Game Design as Narrative Architecture
This article seemed a bit outdated to me. In the article the author talked about how games have to base themselves off emotional residue of other narratives in order to be successful. I disagree in that I don’t think just games play off this base. Many elements of life and story telling rely on a foundation that the person listening/playing is human and has in some way a shared experience to the story. The first years of life are all about building this foundation of emotions and without it the world would seem strange or misinterpreted. But at the same time there needs to be room to fill voids in the story to make it a personal experience. I was interested in the role of urban designers described in the article. They should design a space in which people enjoy to use but is not completely dictated and filled with meaning. People want a place they can call their own, just like in literature or games. Perhaps this is why games like Minecraft are so successful Everyone shares the same base and motivations but what they create is uniquely theirs.
How to do Things with Video Games – Transit –
I pretty much agreed with the author. Games are becoming a bit more about a journey narrative rather than linear jumps. I like this however. For me I do enjoy the stories in games much more than the action depending ont the situation. But I also like simulations with out any story at all and I see them as equally thoughtful and interesting works. So I dont believe that for a game to be successful there has to be a strong story wether it progresses rapidly or slowly. Some of the best games have no plot except for what the player puts into them. I do completely agree that games can be more enjoyable than real life because there is a chance to find something new with relative ease. World exploration games are a personal favorite of mine. Seeing what I can discover and how I can move through the space is extremely rewarding to me, narrative or not.
