The Narrative Quality of Games and Play
Author
Larsen, Bjarke Alexander
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2017
Submitted on
2017-06-02
Pages
154
Abstract
Denne afhandling præsenterer rammeværket "Narrative Quality of Games" som en måde at forstå, hvordan spil, fortælling og leg påvirker hinanden. Rammeværket undersøger forbindelsen mellem et spils fortælling, dets mekanikker og designkontekst, og viser, hvordan fortælling opstår gennem spillet via samspillet mellem et spils ludiske elementer (regelstyret spil) og ikke-ludiske elementer (dele, der ikke er styret af regler). Fortællingen opdeles i tre aspekter: retorik, æstetik og efterhistorie—en emergent fortælling, der opstår som følge af spiloplevelsen. Formålet er at belyse den omstridte og ofte usikre relation mellem det, en skaber designer, og det, spillere gør, samt hvilke fortællinger begge parter får ud af det. Rammeværket anvendes på fem spil og viser foreløbigt lovende potentiale for at afdække fortællende og diskursive aspekter i forskellige spil. Om og hvordan rammeværket kan bruges aktivt i design, er endnu åbent, men vurderes som muligt.
This thesis introduces the "Narrative Quality of Games" framework as a way to understand how games, narrative, and play shape one another. The framework examines the links between a game’s story, its mechanics and design context, and explains how narrative is produced during play through interactions between a game’s ludic elements (rule-based play) and non-ludic elements (parts not governed by rules). It further divides narrative into three aspects: rhetoric, aesthetic, and afterstory—an emergent outcome of play. The goal is to clarify the often contested and uncertain relationship between what a designer authors and what players do, and the narratives each party derives. Five games are analyzed to demonstrate the framework, which so far appears promising for revealing narrative and discursive aspects across diverse games. Whether and how the framework can guide design remains an open question, but appears possible.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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