Type 311 - Fitcher's Bird

Task for this week is to pick:
a) Fairy Tale
b) Genre
c) Artist
With their powers combined, I should have a game concept with just about everything nutted out.

your concept should include:

* core value
* overall goal
* genre and player activities / encounters etc
* aesthetic / mood / emotion

Combining Fitcher's Bird, action adventure games and the art of William Blake, I bring you Type 311-Fitcher's Bird.

Background:
Fitcher's Bird classed as an AT 311 – The giant and the three sisters, if you're into the ATU system of categorising fairy tales. It is also referred to as "The heroine who save her sisters and herself".

Core Values:
AT-311's are tales of keeping promises, loyalty, trickery and breaking cycles. In these stories, the heroine saves herself and her sisters from the supernatural menace. (how's that for empowerment?)

Common Elements:
- Supernatural (powerful) antagonist
- 3 sisters/women
- Punishment for breaking promises
- Outwitting of the villain

Protagonists:
Heroine - Youngest sister who discovers the sorcerer's ghastly secret and manages to avoid getting killed herself. She uses her wit to rescue herself and others from the sorcerer's house.

Sorcerer - Routinely disguises himself and kidnaps young women.

Sisters/Victims - Other girls who were previous victims of the sorcerer. The heroine is able to bring them back to life in the course of the story.

Adaption:
Type 311 is a action adventure game that also touches on suvival horror. The player is given the role of an investigative reporter who becomes involved in the mystery behind a serial killer known as Fitcher. During the course of the investigation, the player is transported to a strange world (killer's psyche) where the killer and his victims are trapped.


Above: Concept of typical game screen

Goal:
The goal of the game is to escape from the strange world and solve the mystery behind the killer's motives. This investigation forms the main quest of the game, sub quests take the form of freeing other victims from the horror of their deaths.

Player Activities:
The player solves the mysteries by exploring and interacting with the world. By finding and using items that will help the player or other characters. The player has to run to avoid encountering dangerous monsters (extensions of the killer's mind) and try to stay sane in an every changing environment.

Solving the killer's motives and freeing the victims involves the player asking characters questions and finding clues which the player will need to string together to form useable information. [Diagram pending]

Aesthetic:
Inspired by William Blake's paintings, the aesthetic is used to convey the dangerous supernatural world that the characters(and player) find themselves in. The game world uses imagery from Blake's paintings to represent the killer, his world and how he sees his victims.


Above: The Gates of Hell

Above: The Ghost of a Flea

Mood:
Using Blake's art as a means of capturing the madness of the killer's mind, the game's asethic is used to illustrate the "demons" that the killer has transformed himself and his victims into.


Above: Encounter with killer(sorcerer) conceptual drawing


Above: Environment concept

Action Hero Explosion

Here's a blast from the past, week 2(?) of Critical Games Studies where we had to redesign Snakes and Ladders.

After much brain storming (super fast brain action), we came up with an Action Hero themed board that depicts the "typical" tropes associated with being an Action Hero. It's capitalised because it's just that cool.

Below is an incomplete list of action heroes, it's all very spur of the moment.

Based off the works of:
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Steven Seagal
- Bruce Willis
- Chuck Norris
- Jean-Claude Van Damme
- Sylvester Stallone
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Hulk Hogan
- Mel Gibson
- Will Smith
- Tom Cruise
- Keanu Reeves
- Harrisson Ford
- Steve McQueen
- Richard Dean Anderson aka MacGyver

Hilarity by: Cassandra, Natalie, Jasmine, Jeanny and I.
Board Additions by Jeanny.

Players: 2 + (it gets better with more people)
Aim: Live the life of an action hero, will you get out of unscathed?

Story Generator v2.0

To rectify the terribly bad post, I've decided to redo the story and write it the way it should have been. (Edit: 3/4/10 - Well at least something more exciting)

The basic elements:
- Henry the Theoretical Force
- Wanted by the Cops
- Is next to a discarded lunch
- A kingdom torn by Civil War happens
- With a Happy Crack Dealer
- In a story about Liberation

Quantitative Explosions: Let's get Theoretical(20XX)
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This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.

