Sunday, September 21, 2008

Second Post :)

Seeing as this blog is dedicated to CS4067, also known as Writing Game Analysis, I suppose I should talk a little about the module. The first topic that we have started to discuss is Ludology vs. Narratology. Is it necessary to have a story told with every game, or are games that don't tell storys just as entertaining?

I think the answer to this question really depends on the player themselves. I personally prefer to know more details about the character and why they are on their particular mission. I feel that it enables me to become more absorbed in the game. Alot of the time knowing this information motivates me to complete the game when I feel that it is getting too difficult. So I suppose it is safe to say that I am more of a Narratologist than a Ludologist.

But in this discussion we came across the question: Are there any games that take a complete ludologist approach to creating a game? Do the objects and backgrounds in the game not create a story themselves? Just because the game isn't telling you the story directly, it doesn't mean that by providing you with the objects you are not creating a story yourself. So would this mean that the game would now fall under the category of Narratology instead of Ludology? If it does, then is it possible for a Ludology game to be without a bit of Narratology?

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