Tag narrative
All fiction tries to create the illusion of depth. Describing a world in great detail takes too long, and long-form exposition is boring. So authors use tricks. Part of the the attraction of the [Lord of the Rings] is, I think, due to the… Continue Reading →
The Binding of Isaac is a retro-styled action game inspired by the Old Testament* story in which God orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a demonstration of his faith. The game has prompted discussion about the relationship between its… Continue Reading →
Multimodality Alan Wake draws on a collection of interesting sources—but if you’ve heard anything about the game, you probably know that already. Between obvious references to Twin Peaks and frequent shout-outs to Stephen King and other writers, developer Remedy Entertainment is ingratiatingly eager… Continue Reading →
Over the last two years, I have spent a lot of time reading studies about K-12 and college courses that incorporate elements of game design. Sometimes, these elements are directly adopted into the structure of the course: educators use points… Continue Reading →
Singularity is not the most linear game I’ve ever played, but it sometimes felt that way. Blandly American protagonist Nate Renko is either the most blasé guy in the world, or else is mute (perhaps brain-damaged from the game-opening helicopter crash?). As… Continue Reading →
A list Dwarf Fortress Animal Crossing Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura Jurassic Park: Trespasser Might & Magic Legacy of Kain Darkseed I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream Deadly Premonition With the exception of Dwarf Fortress and Deadly… Continue Reading →
This is part 5 of an ongoing series on the techniques that game designers employ to tell stories in video games. If you haven’t read the earlier posts, you might want to do that first. II. Exploration (continued) If my… Continue Reading →
This is part 4 of an ongoing series on the techniques that game designers employ to tell stories in video games. If you haven’t read part 1, part 2, and part 3, you might want to do that first. II…. Continue Reading →
This is part 3 of an ongoing series on the techniques that game designers employ to tell stories in video games. If you haven’t read part 1 or part 2, do that first. I. Exposition (continued) Aural exposition I sometimes… Continue Reading →