Defining narrative in video games

narrated. As a result, it's critical to grasp the notion of narration as well as the numerous models and

techniques of designing stories in video games.

Defining narrative in video games

The concept of narrative is related to the story but is not the story itself. It is the plot, or the way story is

narrated. The plot and the story are different concepts. The plot is formed only by a few selected

interrelated sequences of events explicitly planned by the narrator to be presented to the audience. Narrative, in the Dictionary’s (2006) primary definition, is considered as the chronological sequence of stories or the order in which the events occur. The process of narrating is based on interpretation. This

creative arrangement of incidents is what makes up the story. Events are dictated by the typology of

characters’ interaction, collaboration, conflict, etc.

In traditional media (such as literature or cinema) narrative is presented as a series of written or spoken

words or moving images, under the classic three-act story structure which is often credited to Aristotle

based on his observation that a tragedy must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Aristotle’s plot structure is organized in three acts. The first act, the exposition, is based on defining and describing the

setting, background information, the character, and exposing the conflict. It is followed by the second act

which is the confrontation of the character, the rise of action, the development of obstacles, and

different small crises which progressively rise tension leading to the climax or the major peak of tension.

In the third act, the conclusion is related to the final resolution, with a rapid dissipation of the tension

after the climax.

Figure 51 Aristotle Three Act Structure

In cinematography, film theorists David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson (2001) define narrative as “a

chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space”. Here, the narrator does not

describe all events but instead considers separately the plot and the story. Starting from the story, which

is the entire narration, is created the plot. The plot is formed only by a selected interrelated sequence of

events carefully planned by the narrator to be presented to the audience. The plot consists of a series of

selected events, which can be presented to the audience in a chronological sequence, casually, or in

another order decided by the author to create meaning. In movies, the plot should provide enough

information for the audience to grasp the cause-and-effect relationship of the chain of events for them

to comprehend the entire story. Events in movies are dictated by the type of characters’ interaction and the resulting events they cause. According to Jacobs (2007, 26), the plot is an “arrangement of incidents” which make up a story and hold it together. Thus, the narrative is not the story itself, but the way it is

told.

Figure 52 Traditional media narrative ( ex. literature, cinema)( by authors)

Building on Aristotle’s three-act structure, Todorov defined a basic narrative model and described it as

follows:

“An “ideal” narrative begins with a stable situation that is disturbed by some power or force. There results in a state of disequilibrium; by the action of a force directed in the opposite

direction, the equilibrium is re-established.” (Todorov, 1977, p. 111).

Todorov’s theory on narrative structures the different stages in a continuous circular model starting from an equilibrium state to the disruption of equilibrium, the recognition of the disruption from the

character, its actions to respond to change, and the new equilibrium state gained. Toronto’s definition 88

seems to fit better to the video game narrative. The disturbance of a quiet state, in fact, is fundamental

in all games to give the player the purpose of the game (the sensation of a beginning) and the general or

partial objectives and challenges that bring the player step by step toward the conclusion (the end) of the game. While in literature and in the cinema the reader/ spectators is excluded from the production

process, respectively, in computer games players participate in the game by acting. As a result, the story

is delivered the moment players act and interact in the game world.

Figure 53 Torodov’s model of narrative; Authors reinterpretation of Aristotle and Torodov model of video game narrative considering the role of players action in the narrative structure

Hereupon, video games, although are based on traditional storytelling techniques, have changed the way

stories are told. In video games, players are turned from passive observers (described as the audience in

conventional media) to active participants ( players) and influencers in the way the story is told. People

can interact with stories. In video games, players are not only readers or viewers. According to game

scholar Gonzalo Frasca (2003), a player’s performance is crucial in video games. Without a player’s performance, the game cannot progress and reveal itself, be it narrative or non-narrative. As a result of

the game nature, the narrative is based on gameplay characteristics such as challenge and choice which

are reflected by the player’s action. The game plot as an organized experience, according to game

writers Dille & Zuur Platten (2007), is “created by a conflict and experienced because of the existence of

challenge” Furthermore, game designer Sid Meier describes a successful game as “a series of interesting choices” (in Rollings and Morris 2004, 200), that arouses players’ interest and engagement, emphasizing

the role of the challenges as part of the narrative in the game enjoyment. As a result, it's more than just

a game as players seek a meaningful continuity of choices that result in meaningful stories from which

they may learn.

Figure 54 Narrative in Video game (by author)

Raph Koster (2005, 36) another well-known game designer, considers games as learning tools. To him, a

good game should give the possibility to learn and to engage to the game world. This is conceptualized in

the storyline for the various action to make sense or be comprehensive and is detailed in the game narrative structure. However, similarly to traditional narrative forms, in video games, the reader/player

imagines and recreates by himself various elements not explained by the creator. So, in game design,

the role of the player becomes active not only as performer, but also as a narrator and the quality of the

game depend on the way players interact and give birth to different experiences. Koster (2005) proposed

two models of narration in the realm of video games: imposed narrative and expressive narrative. The

imposed narrative is decided by the designer and imposed on the player by deciding the elements of the

plot, the characters’ identity, and its behavior, while the expressive narrative is free to be decided by the

player, to whom are given tools to determine his character identity and his behavior.

In this sense, the game narration is not singular and rigidly defined as books or cinema. Because of the

freedom of actions and choices, the game can have “a cybertext narrative” (Aarseth, 1997), based on different railroads and destinations and open to produce a variety of expression. According to Aarseth

(1997), this text is more challenging than the structure of traditional media narrative as it set the reader

in a more active position. In video games, “the reader” requires significant effort to navigate the structure or narrative of the text.

“A reader, however strongly engaged in the unfolding of a narrative, is powerless. . . . He cannot have the player’s pleasure of influence: “Let’s see what happens when I do this. The reader’s