Narrative Mechanics: Strategies and Meanings in Games and Real Life

Open Access Published by transcript Verlag 2021

Narrative Mechanics

Strategies and Meanings in Games and Real Life

Edited by: Beat Suter , René Bauer and Mela Kocher

Volume 82 in the series Edition Medienwissenschaft

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839453452

Overview
Contents

About this book

What do stories in games have in common with political narratives?
This book identifies narrative strategies as mechanisms for meaning and manipulation in games and real life. It shows that the narrative mechanics so clearly identifiable in games are increasingly used (and abused) in politics and social life. They have »many faces«, displays and interfaces. They occur as texts, recipes, stories, dramas in three acts, movies, videos, tweets, journeys of heroes, but also as rewarding stories in games and as narratives in society - such as a career from rags to riches, the concept of modernity or market economy. Below their surface, however, narrative mechanics are a particular type of motivational design - of game mechanics.

Author / Editor information

Beat Suter (PhD), born in 1962, works as lecturer and researcher in game design at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and manages GameLab and Game Archive. He has a PhD in literary studies.
René Bauer, born in 1972, studied German philology and literary studies, biology and computer linguistics at the University of Zurich. He works as lecturer, researcher, and Head of Master education in game design at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
Mela Kocher (PhD), born in 1972, works as senior researcher in Game Design at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). After publishing her dissertation in 2007 on aesthetics and narratology in video games, she spent two years on a post-doc project at the University of California, San Diego.

Topics

Frontmatter Open Access Download PDF	1
Contents Open Access Download PDF	5
Introduction Beat Suter, René Bauer and Mela Kocher Open Access Download PDF	9
Playing with Narratives
Narrative Mechanics Strategies and Meanings in Games and Real Life René Bauer and Beat Suter Open Access Download PDF	19
Narrative Patterns in Video Games Narrative Mechanics and Its Rules and Rule Sets Beat Suter Open Access Download PDF	51
Teaching Narrative Design On the Importance of Narrative Game Mechanics Teun Dubbelman Open Access Download PDF	79
The Narrative Role of Sound in Games Chris Polus Open Access Download PDF	91
Expanding the Narrative
Mukokuseki and the Narrative Mechanics in Japanese Games Hiloko Kato and René Bauer Open Access Download PDF	113
Characterization and Emergent Narrative in Dwarf Fortress Tarn Adams Open Access Download PDF	151
On the Evolution of Narrative Mechanics in Open-World Games Ulrich Götz Open Access Download PDF	161
Open-End Storytelling in Pinball Machines A Summary of the Narrative Elements and Structures in Pinball Machines David Krummenacher Open Access Download PDF	177
Mechanics of Inspiration A Recursive Play of Reflections in Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP Florian Faller Open Access Download PDF	197
Narrative Approaches in Contemporary Video Game Reviews Robert Glashüttner Open Access Download PDF	211
Games, Politics and Society
“We’re not murderers. We just survive.” The Ideological Function of Game Mechanics in Zombie Games Eugen Pfister Open Access Download PDF	231
QUIZ Games for a Situationist Society Günter Hack Open Access Download PDF	247
Ludic Meanders through Defictionalization: The Narrative Mechanics of Art Games in the Public Spaces of Politics Margarete Jahrmann Open Access Download PDF	257
If You Play It, Do You Believe It? Making Game Stories Become Real with Embedded Design Mary Flanagan Open Access Download PDF	279
Ball Games and Language Games On Wittgenstein, Football Fan Culture and Pop Culture Martin Lindner Open Access Download PDF	291
Case Studies
Florence A Playful Narrative Experience That Lingers in Your Heart and Mind Mela Kocher Open Access Download PDF	301
The Last Guardian Narrating through Mechanics and Empathy Beat Suter Open Access Download PDF	309
Murder at the Museum Narrative Audio Games for Museums Stefan Schmidlin Open Access Download PDF	315
Even Missile Command Tells a Story Beat Suter Open Access Download PDF	323
Shave Playing with Conventions in Society and Game Design Sonja Böckler Open Access Download PDF	329
The Twitter Game Game Mechanics of Twitter René Bauer Open Access Download PDF	337
Commander Kurz A Short Essay on Videoludic Heroes and Political Strongmen Eugen Pfister Open Access Download PDF	351
Authors Open Access Download PDF	355

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: transcript Verlag
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 362
Keywords: Game Studies; Game Design; Media; Culture; Popular Culture; Computer Games; Media Aesthetics; Digital Media; Media Studies

eBook

Published: May 27, 2021
ISBN: 9783839453452