Narrative in Video Games by Patrick Holleman

1. '"When's the first time someone's going to write the Moby Dick of computer games? People around the world are going to go 'Wow, it doesn't even matter that it's a game, that's classic- that's classic tale." -Chris Metzen, VP of Creative Development, Blizzard Entertainment. Interview, Day to Day' interesting because it shows the convergent nature of ludilogical studies by referring the modern industry of video games to the more classic concept of literature.

2. 'There are ages like, like Tetris that are not intended to be art in the usual sense, and they can be studied simply as games, focusing on what game design ideas and programming mechanics make them entertaining. Other games, however, have elaborate scripts, voiced characters, and dramatic music; these are elements common to other forms of art like films or plays' interesting because it further shows the divergence of ludological studies and also because it defines key elements of video games and almost characterises them. This is further shown through the quote 'should games be studied ludologically or narratologically?' as it defines video games by their structures.

3. 'Whether or not video games can be art, they must nevertheless have their own form of criticism that assesses them for what they are, not what other thing they are like' this is interesting because it is contradictory to earlier points made in the article, this suggests that even though video games are intertextual with other media texts and types of media, they also should be definitive and have their own  conventions and factors.

4. 'The study of traditional games-ludology-studies the common ideas in traditional game design, like the use of chance, how players take turns, and how the players drive the action of the game to win. Like traditional games, video games do have a number of common rules and strategies. Consider how common "headshots" and the "zerg rush" are outside the games that coined their terms" This is interesting because it suggests that video games are that big a medium that they have their own specific and memorable moments similar to a a famous movie scene like the shower scene in psycho.

5. 'On the other hand, video games don't really owe as much to chance; in fact randomness in video games can be perceived as thwarting skill and cancelling out fun. But the biggest difference between traditional games and video games is artificial intelligence, which only video games have' this is interesting because it suggests how video games are different to traditional games by suggesting randomness plays a part in video games, and suggests another difference in artificial intelligence, which connotes the ever evolving nature of video games and ludology as video games have ether own new components, such as AI, that are unique to them.

6. 'in a game environment are controlled by a piece of programming that requires no input from a player. This programming knows what to do and requires no player-prompting or random initiation, but it is limited in its role to being a background factor in the game' this is interesting because it shows the nature of video games as the game, and the player are controlled, by this background AI, however the background AI is limited to being in the background, suggesting a balance in video games and a sense of focus on behalf of the player, as they are the factor in the foreground.

7. 'In a traditional traditional/tabletop game, the players and chance are responsible for everything that goes on in the game; but this is not so in most video games' This is interesting because, it not only shows a difference i video games and traditional games, it characterises video games as 'most' suggesting a unity in video games as a medium.

8. 'video games have a discrete game world, not created or operated by any player. This is the primary design feature that separates video games from their traditional counterparts' Interesting as it suggests a difference and a form of evolution in video games and it shows the different dimensions in video games and the technological advances in video games that the game can operate and function, without the player.

9. 'some portions of video games narratives are exactly like books; the player reads them without interacting except to turn the 'page'. Some narrative segments in video games are exactly like movies; the player watches them without doing anything except pausing and unpausing' this is interesting because it fits in exactly with my essay title, and how video games are similar to films. Although, some narrative segments in games mean the player has to interact more directly, such as the cutscenes in LA Noire.

10. 'In a videogame, on the there hand, the player is presented with a world that can be accessed largely at their own discretion'  Interesting because it states a sense of freedom, that you don't get with other mediums, such as film.

11.' specifically this elaborately constructed world which makes videogames not just unique, but also enjoyable' Interesting because it completely agrees with my argument, that video games are unique as a medium.

12.'the world of the game is also- simply by its nature- a narrative element: setting. Setting in games is so uniquely expressed that we can say with certainty that narrative in videogames is at least different from other art forms' interesting because it suggests that different things are prominent in video game narratives than other narratives, such as setting.

13. ''it is not possible to venture into a secret area of a book or a movie, to have the pleasure of finding something which never even flashed before the eyes of other viewers, who are reading the same book or watching the same movie at the same time' interesting because it suggests that there are more dimensions to a video game narrative the there is a film one. External factors that are exclusive to how much a player plays the game and explores may affect the narrative and this kind of thing cannot be done in a film.

14. 'The first unique approach to character in video games is that video game characters can be customised' Interesting because video games shape the video game experience to you, something that goes far past a character from any film being relatable.

15. 'There is the talented jerk character; their personality is atrocious but they are so useful the player puts p with them. There is the ne'er-do-well friend, who is very likeable but practically useless; carrying this character through the game is often a burden, but the story is more interesting with them in it. And then there are characters who are simply awesome in ability and personality, and payers hate to see anything happen to them' Similar to films in a way as video games have characters that make a narrative that are almost archetypal or stereotypical.

16. 'These are fictional people with whom players have a practical--not just voyeuristic-- relationship; in what other form of art is that possible?' Interesting because it leads to the point of depth that a video game goes with the character/audience relationship and suggests that the player feels actively involved with the character. Also, similar to film as both are regarded as art forms.