A Functional Perspective on Narrative in Computer Games - Wolf Maul

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frame should be minimized through stylistic and point-of-view consistency in the game presentation and the elimination – or, when necessary, contextualisation - of computer-initiated interruptions to play. The player-character should be able to navigate the game space without having to switch to player mode, and actions and consequences should appear to be dictated by the requirements of the fictional space and not by game logic. In other words, strong narrative within computer games is a function of how well a game expands and enhances the player’s perception of agency through the course of play, and of how well the fiction frame creates the experience of a cohesive virtual world within which the player can act as a character. Further Considerations This analysis, I hope, has been a step toward understanding – and improving – the function of narrative in computer games. It does, however, have some important limitations which further work should address. Because my study was limited to three games and conducted using first- person single-player data, it leaves some questions unanswered such as: How consistent are fictions frames from one player to another? How do less overtly narrative game genres such as sporting, fighting, and simulation games create fiction frames, and are there types of games in which the concept of a fiction frame is truly irrelevant? Do players in social situations during multi-player games create a fiction frame (or fiction frames), and how does the narrative dimension of a game influence the social context of group play? There seems also to be something to gain – especially from a developer’s perspective – from further study of player behavior in terms of thought processes, typical responses, and demographic variations. How, for instance, do age, gender, and education level influence 46
player responses to agency and context, and how can games allow for a wider variety of preferences, response patterns, and skill levels? One question does not need, I feel, to continue to be debated: whether computer games can contain narrative. Let us instead work on understanding the process, function, and potential of narrative as it does undeniably exist in computer games to the enjoyment – and benefit – of their many players. 47
Page 1 and 2: A Functional <stro
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Abstract………
Page 5 and 6: A Functional <stro
Page 7 and 8: crossovers. Actors, including major
Page 9 and 10: Reviewers of computer games tend to
Page 11 and 12: The word Murray uses to describe na
Page 13 and 14: Juul, 2001). From this perspective,
Page 15 and 16: Does a computer game have to be cyb
Page 17 and 18: GameSpot and 4.5/5 by Adrenaline Va
Page 19 and 20: environment is similar to that of r
Page 21 and 22: my illustration of the model of fra
Page 23 and 24: location. The mouse is used for the
Page 25 and 26: Riven - Left image: Atreus gives in
Page 27 and 28: Baldur’s Gate uses an isometric (
Page 29 and 30: On the most basic level, the interf
Page 31 and 32: Granularity is a measure of how fin
Page 33 and 34: In The Longest Journey, for example
Page 35 and 36: possess the key). Since it may lead
Page 37 and 38: locked, and forest paths can be blo
Page 39 and 40: information nor building annoyance
Page 41 and 42: Macro-impact is similar to micro-im
Page 43 and 44: (I had to repair a watch with a pus
Page 45: inhibiting agency and drawing atten
Page 49 and 50: Poole, Steven (2000). Trigger Happy

A Functional Perspective on Narrative in Computer Games - Wolf Maul

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