Narrative Games - A Ludo-narratological Examination of Video Game Narrative

Narrative Spil - En Ludo-Narratologisk Analyse af Computerspils Narrativer

Drescher, Frederik Rex Borup

4. term

English, Master

2018

2018-05-30

78

Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan videospil fortæller historier, og hvilke metoder mediet bruger til at formidle narrativ. Målet er at give en klarere forståelse af fortælling i spil og at diskutere fordele og udfordringer ved narrative spil. Først gennemgår afhandlingen fortællingsteori hos Genette, Cobley og Propp, hvor især Genette er central. Hans begreber om 'tempus', 'orden' og 'stemme' handler om, hvornår begivenheder finder sted, i hvilken rækkefølge de præsenteres, og hvem der fortæller. Disse begreber bruges senere til at indramme fortællingens rolle i videospil. Med afsæt i Salen & Zimmerman, Juul, Crawford og Egenfeldt-Nielsen m.fl. defineres spil ved bl.a. regler, kunstig konflikt og mål, der kan måles. Interaktion er afgørende, fordi den giver spilleren handlemuligheder (agency) – evnen til at ændre spillets tilstand og dermed fortællingen. Ifølge Klimmt m.fl. kan identifikation med spilfigurer være stærkere end i traditionelle medier, fordi interaktionen lader spilleren 'blive' figuren. Indsigterne fra narratologi og spilforskning kombineres i en analyse af, hvordan fortælling fungerer i praksis, med eksempler fra Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, What Remains of Edith Finch og Nier: Automata. Disse spil er valgt, fordi de er indflydelsesrige narrative titler, der viser fortællegreb, som er særlige for videospil. Med Aarseth vises det, at historie i spil kan udtrykkes gennem 'verden', 'objekter', 'begivenheder' og 'karakterer', og at spil befinder sig på et spektrum fra 'ren fortælling' til 'rent spil'. Jo mere spilleren kan manipulere disse fire udtryk, desto mere nærmer oplevelsen sig 'rent spil'. De handlemuligheder, fortællingen giver, lader spilleren forme historien; ellers forbliver den fuldt forfattet. Afhandlingen skitserer også debatten mellem ludologer og narratologer om, hvorvidt videospil er fortællinger eller noget grundlæggende andet. I tråd med Juul argumenteres der for, at videospil kan analyseres med narratologiske begreber, samtidig med at de adskiller sig fra traditionelle medier, og at ikke alle spil er narrative. Om tid og spænding konkluderes det, at den traditionelle tidsforståelse ofte tilsidesættes for at lade spilleren manipulere diegetisk tid (tid i fortællingens verden). Det kan svække klassisk narrativ spænding, så spil i stedet skaber spænding gennem konflikt mellem spilleren og spillets systemer. Spil udspiller sig desuden ofte i et 'narrativt nu', hvor begivenheder påvirkes i øjeblikket, hvilket er centralt for handlemuligheder. I forhold til fokalisering (hvis perspektiv der opleves fra) bygger spil, som film, ofte på en virtuel fortæller i form af kameraet, der viser frem for at fortælle. I nogle spil kan interaktiviteten lade spilleren styre fokaliseringen og dermed få større indflydelse på fortællingen, mens cutscenes (iscenesatte mellemsekvenser) midlertidigt overtager kontrollen. Afslutningsvis, med afsæt i Hjaltason m.fl., vises det, at spillere kan skabe fortælling alene ud fra ludiske systemer – også uden en forfattet historie – og at designere kan bruge mekanikker til at formidle temaer ('mekanisk fortælling'), så interaktion bliver en metafor for indholdet. Afhandlingen konkluderer, at videospil deler meget med traditionelle fortællemedier, men skiller sig ud ved interaktionen, der både lader spilleren ændre begivenheder og muliggør udtryksformer, som andre medier ikke kan tilbyde.

The thesis explores how video games tell stories and the different ways the medium conveys narrative. It aims to build a clearer understanding of narrative in games and to discuss the benefits and challenges of narrative games. First, it reviews narrative theory through Genette, Cobley, and Propp, with Genette proving especially useful. His ideas about 'tense', 'order', and 'voice' concern when events happen, the sequence in which they are presented, and who is narrating. These concepts are then used to frame the role of narrative in video games. To define what games are, the thesis draws on Salen & Zimmerman, Juul, Crawford, and Egenfeldt-Nielsen et al. It identifies rules, artificial conflict, and quantifiable goals as essential traits, and emphasizes interaction as critical because it enables player agency—the ability to change the game state and, in turn, the story. Klimmt et al. argue that identification with characters can be stronger in games than in traditional media because interactivity lets players 'become' the character. Combining insights from narratology and game studies, the thesis examines how narrative works in practice, using examples from Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Nier: Automata. These games were chosen because they are influential narrative titles that showcase storytelling methods unique to video games. Following Aarseth, the thesis notes that story in games can be expressed through the 'world', 'objects', 'events', and 'characters', and that games lie on a spectrum from 'pure story' to 'pure game'. The more players can manipulate any of these four elements, the more the experience leans toward the 'pure game' end. Player affordances can therefore let them shape the narrative; otherwise it remains fully authored. The thesis also outlines the debate between ludologists and narratologists over whether video games are narratives or something fundamentally different. In line with Juul, it argues that video games can be analyzed with narratological concepts while still acknowledging their differences from traditional media and the fact that not all games are narratives. Regarding time and tension, the thesis finds that conventional narrative time is often set aside to let players manipulate diegetic time (time within the story world). This can dilute traditional narrative tension, so games instead build tension through conflicts between the player and the game's systems. Games also tend to operate in a 'narrative now': events unfold in the present and can be influenced moment by moment, which is key to agency. On focalization (from whose perspective events are perceived), games, like film, often rely on a virtual narrator in the form of the camera to show rather than tell. In some games, interactivity lets players control focalization, giving them more influence over the narrative, while authored sequences known as cutscenes temporarily reclaim control. Finally, drawing on Hjaltason et al., the thesis shows that players can generate narrative from purely ludic systems even without an authored story, and that designers can use mechanics to communicate themes—'mechanical storytelling'—so that interaction becomes a metaphor for story content. The thesis concludes that video games share much with traditional narrative media but are set apart by interaction, which allows players not only to alter events but also to express story in ways no other medium affords.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]

Narrativ ; Interaktion ; Spilmekanisk Historifortælling ; Computerspil

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