In this fifth instalment of How Games Tell Tales, I will discuss how games can tell stories without actually telling a story at all. I will explore how a game such as Bloodborne can create a narrative that players collectively imagine through exploration, vague hints, and atmosphere.
In this fourth installment of How Games Tell Tales, I will discuss how games portray unreliable narration. Using Spec Ops: The Line as an example, I will show that the hyperreality of video games influences how an unreliable story can be experienced. I will also discuss the criticism this game has of military entertainment.
This article is a continuation of the last article on Detroit: Become Human. In it I explore the game’s controversial relation with references to historical forms of oppression, as well as the lead developer’s (lack of) answers to this situation.
In this third installment of How Games Tell Tales, I will discuss games that offer a large amount of player input. Using Detroit: Become Human as an example, I will explore how such choices can work, how most choices are not as meaningful as they seem, and how this intertwines with the concept of intended play.
In this second installment of How Games Tell Tales, I will discuss a particular aspect of video games: simulation. By using some theories on historical simulation, I will use Nioh as an example of how games can represent history and mythology.
In this new series, I will explore how games tell stories differently than other media. We start by looking at how games use immersion and player control, with The Last of Us as the main example.