INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE :: Week 4 questions

Week 4 Reading Questions

Anatomy of Player Choice - Domsch

1) What differentiates a “choice situation” from the numerous other micro choices a player makes all the time in a game (like whether to jump or crouch, run or walk, move left or right to dodge a projectile, reload after one shoot or three etc…)

The core requirement of a choice situation is that needs to contain at least two different options. It also creates some form of motivation that invests the player in one outcome over another. Choice situations can also play upon the player's emotional preferences, helping them to decide which option to go with.

2) How are “motivation” and “knowledge” important to choice in videogames?

The motivated choice plays upon the player's curiosity at what might happen due to its outcome. This can be combined with the informed or knowledge based choice, where the player knows enough about the video game's mechanics and world to select the 'right' option. The motivated choice is needed to show the player that the outcomes of both choices will not be identical, and it achieves this through the information that the choice provides.

3) What kind of game structure does the “teleological attitude” work best with and why?

The teleological approach would work very well with a linear game structure and unidirectional or progressive paths. When the player is presented with a choice, the options are geared towards the favor of one more than the others, meaning there is generally a 'right' and 'wrong' path. Choosing the 'right' path lets the player proceed through the game and towards further nodes on the string, while choosing the wrong path eventually dooms the player to failure.

4) Do you agree that videogames place an emphasis on speedy action, particularly when it comes to game choices? Can you think of any exceptions to this?

I can definitely agree that most video games place emphasis on quick action, especially when it comes to games like The Wolf Among us and things that involve quicktime events. Even with games like Skyrim and Dragon age, the player generally cannot save the game during a choice and tends to want to progress in order to continue the story, making decisions on the spot as well. The only example I can think of that doesn't is Eyri's Action, but the game purposely makes you take it slow and destroys all previously ingrained knowledge of how video games are supposed to work, forcing you to consider your choices carefully and avoid the illogical traps and pitfalls that it throws at you.

Moral Choice in Games – Perdue

1) Do you think the player’s moral choices should be rewarded in a game?

No, not unless the situation's outcome calls for it. Do you think we should be rewarded for feeling strongly about something or going with your gut feeling? I feel like it should be the same in video games, as it creates a more true to life and realistic experiences, and strengthens the idea of the character within the story.

2) What is the difference between a choice driven by morality and a choice driven by gameplay mechanics?

Choice dictated by gameplay directs the player to choose one option over another in order to gain 'points' or 'skills' associated with that choice. The choice no longer becomes about the player's feelings towards the situation, but hinges on how they are going to benefit by answering a certain way. Moral choices lie more with how the player feels about the situation and what they would choose or not choose if they were put into the situation themselves.

3) What is the most meaningful choice you’ve made in a game?

The most recent that I can recall is the conscious decision to spare every last character I came across in the game Undertale. Just before the final boss, a character appears to judge the player for every act of violence that they committed and every level that they gained. I remember the speech explaining what LOVE and EXP were acronyms for hitting me very hard, and it was a very powerful and dumbfounding moment for a first time player. By choosing not to kill, I gained an extra bit of dialogue, which I found quite touching, before being able to progress with the game.

INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE :: Week 1 Questions

Wk1 Video Questions

TFX – Gaming Moment

1. What is the significance of the player coming up with a “gaming moment” or gaming narrative when playing a videogame?

The gaming moment helps to solidify the personal experience of the player, and adds to their understanding of the game itself. By discovering what they can and cannot do in the game, or experiencing something that is different to the proposed gameplay, the player learns where their boundaries lie and what they are able to do within them. It teaches the player how to play without holding their hand and giving direct instructions, allowing them to learn through their own mistakes and in-game choices and decisions.

2. Is my story of ejecting upside down a game narrative? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes! Through ejecting upside down, you as the player are discovering limits and boundaries to the game and heightening your gaming experience. It also plays on the idea of a consequence of action narrative, in that the player character suffers quite graphically, especially for a game of this time period. The player experience also creates a story that can be spread to other players of the game, who may then go on to experience the event for themeselves in order to discern whether the original storyteller was being truthful and to create their own reaction to the situation.

3. What is one of your favourite game moments? Was it deliberate in the game, or did you come up with it through experimentation?

For me, one of the earliest gaming moments that has stuck with me was playing the old 16 bit game King's Quest I when I was very young. I'd watched my dad play the King's quest series many times, and through that understood that there were many different ways that the player could die. Playing the game was an anxiety inducing experience for me and my sister, as we were afraid of making mistakes or accidentally clicking in the wrong place to induce one of many pun-related deaths. At one point in the game, the protagonist, Graham, can enter a gingerbread cottage in order to obtain some items necessary to progress the story and potentially kill a witch. However, the witch captured us in her house and locked us in a tiny cell, which terrified us, and after a minute or so had passed, the scene cut to outside her cottage, where she emerged from the door holding a terrifying low graphic gingerbread version of Graham and placed it on her lawn alongside three gingerbread children. The terrifying part for me was the bulging marshmallow eyes on the Graham cracker and the screaming pixel mouth that he had – I had nightmares for weeks and because of that, I was determined to never get caught by the witch again. It was not a deliberate decision for us to remain in the witch's house when she returned home, we had no idea that she would interrupt our snooping. Weeks later one of my friends came over to visit and after my sister told her about the graham cracker incident, she proceeded to change my desktop wallpaper to a tiled version of graham's screaming cracker face.

Gamemakers Toolkit – Ico

1. What does Ico teach us about the relationship between narrative and design in videogames?

Ico's approach to design aims to show a very clear link between the elements within the game and the core concept that the game developer wanted to express. Everything within the game focuses or reflects the core concept of the relationship and values of Ico and Yorda, and everything that did not relate to this concept in some significant way was removed in order to keep the narrative strong and remind the player constantly of what they and the characters were aiming to achieve, creating a very strong sense of immersion through the prevaling power of the game's ideals and goals.

2. What are the benefits of “minimalist” design? Can you think of other games that are minimalist?
   Minimalistic design places focus on the key concept and morals of the story, strengthening it by providing no distraction or deviation from the central ideas or goals. The minimalistic approach can create a greater sense of aesthetic and is a concept that is seldom used in most video games today, generating interest for not adhering to the standard and offering a different way to experience a story.
   
   Fez is referenced as a similar minimalistic game in the video that places emphasis on rotating the world and taking a new perspective.
   
   A similar game known as Loved could be considered minimalist, as it is a 2D platformer with one core dynamic – there is a voice telling your character who it is and what they should do. As long as you obey, the world sharpens and desaturates creating an empty but logical world. The more you disobey, the brighter and more muddled the game gets, blocks of color covering walls and obstacles to the point that color is all you see. The game parallels the emotions found in one experiencing an abusive relationship.

Thomas was Alone is another game that has been recommended to me, which is a platformer done in a very minimalistic pixel style where the characters are bits of program shaped like rectangles. They have no physical human features though their given names and personalities creates a personable link to the player. The player moves these rectangles through portal doorways at the ends of a 2D platforming stage, and as the rectangles progress, storyline is achieved.