[History & Theory of New Media] Examining "Games as Stories" by David Ciccoricco
As an avid fan of "story-driven" games and an author, I found the assessment that "video games are not narratives, and they do not tell stories in any straightforward sense of the phrase" (Ciccoricco, p.224) to be a little... misguided. While I would certainly agree that not all video games are narratives, I would not agree that no video games are.
To begin with, a brief summary of what constitutes a "narrative" - according to Wikipedia, it is "a report of connected events, real or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, or still or moving images, or both". (2019) There is also the "Three Act" story structure many were taught in school; you may recognize it below:
This is a typical "linear" narrative structure - where the story only goes in one direction. Many Japanese Role-Playing Games (or JRPGs) follow this structure very strictly. Newer RPGs, however, have begun to explore with nonlinear narratives, such as Heavy Rain and Life is Strange. However, most story-driven games fall into two categories - interactive narration and interactive narrative.
Interactive narration is the way many "classic" RPGs operate - there is a linear narrative, and the player has to defeat challenges in order to progress. This can be combat (such as the original Call of Duty), puzzles (such as Portal), or both (such as the Legend of Zelda series). In the case of all three, there is a clear narrative, usually one that follows the three act structure. For example, in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you learn that you have been asleep for one hundred years (exposition), and have to fight hordes of monsters and locate your magical sword (rising action), in order to fight the evil Ganon, whom has taken over the land (climax), in order to bring peace (resolution). Breath of the Wild's use of flashbacks might even partially qualify it as nonlinear, though the game play remains the same.
Interactive narratives, on the other hand, have a linear story line based on branching narrative options. In the effort of saving time, I'll only discuss one such game - Dragon Age II, part of the Dragon Age series. I chose this game specifically because not only does it follow the three act structure - the game itself is broken into three acts based on the narrative structure. As "narrated" by a character who is an author, telling the story of what happened.
Act I introduces you to the main character, Hawke, customized by the player, and how they (male or female) are a refugee in the city of Kirkwall, and how they join an expedition to the "Deep Roads" to gain enough money to buy their mother's family estate back - the exposition. Act II has Hawke and their companions dealing with the socio-polical climate created by vying factions in the city, and ultimately becoming the "Champion" by resolving one situation - the rising action. Act III is certainly the climax, ending in major world event, though I will avoid too many details here in case someone would like to experience the story for themselves. Dragon Age II also took a risk uncommon to games by telling a tragedy -in the classical literature sense- instead of a typical "hero's journey" - read more here if you're interested and not adverse to spoilers.
Unlike the previous games, however, the story can change depending on player choices - including personality, which is established through dialogue. What class a player picks determines which of their younger siblings survives an attack at the beginning of the game; whether or not the sibling joins them on the expedition changes where they end up by the beginning of the second act. Certain choices can lead to companions being killed, and choices form the first game change how some situations play out in the second. This type of branching story-telling is what separates an interactive narration and an interactive narrative.
In conclusion, to me, the idea that no video game is a "narrative" or "story" is rather laughable, as I have clearly outlined above several games which follow the most basic (and some would argue archaic) of story structures - to say nothing of the much broader definition of narratives.
Ciccoricco, D. (2014) Games as Stories. The John Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, p. 224-228. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MA.
Wikipedia. (2019) Narrative. Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved on 17 February 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative#CITEREFTraupman1966
To begin with, a brief summary of what constitutes a "narrative" - according to Wikipedia, it is "a report of connected events, real or imaginary, presented in a sequence of written or spoken words, or still or moving images, or both". (2019) There is also the "Three Act" story structure many were taught in school; you may recognize it below:
This is a typical "linear" narrative structure - where the story only goes in one direction. Many Japanese Role-Playing Games (or JRPGs) follow this structure very strictly. Newer RPGs, however, have begun to explore with nonlinear narratives, such as Heavy Rain and Life is Strange. However, most story-driven games fall into two categories - interactive narration and interactive narrative.
Interactive narration is the way many "classic" RPGs operate - there is a linear narrative, and the player has to defeat challenges in order to progress. This can be combat (such as the original Call of Duty), puzzles (such as Portal), or both (such as the Legend of Zelda series). In the case of all three, there is a clear narrative, usually one that follows the three act structure. For example, in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, you learn that you have been asleep for one hundred years (exposition), and have to fight hordes of monsters and locate your magical sword (rising action), in order to fight the evil Ganon, whom has taken over the land (climax), in order to bring peace (resolution). Breath of the Wild's use of flashbacks might even partially qualify it as nonlinear, though the game play remains the same.
Interactive narratives, on the other hand, have a linear story line based on branching narrative options. In the effort of saving time, I'll only discuss one such game - Dragon Age II, part of the Dragon Age series. I chose this game specifically because not only does it follow the three act structure - the game itself is broken into three acts based on the narrative structure. As "narrated" by a character who is an author, telling the story of what happened.
Act I introduces you to the main character, Hawke, customized by the player, and how they (male or female) are a refugee in the city of Kirkwall, and how they join an expedition to the "Deep Roads" to gain enough money to buy their mother's family estate back - the exposition. Act II has Hawke and their companions dealing with the socio-polical climate created by vying factions in the city, and ultimately becoming the "Champion" by resolving one situation - the rising action. Act III is certainly the climax, ending in major world event, though I will avoid too many details here in case someone would like to experience the story for themselves. Dragon Age II also took a risk uncommon to games by telling a tragedy -in the classical literature sense- instead of a typical "hero's journey" - read more here if you're interested and not adverse to spoilers.
Unlike the previous games, however, the story can change depending on player choices - including personality, which is established through dialogue. What class a player picks determines which of their younger siblings survives an attack at the beginning of the game; whether or not the sibling joins them on the expedition changes where they end up by the beginning of the second act. Certain choices can lead to companions being killed, and choices form the first game change how some situations play out in the second. This type of branching story-telling is what separates an interactive narration and an interactive narrative.
In conclusion, to me, the idea that no video game is a "narrative" or "story" is rather laughable, as I have clearly outlined above several games which follow the most basic (and some would argue archaic) of story structures - to say nothing of the much broader definition of narratives.
Ciccoricco, D. (2014) Games as Stories. The John Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, p. 224-228. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MA.
Wikipedia. (2019) Narrative. Wikipedia Foundation. Retrieved on 17 February 2019 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrative#CITEREFTraupman1966
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