Quantitative Explosions: Let's get Theoretical is a 20XX remake of the original 19XX film and directed by BLah. It deviates from the original by having the main character Henry continually refer to the discarded lunch next to him as an allegory to his situation. [citation needed].

Plot:

This article's plot summary may be too long or overly detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise.

The film opens in a country torn by war, a voice over informs the audience. The government is corrupt and is secretly a means of distracting the public from the machinations of the Mien Royal Family who are unable to agree on a successor to the throne.

Henry the Theoretical Force (A Glowing Ball or Tony Abbott) is chased by armed forces into hiding in an alleyway dumpster. As the leader of a resistance group and a Theoretical Force, he is able to perform super human acts by eating books on various theories. The Big Bang Theory enables him to shoot fireballs and explode atoms while Monomyth gives him the abilities to rewrite people's lives.

Unable to access any material in the dumpster, Henry waits for his meeting with a fellow resistance fighter, he talks about his views of the government and his life story with different characters that seek refuge in the dumpster. Henry tries to recruit several of these characters by telling them stories of his exploits.

These stories range from when Henry began as a resistance fighter to his current situation. Henry's current plan is to bomb the royal palace by getting drug dealers to pass out a super drug filled nanobots developed by the resistance. People having ingested the drug will be possessed to congregate outside the government stronghold. At a signal, the possessed will explode.

Complications occur when the dumpster is emptied and Henry is transported to the Lunch Zone. The Lunch Zone is filled with discarded lunches of "a thousand and one mindless office workers" and a thousand and one hungry homeless cops. Underpowered by a lack of reference material, Henry is forced to retreat. Later Henry meets Happy Crack Dealer(Some Guy) who shows him how to harness the power of memory to remember theories and fight he bad guys. "Yar, you've learnt to unshackle yourself from your limitations."

I is hax0r!!!!111!!

Happy Crack Dealer also reveals to Henry that the government is a front and his real target is that of the royal family. Henry is about to launch his way out of the Lunch Zone when he encounters Royal Offspring #1138(a Robot) who has finally won the right to be the rule of the country.

An epic fight occurs and at this point the film diverges into three separate endings.

Ending A: Where #1138 reveals that he has reprogrammed all the resistance nanobots in the drugs to transform people into super solders and finally achieve his goal of ruling the country. Great catastrophe ensures for Henry and the resistance.

Ending B: Henry engages in a super move that changes the events of the entire movie and enables the resistance to overthrow the royal family but at the cost of taking the movie down to 1.5 hours (Oh shame). Thus liberating the audience from their seats.

Ending C: The film continues on its explosive and verbose manner as the epic fight causes the entire Lunch Zone to collaspe on itself. The country is then freed of a tyranical monarchy and a pesky resistance.

Story Generator : Liberation

story generation exercise - in groups - take a pack of post it notes [or tear up a piece of paper]

INSTRUCTIONS: every member of the group writes on the cards:

1. a character name and attribute [eg martha the vandal]
2. an obstacle [eg main character is blind]
3. a setting [eg inner london]
4. a *disturbance* or event [eg a stranger arrives]
5. another character [eg dark stranger]
6. a premise or idea [eg this game is about justice]

place each card type in separate piles and shuffle them - each member of the group takes a card and has to put together a plot and tell the story

post the stories your JOURNAL BLOGS - each story should be told in well under 50 words - ensure a decent unity of action - a beginning, middle and end ..



*Note: The (freedom) note is something I scribbled down after trying to figure out what Henry is.

After a rather mad scramble, I got six post-its but I don't plan on writing a story in 50 words. Given what could happen, the story of Henry the Theoretical Force sort of demands more than 50 words.

The following story contains much swearing and drug abuse. Sorry, Dave hasn't got any manners.

EPISODE #54 - It Came Out of A Sandwich
[Dramatis personæ]

NARRATOR, a Disembodied Voice

HENRY, a Theoretical Force

DAVE, the Happy Crack Dealer

COPS, a group of highly ineffective law enforcement officers

RADIO, a pair of deus ex machinas


NARRATOR:
Following his misadventures in episode #231 "Attack of the Killer Munchies", Dave the Happy Crack Dealer had evaded the police by diving into a dumpster. Disguising himself with old banana peels and Doritos wrappers, Dave quickly adopts a freegan lifestyle. We now present a tale of high action and liberation, coated in a dense layer of mediocrity, episode #54 "It Came Out Of A Sandwich".

