Narrative, Games, and Theory

As a born again gamer, I've found myself most attracted to the affects of narrative in the gaming process. Initially, I saw this as simply adding context to the missions that I was enjoying in a few first person shooter games. However, because of reading Narrative, Games, and Theory, I've come to assimilate much more into my paradigm of narrative in games.

Narrative adds to the gaming experience by causing us to "adopt the outlook of the characters who are living the plot as their own destiny (Ryan, 2001)." Simons refers to this phenomenon as "prospective" rather than reflective. At issue here is whether or not this approach to game play is more valuable than the objectivism preferred by ludologists. As both perspectives are considered, an understanding of the potential relationship with narratology and narrative becomes more complex.

Interesting to the debate is the lean of game theorists regarding the presence and role of narrative in delineating all potential strategies and evaluating relative advantages and values of each. Whereas a casual gamer might finish a game and use the culmination of the narrative to help him or her retroactively connect the dots amongst the sequence of events, game theorists "weigh the outcomes of the alternative choices they are confronted with" in order to "be able to compare the payoffs of all possible outcomes of a game" before taking action. To effectively evaluate competing strategies, narrative in the context of a game is strongly considered. Simon's findings support this, stating, "Games not only become 'stories' after the fact, but stories can be an important part of the decision making process during the gameplay itself."

There is no doubt in my mind that I am more of a narratologist in my enjoyment of gameplay. The immersive quality of a well-composed narrative keeps me more engaged than the actual activity of play itself. Simon's thoughts certainly fortified the way that I view narrative in games. Additionally, they have helped me to better understand the functionality of narrative beyond simply adding context to an otherwise arbitrary endeavor.