Narrative Interactivity: An Introduction

When it comes to narrative in films and video games, the main difference between the two is the inclusion of player interactivity in video games. In most games this has no direct effect on the events of the story. Lately though, many games have experimented with how the player could effect the actual narrative. In her article Beyond Myth and Metaphor: The Case of Narrative in Digital Media, Marie-Laure Ryan talks about the concept of narrative interactivity, which is when the player has an actual effect on how the story unfolds. This concept is one of the central points in video game narratives.

Ryan breaks the concept down into different categories. The first is Internal/External Mode. Internal is when the player is projected as a member of the fictional world. Many games use this mode, as this is the more immersive one. Halo: Reach for example uses this mode. The player has a concrete persona in the world, so he naturally feels like he is part of it. In the External Mode however, the player is an outsider controlling the world -- popular in Real Time Strategy games. A concrete persona is not required here, and is usually not present. Beyond these categories, Ryan discusses two more: Exploratory/Ontological. Exploratory is when the user is free to move around in the world and interact, but his actions ultimately result in no alterations to the plot and create no history in the universe. Most more linear games use this mode. In Ontological mode however, the actions of the user send the plot in different paths; this mode is being experimented with more recent games, like Heavy Rain and Mass Effect 2 to an extent. With Internal and External there is alot of gray zone, as the user can be at various 'distances' from the world; but a game is always either Exploratory or Ontological. You either effect the world or you don't.

We will further explore these categories next week, as I explain the 4 primary groups of narratives they create when they're cross-classified.

References:

Ryan, M. (2001). Beyond myth and metaphor: The case of narrative in digital media.
Game Studies: The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 1 (Issue 1).
Retrieved from http://www.gamestudies.org/0101/ryan/