User:S.thompson68724/sandbox

Game Design As Narrative Architecture

Henry Jenkins offers a position on the narratives found in video games in comparison to the traditional styles of films and novels. In his essay "Game Design As Narrative Architecture", he explains how the structure of video games has changed the way we interact and percieve stories.

Environmental Storytelling

Henry Jenkins states in his essay that people who create video games are not simply telling a story in typical film or written format. They create an interactive experience by designing an entire world and sculpting new spaces. The ability for a user to play board games and video games and perceive the intended story greatly relies on the detail that was designed for each level. Jenkins references to the classic board game, Monopoly, to further explain that a game can have a narrative such as "fortunes are won and lost" but the most important part of the game is playing and moving pieces along the board.

Video games have begun to lose their negative stigma over recent years. Previously, many people believed that games were violent and destructive to one's moral character. Today we can see the abundance of video games that rely heavily on retaining their players through compelling stories and quality visuals. The narrative of many newer games are fabricated by the vividness and believably of in-game characters who tell personal stories. This is important because it gives the player an emotional experience that makes for a great narrative. This also works to remove the stereotype attached to video games that label them as unintelligent or a low form of entertainment meant for children.

According to Jenkins, an immersive environment within a games' universe is deemed a predominant factor in constructing the narrative.

In-Game Spaces

When playing quality video games, it is imperative that the spaces in which the player can access evoke some levels of emotion and understanding. Some of the best games to play are the types that allow the player to feel emotionally connected to a person or space that has a sense of familiarity to their physical space. Research suggests that video games "are not emotional in themselves", but can become significant contributors to an individuals' mental structure.

Critics have stated that video games are not reliable sources for accurate adaptations of well-known stories. Henry Jenkins disagrees with this stance, as he believes the worlds built in the realm of gaming can be more effective for storytelling. This is because the spaces within a game can contain narrative elements of a movie or a book and make it into a more interactive and immersive experience.

The Structure of Narratives

Jenkins points out that films and novels typically do not develop in a linear fashion. There is usually information about the characters involved that gets revealed to the audience over the course of the story. When playing a video game, information is revealed at the player's pace as they explore different stages of the in-game world.

A perfect example of this type of freedom in games, would be Fallout . The Fallout games are RPGs where players can explore a post-apocalyptic America. There are various side quests and minor plots that the player can choose to participate in or ignore completely. However, the main story requires the player to travel across the map and gain information through other characters and by discovering new locations.

In Jenkins' essay, he states that stories in the context of games are "less a temporal structure than a body of information". This is because when an author of a movie or a book decides what and when information can be revealed, it is set in that order. A person playing video games will be left to find clues and information on their own as they are distributed around the game space as opposed to the slow or consistent reveal of the plot.