{"id":1549,"date":"2020-02-18T18:52:32","date_gmt":"2020-02-18T18:52:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/build.centerforemdd.com\/?page_id=1549"},"modified":"2024-09-05T19:19:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-05T19:19:57","slug":"rachel-wood","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/emdd.bsu.edu\/index.php\/research\/rachel-wood\/","title":{"rendered":"Narrative Agency in Crime Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Game’s Afoot: Ludonarrativity and Player Agency<\/span> in Sci-Fi Crime Games\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Rachel Wood<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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When it comes to interactivity,<\/strong> detective plots in video games encounter an interesting barrier: the game must guide the player to a predetermined solution, since the narrative can\u2019t continue without some sort of conclusion, but limit the player\u2019s access to information to keep them in suspense. This barrier appears because players are reconstructing a set narrative within a narrative\u2015the result cannot be altered, as the player enters the story at the end of its arc. As such, some critics argue that crime games are either too linear or too complex for a player to feel in control of the story. However, certain games integrate science fiction elements to increase the player\u2019s control of the problem-solving process. This study analyzes this intersection of story and gameplay: how do games use the reconstruction of a crime as a functioning, player-controlled narrative? How does the science fiction setting allow designers to use more interactive gameplay techniques?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\"Using literary theory as a basis for analysis, this paper studies how game designers can map narrative theory to gameplay techniques in crime games.\"\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The narrative breakdown of Barthes’ hermeneutic code in Quantic Dream’s Detroit: Become Human<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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This study focuses on the analysis of narrative and gameplay techniques in <\/span>Trauma Team<\/span><\/i> (2011) and <\/span>Detroit: Become Human<\/span><\/i> (2018). Though they present two different genres of gameplay, certain \u201cchapters\u201d of these games focus on forensic and crime scene investigation. Specifically, these games use the combination of sci-fi and detective fiction elements to increase player interaction within the narrative. This paper analyzes how the crossover of genres impacts a player\u2019s ability to control the narrative rather than follow the typical linear problem-solving process of crime games. <\/span>Using literary theory as a basis for analysis, this paper studies how game designers can map narrative theory to gameplay techniques in crime games. Likewise, designers can use these theories alongside narrative-building techniques (Domsch, 2013) to further increase player agency in this genre of gaming. Previous research outlined the similarities between crime fiction and traditional crime video games (Ramirez, 2012), but there is little research on how extensions of the crime genre, such as science fiction, can impact narrative. To visualize player choice, this study uses flow maps and dialogue option trees to track the number of decisions a player can make in one story line and reach the conclusion of a chapter\u2019s arc. Overall, analyzing these narrative nudging techniques helps designers better understand how to combine narratology and interactive story-building to design games that make players feel more in control of reconstructing narrative.<\/span><\/p>

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Access the full document here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tExplore More Research<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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