Game
There is a movement. A movement that says “You can too.” It is growing in size, accessibility, and voice. Game design is, and always has been, for everyone, but the narrow path the industry took blocked off many peoples’ opportunity to join in on this artistic revolution.
Dear Esther, We’re Moving Past Story
Dear Esther critiques games that use innumerable amounts of game mechanics to communicate experience. It achieves much with just one.
Women, the Ensemble, and Narrative Authority in the Final Fantasy Series
What makes some of the games in the Final Fantasy series interesting is how much the women share narrative responsibility with other characters.
Valuing the Feminine: Why I Love Vanille
Let me come out with it now: my favorite Final Fantasy characters tend to be the classic cheerful and energetic archetype, like Aeris, Selphie, and Vanille.
How Could He?: Exploring Social Issues Through ‘Dragon Age II’
No one is implying that the LGBT community turn into blood magicians and that the religious march out to cage and murder them, but this conflict still echoes the tensions felt in the lives of real people.
Narrative Is a Game Mechanic
If game mechanics are meant to provide players with experiences such as fun and anxiety, then narrative actually is a game mechanic, as much as game mechanics can also be narrative elements.
Storyline? In Skyrim? No Thanks!
The narrative rests in the relationship between the environment and the items found in it, specifically placed for the player to find and create an explanation.
Why You Should Give Dragon Age II a Second Chance
It’s possible that gamers haven’t figured out a use for criticism. But one of its uses is the possibility for encouraging new perspectives and second chances.