FX:
[Police sirens, running footsteps and heavy breathing can be heard]

FX:
[Police radio cuts in, lots of static]

RADIO OFFICER:
All units to convene at City Hall, armed and ready. Repeat, armed and ready at City Hall.

FX:
[Footsteps and squad car door slams. Heavy breathing stops]

COP B:
Damn Rushkies! Ya kno' dis city ain' had no peace since dem royals stopped makin' babies.

COP A:
Yeah, yeah. Pass over 'em tasers. It's gonna be a rough nite.

FX:
[Car revs up and drives away. Sirens fade out. Dumpster lid can be heard]

DAVE:
Fuck, I thought I was screwed. [snorts] Ahh, that's some good shit.

FX:
[Crackling of chip packets, plastic bags and falling tin cans]

DAVE:
Half a sandwich! [crackle] Cheetos! Yeah, I'm going to have me some delicious. [eating noises]

HENRY:
Dave, Dave, you must help me.

DAVE:
Fuck! Henry, can't ya see a man's eating here. What you want now? I thought you weren't coming to see me anymore. [grunts]

FX:
[Thump and rustling of garbage]

HENRY:
Dave, did you just snort some cocaine?

DAVE:
I'm a crack dealer, course I snort the shit. As an all seeing force, you're a dumb fuck.

HENRY:
I'm a theoretical force, not an omnipotent force. Dave, will you listen to me? This matter is important.

DAVE:
[sighs] Yeah, whatever. It's not going to like the time we stared at those goats, is it? Those woolly bitches gave me the willies.

FX:
[Police radio crackles and the dumpster lid slams]

RADIO:
All units are reminded that the Prince is armed and dangerous. Deadly Force has been granted to all units. I repeat, shoot to kill.

FX:
[Sirens, guns and cars get fainter. Dumpster lid slams.]

NARRATOR:
After much talk about old ladies, life and the price of bananas, Dave and Henry proceed to walk around the city. Dave is unaware that Henry has convinced him to purchase a series of university texts while Dave has secret motives to liberate a large stash of drugs from the police.

FX:
[Loud crashes and explosions can be heard. Police sirens and gun shots fade in and out. Dave's laughter can be heard.]

DAVE:
Booyeah, I am the Superman!

FX:
[Loud explosions and a machine gun fires briefly.]

HENRY:
Dave, please will you get those books off that shelf. Dave!

COP A:
Police! Put down that cardboard lady...?

FX:
[Loud crashes and fade]

NARRATOR:
Problems begin when Henry is unable to open the books and Dave is beaten up by a pair of Siamese twins who steal all his money.

FX:
[Scuffling and yelling is heard. A thump follows.]

HENRY:
Curses, I forgot I don't have arms. Dave, Dave?

DAVE:
Shove it Henry. [in pain] Why don't you just shove it.

HENRY:
Dave, please.

DAVE:
Fuck it Henry. If you don't shut up I'm going to burn them damn books.

FX:
[Sirens and gun shots can be heard]

RADIO:
The war between the West and East Royal Family factions entered public scrutiny again as an explosion killed over 100 people.

COP B:
Youse, freeze. Hey I'm talkin' to youse!

FX:
[Gun shots]

NARRATOR:
Henry and Dave's relationship crumbles when after a bad day of running away from the police, Dave burns all the books that he's collected for Henry.

FX:
[Fire crackles]

DAVE:
Damn you to fucking hell. The police have been on our tail for days.

HENRY:
No... Dave please, I really need those books. Please. I never told you this but I...

DAVE:
Shut up! You little whiney bitch! Just leave.

FX:
[Popping noise]

NARRATOR:
With that single pop, Henry disappeared from Dave's life.

DAVE:
Finally. What a douche. I can get back to work.

NARRATOR:
[cough] Back to our story. Dave finds himself able to continue with his work as the Happy Drug Dealer without the strange adventures of stealing Jungian and Socratic texts. Sadly he is unaware that this has all been an extremely bizarre dream that resulted from eaten a half eaten sandwich he found in the dumpster.

