Narrativity: An Ending

Well that didn't take too long after all, did it!

I think I have some great ideas to go forward with.  I am going to discuss Character, Narrative Space, Pacing, and Interactivty & Immersion as my key elements.  I think this section is going to be the most translatable to DVD as well.  I always knew that I'd want to show examples of good games or what makes up good games, but now I think Abbott's discussion has inspired me to break down elements that are unique to video game narratives. 

I have made a preliminary outline plan as follows for this hypothetical DVD and elements:

Character - This is going to relate to the focus on identity that I have already written about.  Players can relate very easily to video game characters since the character require input to do anything.  Games that allow character creation and/or relationship systems will be strong examples.  Some games to keep in mind for this are The Sims, WoW, or Dragon Age.

Narrative Space - I am not sure if narrative space is the best word, but am using it for now.  Narrative space is something that is created in a reader's mind, where the space in which a video game world takes place is already pre-coded.  Anyway, the best video game narrative space is going to be a very detailed world.  Some games to keep in mind for this are WoW, one of the Final Fantasies, Zelda, LittleBigPlanet, or any other games that have "personality."

Pacing - This is going to tie in a bit with gameplay/interactivity/immersion because the pacing is broken up into period of watching and periods of playing.  Games can take what is great about film, and add a layer of "hands-on" to it.  Also, I'm pretty sure all games are required to have captioning, I am trying to think of any that don't have captions on by default.  So while there is voice acting in newer games, there is still text.  And of course the older titles definitely relied on text to add personality.  This can be a benefit in the classroom!  Some games to remember for this are Final Fantasy titles, StarCraft, Portal, and Half-Life.

Gameplay/Interactivity/Immersion - I already touched on this last post, but it dawned on me that I can relate this to New Literacy studies a la James Paul Gee!  New Literacy studies call for multi-literacy, and regard the teaching of said multi-literacy to still be the responsibility of English classrooms, so what better way to become digitally literate than via entertaining video games?  I will have to flesh that out some more.  But Heavy Rain is a lock for this category, since I am very biased in favor of this game.  I just think the way David Cage and co. present their story, this is the way of the future, this is how story and play will be married and applied in the classroom. 

There is definitely a need for refinement in these elements.  And if I am serious about making the DVD with footage from these games, I am going to have to be quick about choosing them, and getting to a point within each game that clearly demonstrates the chosen element of narrativity.  I still think it's amusing that my homework is going to consist of playing some of my favorite titles, and still love this topic thankfully!