Student Research Report sample b

In my genre presentation, I focused on the evolution of narrative in video games as well as the perception many people have of them in the context of other forms of entertainment, such as books or movies.  However, in this paper I would like to focus on the sources and specific aspects of video games which make them both similar to movies and books as well as a unique form of expression.

            According to the Encyclopedia Americana, most video games “…are intended for entertainment and some for educational purposes.” (Grolier)  Indeed, educational video games comprise an entire genre of games recognized by the video game industry.  However, video games as a whole may be viewed as having educational value, and proponents have asserted that video games aid in both computer literacy and motor coordination. (Grolier)  Likewise, while tragedies may not sell many tickets at the box office, much of tragedy’s stake in being “the greatest genre” lies in its ability to instruct.  While the benefit to the audience may differ between video games and tragedies, they are similar in that, unlike romances or comedies, they challenge and often better those who experience them.

            However, despite their similarities, video games and tragedies seem to be mutually exclusive.  In other words, I have yet to see a video game with a tragic plot.  Perhaps this is due to the first video game to have what could be considered narration, the 1962 game Spacewar!  According to the game’s author, sci-fi novels by Edward E. Smith and Japanese movies such as Godzilla largely constituted the, “…books, movies, and Hingham Street bull-sessions (which) established the mind-set that eventually led to Spacewar! (Burnham)  In other words, romance and spectacle have had a dominating influence on video games from the beginning, and do to this day. 

            Although video game narration may have its basis in the more conventional entertainment of movies and books, its nature allows it to accomplish what those forms, by their natures, cannot.   More specifically, video games are able to bypass the limitations of narrative and directly simulate the sights and sounds of an event.  Or, in other words, “Narrative turns out to be characterized by describing events that are not implemented. Narratives simply do not contain the mechanics or dynamic needed to simulate the events they describe. The psychology of the characters may be described, but it is never there.”  (Juul)  An example of such a discrepancy can be found in Oedipus Rex.  Although the blinding of Oedipus is described (and quite well, at that), it is not experienced in a realistic way.  Furthermore, due to the very nature of narration, is cannot be sufficiently simulated.  Conversely, “A novel can psychologise the main character, but in the computer game, the reaction patterns of the main character are not fixed. So the game risks having a main character with an unconvincing psychology.”  Indeed, in my experience, creating a psychologically complex and complete video character is an exceedingly difficult and rare thing.

            Despite these differences between narrative and simulation, video games are fundamentally a narrative form.  In fact, even pinball games have adopted narratives to entice prospective players - “…pinball designers still rely on fictional narrative as a "hooking device", whether they base their designs on popular films or science fiction TV-shows like Star Trek. You don't get in-game instructions like "shoot the ball into the thing on the left to get more balls on the board", the preferred version looks a lot more like "shoot ball into wormhole to enter warpspeed and release multiball." (Jørgen)  Ultimately, only one-third of a video game deviates from the classic Aristotelian conception of narrative found in books and movies – the middle.  A static narrative is used to hook the player and establish the plot, as well as provide a consistent (and usually romantic) ending.  The middle, however, has the capability to simulate an experience in a completely unique way – through interactivity.  Although aspects such as character psychology are primitive relative to what is found in books and movies, I believe my genre presentation illustrated that obstacles of similar magnitude can - and have been – overcome.  If this trend continues, video games may one day succeed tragedy as, “the greatest of all genres.” 

Works Cited

Burnham, Van.  Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984.  The MIT Press, ©2001.  Cambridge, MA.

Grolier Incorporated.  The Encyclopedia Americana International Edition.  Scholastic Library Publishing, ©2003.  Danbury, CT.

Jørgen, Kirksæther.  The Structure of Video Game Narration.  http://cmc.uib.no/dac98/papers/kirksaether.html

  [TK]