DAVE:
The pastrami was good or was that rat?

HENRY:
I disliked my ending, can I change it?

FX:
[Sirens]

COP B:
Gotcha, I'm a goin' enjoy beatin' your ass.

FX:
[Theme song]

NARRATOR:
Next Week, Will Dave the Happy Crack Dealer be able to survive 30 minutes of Bingo the Birthday Clown? Tune in for episode #148 "Star Crunch is a Serial". Don't forget to tune in for the special presentation of episode #0-75-A "The Return of Henry". How will Dave be able to combat Henry the Theoretical Force, now powered by a Joseph Campbell Narrative engine?

Sorry that was utter shit.. Maybe I will rewrite it at some point.

Level Up - Working in a Story

This week you should consider the different theories presented in the lecture and do two things: one, which one do you most agree with? and two: give us a game which you feel EPITOMISES your favoured theory and why?

Game Theories:
- Games are active
- Games as work
- Games as learning
- Games as social interaction
- Games as a study of rules or Games bound by a system of rules
- Games without goals (it's not a game with a goal, so they say)
- Games as spaces or Games as story worlds
- Games as an "Unholy" alliance of designer and player
- Games as art (a bonus one from my head)

Yes, I'm sure I've missed the point but this is what I have gotten out of the lecture so it's going to be different to whatever is in your head. The hard part of picking one of these theories is finding one that I'd agree with 100%. Games are complex constructions that have a whole lot of elements that I find difficult to pigeon hole as one 'thing'.

Nearly all games fit within these theories it depends on what aspects you decide to concentrate on. I'd could go on all day about it but that would be digressing into a giant pile of blah blah. I'm going to concentrate on "Games as story worlds" and "Games as work".

I like games that have worlds that are fully (or try to be) immersive and are about having to work within the confines of the story. A lot of the time this fails, the story is bad and the game mechanics are boring or don't work. A game that has a story world has to work hard to get the player to stay in the world for a long time.

Let's take Japanese RPG's for example. J-RPGS are all games that run on 2 theories, games as a story world and games as work. The story and world is there to suck you in, the work is used to stop it from being one giant visual novel. The kind of work you do is leveling up (grinding).

Why level up:
- To stop getting killed
- To get powerups/gain abilities
- Collect items (you collect items for many reasons)
- OCD (you're compelled to get as much stuff as possible)
- Bragging rights (the internet is a strange place where bragging on how little you level up will earn you 'cred')

Case Study:

Let's look at an example of how the story world and working(level) work together.
The JRPG works on having a story and characters that make the player/audience want to progress the story or spend time with the character. The get further in the story, you more you need to level up.

Persona 3:
A dungeon with 250 levels, characters, social relationships and your personality that require leveling up? Welcome to Persona 3, a J-RPG that puts you in the life of a Japanese teenager who has to deal with demons, the apocalypse, soul searching and exams.

Levelling up requires you to fight monsters that appear in the dungeon, standard fair. What makes this different is that if you need to get to certain floors of the dungeon by certain days. That's right, it's got a calender cycle. Okay, strange but possible until you find out that your party members are digital humans; work them too hard and they get tired and catch colds. Your main character has these weaknesses too, work him too hard and he won't be able to fight.



There are some incentives for levelling up, you get access to new summons, magic powers, money and the thrill of not dying in the randomly generated dungeon. Don't forget, you're saving the world. How's that for extra curricular activity?

The story of Persona 3 does make the fighting and levelling bearable, sometimes enjoyable. You're going to save the world, making sure you don't die while doing it is a powerful incentive. Another incentive is Hard Mode, you die and there aren't no magic items to bring you back to life.

The game has moments that do make you feel a part of the world. Team members will tell you enthusiastically when they level up or when they land a critical hit. Exclamation marks pop up when you character answers a question correctly, is charming or stands up for himself.



The social relationship leveling up? Strangely investing time in NPCs does reap some benefits, being best buds or having a relationship will net you more powerful summons. Having friends also helps you save the world from doom. You get bonus content as you get closer to your friends, finding out why a monk hangs out at a night club is one of the highlights. JRPG's are notorious for making character interaction a must, I don't know if these skills will carry over to your real life.

