Abstract
This paper reports upon a preliminary investigation of narrative structures embedded within The Under Presents (2019), a pioneering VR game produced by independent Los Angeles-based studio, Tender Claws. The narrative experience of the game involves a blend of open-world exploration and quest-based experiences that actively encourage the player's bodily engagement in story creation. With reference to Ryan’s notions of emotional and strategic space in digital narratives (2015a), I explore the player’s manipulation of space in the game world as an embodied activity that generates narrative, mediated through the VR headset and hand controllers. The malleability of space emerges not only as a central theme within the project but also profoundly influences how players interact with the story world. Further to identifying overlapping emotional or strategic spaces within the game world, I propose the notion of ‘corporeal space’ to address the constituting role of the player's body in the 360-degree VR environment and in the generation of story. Considering this interplay between space, story and the body, I propose that The Under Presents serves as a valuable resource for exploring the potential of narrative experiences within the realm of VR gaming.
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Notes
- 1.
Ryan proposes the concepts of ‘narrative games’ and ‘playable stories’ to explore the interplay between narrativity and player agency within an interactive digital narrative (2009). She suggests that a narrative game involves ‘narrative meaning […] subordinated to the player's actions’ (p. 45). This means that narrative aspects enhance gameplay but are not generated through game play. Ryan cites Half-Life, Max Payne and Grand Theft Auto as examples of a narrative game. She suggests that by contrast, a playable story has less focus on achieving goals and involves exploration of an environment (p. 46). As such, a narrative is generated through the player’s experience.
- 2.
In his 2012 paper titled ‘A narrative theory of games’ Aarseth presents an analysis of four narrative elements: places (worlds), things (objects), characters (agents), and events, noting how these structures reflect the narrative and ludic emphasis of a game.
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Dooley, K. (2023). Traversing Space in The Under Presents (2019), a VR Game. In: Holloway-Attaway, L., Murray, J.T. (eds) Interactive Storytelling. ICIDS 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 14383. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-47655-6_27
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