Choose a game which you feel attempts to incorporate strong narrative elements. Discuss the tension between agency and narrative structure within the game. Do you agree that narrative and interactivity can never co-exist? Why/why not?
I don’t believe they cannot co-exist.
I take Metal Gear Solid for example. This was a game that borrowed the typical structure that required free user movement within the boundaries of the game interface while delivering a narrative through conversations with game characters as well as video snippets in between segments, during which the player could take a “rest” and watch certain events unfold, often a result of the player’s movements to fulfill a certain task.
I remember we discussed how these segments may be tedious and take away user control. However, I think these segments brought things into perspective, giving meaning to the actions performed by the player. Also, there is a deeper level of immersion into the whole “point” of the game, so that it still feels like you are part of a different world.
If there are too few narrative elements, there may be too much freedom of movement such that playing becomes stressful. Too much responsibility lies on the user to determine the outcome of the game, which may actually be worse because the player has to detach himself more often to think clearly – “ok, now what?” Also, there is less meaning that is incorporated into the game, and less incentive to play. Just like how if there were few/no rules, there really is no game.
The narrative elements, in particular, with reference to Metal Gear Solid, give context and history to the game characters and environment. This works and makes it a good and enjoyable game perhaps because it feeds our innate desire for a social environment (which nicely explains why RPGs and social games like WarCraft are such hits). As you play, you find out more about the game characters, your game persona, the game environment, etc, and this further immerses the player into the magic circle, making the game much more enjoyable.
Certainly, games lacking in narrative can be enjoyable as well, but they don’t necessarily have more interactivity than games with strong narrative elements. I believe that the interactivity is still there, just that the narrative elements must not intrude too much into the gameplay.
For Metal Gear Solid, I found the narrative elements like conversations and video clips very entertaining, and made me enjoy the game more. Certainly there were bits I got annoyed at, especially when the girl keeps whining about our relationship and our feelings when I’m in the middle of a crisis. But apart from that, it certainly made for a good game experience.
2 comments:
I think MGS is a good example of a game where narrative and agency don't co-exist, at least not at the same time. The game goes back and forth between its game-mode, where you can choose what happens, and the cutscenes, where you have no control over the action. In this sense, narrative and agency don't co-exist, although they do both exist within the same game, at different instances in time.
i see what you mean. perhaps a misunderstanding of "co-existing" on my part! When i was playing the game, i didn't feel like the bits were too disjointed because everything sort of fit together very nicely. this is why i think i saw it nicely erh, co-existing, or rather, alternating comfortably?
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