noitCARetni-interACTion

exercise 7 - tension between agency and narrative structure

1. Discuss the tension between agency and narrative structure within the game. Do you agree that narrative and interactivity can never co-exist? Why/why not?

I shall attempt to relate the discussion to Neverwinter Nights since it remains the freshest in my memory. I also write from the view point of one who has not played many games with strong narrative elements. My discussion will now begin with the end of this sentence.

NeverWinter Nights attempts to help players transit from a state of ignorance to a state of knowledge by allowing player interaction with non-playing characters. While this is a better strategy than the “cut scene” approach where the line between the narrative and play is clearly demarcated, it also presents limitations as the player can only choose from a series of predetermined questions for the non-playing characters. The agency of the player then is confined to the choice of question and freedom of exploration in order to establish some form of a coherent narrative. On the other hand, it may be said that the player has agency in making use of details from the revealed narrative to decide on his subsequent course of action. In other words, we have a choice in prioritizing the tasks to do first. It might be said that this is really to try and achieve a balance between the author and the player in their control over the narrative.

However, from the experience of playing the game, the revealed narratives can be overwhelming such that it may become annoying. Perhaps it’s a result of information overload within a short span of time, and the many possible tasks to complete that there is a risk of forgetting what has to be done. The player may then experience a seemingly lack of control over the events. Yet the game can still be considered interactive, with players having internal and explorative interactivity. The player has localized agency but limited global agency. NeverWinter Nights has probably a comprehensive network of rules, predetermined narratives and outcomes and it is within these boundaries that exploration, interactivity and the illusion of control is felt. In fact, it can be said that the narrative element is sometimes obscured by play as the player moves around to accumulate gold pieces and experience points.

Narrative and interactivity can coexist to some extent. It is not possible for both to be integrated into a game and yet have both retain the full extent of their characteristics. Some form of compromise has to be reached. After all, the notion of narrative already entails some form of limitations as an author attempts to maintain some form of coherence to the structure. The player also cannot obtain total autonomy of the entire system. To allow for complete agency of the player on its environment and other players, will result in a network of extensive possibilities of narratives which may be a tall order for the author. There needs to be some form of co-authoring done such that the opportunities and experiences of interactivity may emerge from the story and vice versa.

posted by shamanthayan @ 9:33 AM