Narrative

Picking up on the discussion of Narrative from last week, i thought i would discuss some games which i think present interesting models for weaving narrative into gameplay.

As brought up in lecture, Portal  and Portal 2 are games which achieve a balance of storytelling and gameplay which is unique to the game. so much of this is defined, however, by the structure and content of the game itself. It is only allowed through the fact that the game is set in a stage-by-stage setting and structure which allows for the pacing of the storytelling to be told as the player progresses. This is very clever, as it avoids players being confronted with repeating dialogue and a loss of pace. The pace of these games are instead built up from the themes of manipulation and unreliable narration. The slow blurring of the clinical setting into a far more menacing and twisted scenario is undergone so that the player, without being explicitly presented with an explanation, is motivated to escape and defy their boundaries.

Bastion is another game which was brought up in the lectures, and having played it I can agree that it is a unique experience in regard to its approach to narration. The way the game is presented, first with a very low degree of exposition lends itself to a slowly unravelling plot and backstory. This is told through a narrator who, according to the players actions, provides a unique and user-defined narration. Not only is it unique to have a story-book style narrator, but to have one which so closely follows the players actions adds to the loric quality of the game. it makes the actions far more than a set of motions, which any shoot-em-up platformer can quickly fall into. It makes the cartoony world of the Bastion feel like a much more living entity as you fight for it.

A game which I  think had an interesting and affective model for narrative and storytelling was the Max Payne series, specifically Max Payne 2. The narrative is based on Max’s internal dialogue in the the trope of film noir which informed the game stylistically. The combination of this and the third person perspective from which the game is played, creates and interesting dynamic as if Max is recounting the story to you, rather than trying to help the player embody Max. Thematically this can be seen to play to the nihilistic content of the game, as even though you control his actions you cannot actually help him out of his constantly spiraling state, only push him deeper into the action. The trope of the anti-hero in the Noir genre is heavily based in concepts of hopelessness and nihilism, and by taking control of Max this theme is only furthered. I think this can in some ways create a strongly affective experience, even more so than some noir films, as it emphasises the characters lack of agency in this sort of situation, and by pushing the character through this worsening situation the player absorbs some of the responsibility for the on screen events.