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Narrative in Video Games

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Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games

Synonyms

Ludonarrative; Video game narrative

Definition

Today, no generally accepted definition of video game narrative exists. The academic discourse has pointed out ontological and phenomenological differences to more traditional forms of narrative, and therefore, the relationship to established scholarship in narratology is complex. In the field of video game studies, narrative aspects of video games are often described in contrast to rule-based aspects. A wider scan of related fields reveals additional positions. Ludonarrative is variously understood as a structural quality of the video game artifact, as an experiential quality during the experience of a video game, or as a high-level framework to understand video games. Finally, a number of scholars emphasize the difference to traditional manifestations and therefore work towards specific theories of video game narrative. While all legitimate by themselves, these different usages of “narrative” in the context of video games are...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professorship Interactive Narrative Design, HKU University of the Arts, Utrecht, Netherlands

    Hartmut Koenitz

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  1. Hartmut Koenitz
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Correspondence to Hartmut Koenitz .

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  1. Newton Lee Laboratories, LLC, Tujunga, California, USA

    Newton Lee

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Koenitz, H. (2018). Narrative in Video Games. In: Lee, N. (eds) Encyclopedia of Computer Graphics and Games. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_154-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08234-9_154-1

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