There has been a long debate over if video games should include narratives or not. On one side of the argument are the ludologists who believe games and narratives should be separate from each other. On the other side of the argument are the narratologists who believe the stories are what make the game a game. Environmental storytelling has become one of the most debated topics in the game studies world. According to Ian Bogost in his article “Video Games Are Better Without Stories,” environmental storytelling “invite players to discover and reconstruct a fixed story from the environment itself.” (Bogost). Ludologists believe that environmental storytelling isn’t interactive like a game at all. Instead, environmental storytelling is comparable to cinema, tv shows, or a book. According to Bogost “Games’ obsession with story obscures more ambitious goals” (Bogost). Although both sides have provided valid arguments, I personally believe narratives are important to help enhance gameplay as well as a player’s immersion.

“Narration functions both to draw us into the character and add a framework of humor to the journey” (Salter 30). I totally agree with this quote as I do feel that the story or journey in a video game is what enhances our gameplay as well as enjoyment. In King’s Quest: A Knight to Remember everyone knows that Graham will become a king as that’s how the story begins. However, it’s the individual journey and interactions that make the narrative of the story. Many games utilize this mechanic of choice in their gameplay such as Until Dawn where our choices impact certain elements of the game that occur later on. This unique mechanic is what I believe makes Until Dawn fun and different. Despite all of this, narration also serves another purpose: world building.

When it comes to environmental storytelling and narratives in a games, the word world building comes to mind. I believe that narratives and environmental storytelling help build the world of whatever game you’re playing. One game that utilizes this technique to create an immersive world is BioShock Infinite. Right at the start of the game we are introduced to the environment of the “lower world” that is shown to be rainy, gloomy, dark, and dangerous. When we (the main character) are blasted into the utopian city of Columbia, the environment is shown to be bright, pure, and peaceful. The lower world is depicted to be old since everything looks run down. At the same time Columbia is shown to be a safe haven or Eden. In addition to this, players are able to find a museum in Columbia which offers a “state-sponsored version of historical events” (Wolf 77). This museum gives players more narrative to better immersive themselves into the culture and history of BioShock’s world. The game also is not open world. Although this is seen as a negative to many gamers, Wolf argues that “this creative choice to withhold information, ironically, makes the world seem more complete, even as it retains an air of mystery” (Wolf 77).

Environmental storytelling and narratives help players get more immersed into the magic circle of a game. Although there are games like Tetris that have no narrative, games like BioShock (in my opinion) have more depth and immersion. I am a firm believer that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination. Games with stories show the progression of a journey which allows players to create their own little narratives.

References

Bogost, I. (2017, April 25). Video Games Are Better Without Stories. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/video-games-stories/524148/

Huntemann, N. (2019). How to Play Video Games. New York, NY: NYU Press.