Unlike real life, if you level up aspects of your personality, you can meet new people or impress the ones you know. Somehow it's worked into the story; a creepy man from a dimension that only you can access tells you to make friends as part of your contract that you've signed with some strange ghostly kid... It makes sense in the world of Persona but no where else.





The game world does have a lot of extra things to do but they are geared towards levelling either relationships or your own stats. Singing karaoke makes you more courageous.. The main character is pretty bland, giving you lots of opportunity to give him a personality. The game's also great at getting people to micromanage the character's life. Not that's a bad thing when you get to the stage of juggling 3 girlfriends..

It's best to say that this particular story is work, you work to save the world and better yourself. Working to save the world involves levelling up and trying not to die. Well, at least you've spent over 50 hours getting through a really intense story, surely that's worth it?

Pretty sure I've failed getting any form of a message across. Better luck next time.

The Wizard of Oz - Remixed

This week's prototyping exercise was to take L. Frank Baum's Wizard of Oz and turn it into a game. The catch is that the game must be based on 1 of 5 game theories:

- Play as Darwinian influence (survival of the fittest)
- Play as active performance (player works to create work via action)
- Play as work (where the game exists because the player plays it)
- Play as (learning) fun ("teach" the player a satisfying pattern)
- Play as social imperative (playing provides social opportunities)

Ideas generated by: Max, Natalie, Jasmine and I.

The Wizard of Oz as Survival of the Fittest:
Feel free to add dystopian future to any of these.

- Wizard of Oz as Survivor (TV show)
- Battle Royale: Oz
- Wizard of Oz fighting game
- MMO (offers survival but also social opportunities, why kill when you can befriend?)
- RTS (pick a faction of Oz and try to assimilate as many hosts to bred a batch of super solders)

Return to Oz: Teaching the player:
Genre: Action/Adventure with puzzle elements (up for discussion)
Play: Non linear

Inspired by the movie Return to Oz and The Wizard of Oz series, the game has the player moving between the real world and memories set in the land of Oz.

The real world is filled with problems but the solutions to these problems can be found in Oz. The player is given a portal to be transported to a memory bank where they can choose which memory to play.

The game is comprised of small events that culminate into a larger goal, the puzzles that the player solves help fix the real world and progress the game.

Potential Puzzles:
- Freeing cursed characters from the Nome King's spell
- Finding treasure in Mombi the Witch's Hall of Heads

D&D Griffith Style

This week we were asked to make a prototype of a game that is played on a map. After some thought, it came down to a D&D style game set in Griffith University.

D&D Griffith Uni
Concept by: Jasmine, Jeanny, Cassandra, Natalie and myself



Number of Players: 4 +
Dungeon Master is required to set tasks, enemies and adjudicate player fights

Goal:
Players are to start at the pub and must enter the university grounds to retrieve or deliver an item from a specific location. When they have completed this task, they must return to the pub. The first to return is the victor.

Challenges:
Players must face obstacles and enemies (teachers or other players). Players can attack each other when they are on adjacent squares or land on the same square as another. The attacker will be given the first roll.

Victory is given to the player with the most inventive attack and the highest roll. The loser will be sent back an allocated number of spaces. The DM will roll for NPCs.

Preparation:
Players will need to determine their weapon of choice however the DM will set the limits of this weapon. eg. Range, number of uses and attack.

For consideration:
- The use of cards will make battles, tasks and inventories easier to manage.
- Player vs Player combat will need to be adjusted so that opponents are more of an obstacle.

Family Trees

The mission:

Play as many of the 80s games as you can and consider:

* The evolution of the basic elements that you looked at last week

* Describe a favorite 80s work in terms of the evolving design features discussed in the lecture (Genre, World, Narrative, Graphics and Perspective)

* Find a descendant (literal / emotional) and compare

* Particularly consider how many of the core mechanics have evolved in conjunction with improved graphic capabilities – compare with some contemporary games

The last post was about the evolution of narrative and whether it is a background element or an integral part of the game. There are still many games where the story adds background flavour, you can replace the main character and other elements without disrupting the story.

Games like Super Mario or Sonic could have different characters without affecting the story line or way you play. Castlevania(1986) or Metroid(1986) could almost be the same game if the narrative did not dictate what the game world was.




