Back in the 60’s, the notion that videogames could be used as a medium for narrative consumption was laughable. The graphical capability of gaming hardware was so primitive that you could barely even comprehend what you were looking at on screen. Ambiguous shapes necessitated the accompaniment of fancy box art before you could understand what they represented. How could they possibly be capable of telling stories?
WHAT AM I PLAYING? – Without the cover art to accompany this picture, the context of this game is not immediately obvious.
Fast-forward to the 80’s. As technology developed, gaming hardware started to produce graphics that were capable of establishing basic context and simple stories in videogames. Sure, a fat plumber fighting sentient mushrooms to save a princess from a villainous reptile makes for a strange narrative, but at least it was a start…
SAVE THE PRINCESS! ‘Super Mario Bros.’ hardly had the most sophisticated narrative.
But with these technological advancements, developers focused on designing games ludologically – putting an emphasis on gameplay rather than narrative artistry. Because of this, the narrative in videogames continued to lacked depth and innovation.
But this has changed with modern gaming. Today, narratives in videogames are no longer a pinned-on afterthought. Developers have finally realised the potential for videogames to tell compelling stories. It has now become common for developers to develop games with a narratological approach – focusing heavily on the narrative.
This trend has ameliorated videogames as a medium for narrative consumption, leading them into becoming a new form of literacy. Modern videogames have started to include complex plots, richly detailed characters and unfathomably elaborate universes. This comparability to literature is further illustrated by the increasing use of sophisticated narrative themes in videogames today.
For example, the ‘Mass Effect’ series explores the theme of morality – you have to decide whether you are going to take the heroic route of a paragon; or if you are going to carelessly proceed via the route of a renegade.
‘Red Dead Redemption’ explores the theme of redemption (unsurprisingly) – you play as a former outlaw whose wife and son are taken for ransom by the government. You are forced to redeem yourself for your past crimes in order to get your family back.
‘Bioshock’ has even touched on the sensitive theme of blasphemy – you find yourself in a dystopian world, ruled by a man with maniacal passion for playing the role of god.
All of these themes are well executed and have been highly praised by critics – evidencing the medium’s competency for sophisticated storytelling.
This progression towards creating a novel-like experience for the consumer is accompanied by the progression towards producing a movie-like experience too. The evolution of graphic technology means that videogames are now capable of emulating the high-quality visuals that can be found in Hollywood movies.
THEN VS. NOW: Development in graphic technology means that games can now look as real as movies.
As seen above, videogames are now capable of creating realistic characters and environments. This realism is evident in ‘L.A Noire’; the game uses motion-tracking technology to create life-like character animations.
This convergence between gaming and cinema makes videogames more accessible as a medium for narrative consumption to those who are familiar with movies but not gaming.
With these developments in technology and this push towards developing games with a heavy focus on narrative, games can now emulate the visual prowess and literary sophistication of movies and novels. But movies and literature have been capable of this for years.
What makes videogames stand out as a medium for narrative consumption?
Something that the other mediums can’t provide… interactivity.
Interactivity facilitates the provision of agency – the ability to control the manner in which you consume your narrative experience. When this unique feature is interwoven with movie-like visuals and novel-like storytelling, videogames shine brightest as a medium for narrative consumption.
THE TRIFECTA: Videogames can take advantage of these three components to creature a unique narrative experience for the consumer.
This point is corroborated by Game designer, James Portnow, who says:
“In most written works, the author has all the agency. This means the author controls exactly what happens. The author has complete autonomy over the outcome of every situation. In games, the agency is shared by the player and the author together. The player can’t exceed the bounds of what has been created for him, but he can choose when, how, and in what context he will experience it.” (2008)
This agency in videogames is best demonstrated in open-world games such as ‘Mass Effect.’ In this type of game, it is not mandatory that you follow the main plot in a specific way or within a specific amount of time. As a player, you are free to explore the meticulously constructed gameworld at will. You can then return to the main plot whenever you are ready to do so.
A WHOLE NEW WORLD: You are not told where to go or when to do something. You are free to explore the universe – something that is impossible for the consumer to do in other narrative mediums.
What is most notable about the narrative in games that provide you with this agency, is that they are not told in a linear structure. Of course, there is a vague order in which the story is told, but you can choose from a multitude of narrative paths to reach the conclusion. For example, let’s say that the game is divided into 3 ‘main sections’ – ‘beginning’ ‘middle’, and ‘end’ (we’ll call these ‘1’, ‘2’ and ‘3’). Now let’s say that each of these ‘main sections’ contains 9 ‘subsections’ (we’ll call these ‘1a’, ‘1b’, ‘1c’, ‘1d’, ‘1e’, ‘1f’, ‘1g’, ‘1h’, ‘1i’, ‘2a’, ‘2b’, ‘2c’… etc.). Each of these ‘subsections’ can be completed in any order before advancing to the next ‘main section’ of the plot. For example, the player may choose to take the following path before advancing to section ‘2’:
1F > 1B > 1E > 1A > 1G > 1D > 1I > 1C > 1H
CHOOSE YOUR PATH: A visual aid of the vast number of narrative paths that you can take in ‘Mass Effect’
It would be impossible to provide this type of experience in film or literature because they don’t provide the consumer with agency. Novels are written in the order that the author intends for you to read them; similarly, scenes in films are edited in the order that the director wants you to view them – they are designed for passive consumption. Whereas videogames provide the user with a powerful sense of autonomy, allowing you to create your own experience by choosing from a vast number of narrative paths.
This agency doesn’t just let you choose when you want to experience the story, it also let’s you shape the story too. Using ‘Mass Effect’ as the example again, you are provided with a multitude of choices during the story, each with their own consequence. These decisions facilitate profound experiences for the gamer – they must carefully consider the implications of their virtual actions. These choices are is intelligently interwoven with the previously mentioned literary theme of morality. For instance, in the beginning of the game, you may choose to take the paragon route by sparing the life of an enemy; the consequence of this may be that later on in the game, you encounter him again and he manages to kill one of your teammates. However, if you had chosen to take the renegade route and kill your enemy, you wouldn’t have encountered him later on in the game, thus your teammate would have survived. Now, imagine that there are hundreds of these choices to be made, each with their own consequence; the outcome of this is a narrative experience that is uniquely tailored by the consumer’s interaction. This narrative customisation means that each time you replay the game, your experience of the narrative will be different – this narrative diversity is only possible via the medium of videogames.
MAKE YOUR OWN STORY: An infographic displaying how players’ experiences differed when playing ‘Mass Effect 3’
When this interactivity is interwoven with the gorgeous visuals, illustrious storytelling and impeccable voice acting/sound effects that videogames are now capable of providing, an unparalleled sensory symphony is created – A unique narrative experience that can only be consumed via the medium of videogames.
Charles Staples
New High Score 