Top: Castelvania (1986)
Bottom: Metroid (1986)

Both games offer similar gameplay, you must explore the environment, defeat bosses and find items or abilities to progress deeper in the environment. The fact that one is a gothic fantasy and the other set in space could be overlooked but the narrative enriches game play.

Let's take a closer look at the Castlevania and Metroid Series.

Genre:
The 1st Castlevania and Metroid games were released in 1986 and are classed as action-adventure games with platform elements. Unlike Castlevania, Metroid doesn't feature distinct levels, instead the game world is connected via doors and elevators. Castlevania would adopt this approach in 1997 instead of the linear stage it had previously used.

Both games would also feature a character with a changing arsenal of weapons. This would change how the players took on obstacles(enemies). Instead of jumping on the enemies, the player would need to think more tactically, eg. Time their attacks or movement, weapon choice etc.



Top: Castelvania: Symphony of the Night (1997)
Bottom: Metroid (1986)

World and Narrative:
The worlds and narratives of Castlevania and Metroid form a symbiotic relationship. They could work without each other but the game experience would be lacking. Both the main characters need a goal to complete but also creates an opportunity to create an expanded world.

A larger world means the player will spend more time in the game which gives rise to the many sequels or related games from the series. The story of Metroid is grown in each installment, Samus is constantly fighting against aliens that are from another planet or produced by human organisations. Space travel provides a convenient method of creating different areas and using these environments to provide enough challenges in the game to make it enjoyable or difficult.



Top: Metroid map
Bottom: Castlevania map(1986)

In Castlevania, the ever present threat of Dracula's revival fuels the narrative of the series. In later games the narrative becomes more complex as different characters fight to prevent Dracula's resurrection which is heralded by the appearance of his castle. The castle then becomes the game world in which the player explores and experiences the game.

Graphics and Perspective:

You can look up the specs of the Nintendo Entertainment System on the Internet. A pull from the internet monkey gives us this on the graphic capabilities of the Nes.


The system has an available color palette of 48 colors and 5 grays. Red, green and blue can be individually darkened at specific screen regions using carefully timed code. Up to 24 colors may be used on one scan line: a background color, four sets of three tile colors and four sets of three sprite colors. This total does not include color de-emphasis.

A total of 64 sprites may be displayed onscreen at a given time without reloading sprites mid-screen. Sprites may be either 8 pixels by 8 pixels, or 8 pixels by 16 pixels, although the choice must be made globally and it affects all sprites. Up to eight sprites may be present on one scanline, using a flag to indicate when additional sprites are to be dropped. This flag allows the software to rotate sprite priorities, increasing maximum amount of sprites, but typically causing flicker.

Obviously the 1986 Castlevania and Metroid are pretty much pixel pancakes. They're flat and don't come in many colours. Even with a limited colour palette, the games were still able to deliver a believable game world if you just squint with your mind.





The graphic and technological capabilities of the era made 2D the easiest option. We're only offered a side view of our character, any sense of perspective is flattened. The game space has only 2 layers, the moving background and everything else that the player can interact with.

Moving ahead in time and the use of 3D, the graphics and perspective change. Being able to move and see in three dimensions means that the environments should be follow realistic perspective. As stated before, a bigger narrative means a bigger world and vice versa.




Top: Castelvania: Lament of Innocence (2003)
Bottom: Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (2007)

With better graphics the action becomes more realistic (within reason, if you're sporting a cartoon style you can play with reality). The 3D player has to be able to turn around and see the world or whatever hideous creature is about to come at them. Gameplay is more intense now that you have a (fairly) realistic world to explore.

Core Mechanics & Evolution:

In both Castlevania and Metroid, the core mechanics are:

- A player character that can move in 3 directions and jump
- A player character that can attack and has subweapons
- An explorable map/world that scrolls

Castlevania also offers:
- Stages that must be cleared
- Sub weapons that have different effects
- Whip that can be upgraded

Metroid has:
- One big world connected by doors and other passages
- Samus has upgradable weapons and abilites
- Some areas need certain abilites to be reached

During the later games, a lot of these mechanics are enhanced or changed. The whip in subsequent Castlevania games becomes a tool for reaching other areas. Samus' abilites change depending on the game environment, locking onto an enemy becomes possible in the 3D games.

The core mechanics of a game have to change to keep up with the changing complexity of the environments. When technology progresses more, the audience will expect the game to be capable of much more.

A Marriage - Narrative and Mechanics

This post is all about answering the question: Is the narrative part of the gameplay or is it merely an introduction to set the scene or wallpaper? Please note the use of narrative is from early games such as Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Asteroids.

Nara-wha?:


A question, is there a story to the game Pac-Man? Yes or No? A game like Pac-Man has no discernible story, instead it is all about the "chase" and eating. What about Pitfall!? Harry has a name but not much else that makes him stand out from a stick man. There is no actual narrative in this game either but that wouldn't stop a player from creating one for the game.


There aren't many clues in the game, Harry could be anyone but why is he in the jungle and why must he get out so quickly? If you create your own narrative, doesn't it make Harry's adventure more rewarding? A player can become more involved in the game, it is no longer a demonstration of skill, it is a quest.


You could say the same for Asteroids and Space Invaders. The game mechanics and play gives you no indication as to why saving your space ship or the world is important. They are all tests of survival.



Courtship:

In 1981, Donkey Kong was the 1st game to use complete narrative in a game. The typical damsel in distress story combined with challenging gameplay. Does this narrative just an excuse for play or is it part of the game?


In Donkey Kong you're given a clear story which outlines the goal of the game. Save the girl. It is a little hard to dissect the gameplay from the narrative and vice versa. Both co-exist but it can also be argued that one is supporting the other.

Haunted House offers a different side to the argument. The game's story gives you a reason for playing this game but without it the player would be clueless of their goal.


There are not enough visual clues in this screen shot to show what is the goal of this game. Which of these icons represents the player? If you weren't familiar with this game, you would not know that it was the pair of eyes.


Rags to Riches is a game about a homeless man who decides that he is going to work his way up the social ladder. The catch is, the player is the homeless man. Although there is no narrative, the player has to connect with this character and the world.

The game provides real life obstacles, the man must get a haircut if he wishes to seek employment but must also dodge the police, robbers and the IRS. This game gives the opportunity for the player to create a story for the character but one that is in the confines of the world.

Although there is a long term goal, the "story" is obviously a way to set the scene for the game. Sadly, if you do reach the goal of becoming a millionare, there is no ending. The game will still continue to play the game of life.

Case Studies:


Bentley Bear finds himself in a castle filled with monsters and witch who are out to get him so he won't walk away with large amounts of the witch's treasure. The plot of Crystal Castles provides you with background for the game. It is one of the few games that features a definite ending instead of repeating the game on a higher difficulty level.

What is the core mechanic and what genre would you call the game?

The player has to find the best way to move Bentley around the screen to collect gems and avoid enemies. Bentley also has the ability to jump on and over enemies.

Crystal Castle is a platformer with some puzzle game elements, you need to complete the level quickly but you also need to move in the environment that allows you to maxinmise your chances of survival.

Does it matter that Bentley is a bear?
Bentley the Bear provides a basis for themeing designs of collectables it doesn't really add anything to the story. You could replace the bear with just about anything from a frog to a robot without harming the story.



Consider The Legend of Zelda (1986) – does it matter that Link is a young boy? What mythos does this game call on?

The Legend of Zelda and its subsequent children showcase how a narrative intergrates into gameplay. Link's goal is to save the princess but there is also the bigger goal of saving Hyrule from Ganon.

Playing as a young boy(man in some games) helps keep the sense of high adventure prevelant in the series. The youth who is exploring unknown lands echoes the player's exploration of the game world. When Link accquires new skills and items, the player can use these to track their own progression.

Link is an archetypal hero who can be found in different forms and media. From fairytales to comic books, the hero has many forms. Joseph Cambell's book The Hero with a Thousand Faces illustrates the journey of the hero.


Looking at the diagram, you can make connections to the flow of typical RPG games.

Obviously as technology progresses, the need for more involvement from the player into the game and world grows. There is a growing number of games that focus on the narrative and use the games as a means of telling that story.

On the flipside there are still games that use the narrative as a frame for launching their game. Having a narrative enables the player(s) to participate at a deeper level, making the game more enjoyable or at the least more interactive.