‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media

The current surge of game studies literature demands a scrutinizing look at the solidifying positions within the German and international discourse and the opportunities of finding a common vocabulary and adequate set of analytical tools. In order to arrive at an integrative model of analysis, the...

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Main Author: Stefan Werning
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Septentrio Academic Publishing 2007-05-01
Series:Eludamos
Online Access:https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/eludamos/article/view/5962
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author Stefan Werning
author_facet Stefan Werning
author_sort Stefan Werning
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description The current surge of game studies literature demands a scrutinizing look at the solidifying positions within the German and international discourse and the opportunities of finding a common vocabulary and adequate set of analytical tools. In order to arrive at an integrative model of analysis, the intricate interplay of narrative and game mechanics (narratology vs. ludology) is considered from a comparative perspective and thus demystified. Consequently, a new model based on programming theory (object-oriented narrative) is proposed which takes into account elements of psychology, narratological concepts derived from film- and literature studies and cultural studies approaches leading to a ‘close reading’ of games. The article is based on the assumption that computer- and videogames recode the act of ‘reading’ games as texts into a mode of ‘text-processing’ and thereby fundamentally modify the parameters of our cultural appropriation and media literacy. The model proposed herein shall then be tentatively applied to the complex re-staging and re-examination of ‘the real’ in a wide range games from Wonderland to Enter the Matrix.
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spelling doaj.art-61e35574f8c347e19efb79bbf6bb1bb32024-02-03T14:58:31ZengSeptentrio Academic PublishingEludamos1866-61242007-05-011110.7557/23.5962‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable MediaStefan WerningThe current surge of game studies literature demands a scrutinizing look at the solidifying positions within the German and international discourse and the opportunities of finding a common vocabulary and adequate set of analytical tools. In order to arrive at an integrative model of analysis, the intricate interplay of narrative and game mechanics (narratology vs. ludology) is considered from a comparative perspective and thus demystified. Consequently, a new model based on programming theory (object-oriented narrative) is proposed which takes into account elements of psychology, narratological concepts derived from film- and literature studies and cultural studies approaches leading to a ‘close reading’ of games. The article is based on the assumption that computer- and videogames recode the act of ‘reading’ games as texts into a mode of ‘text-processing’ and thereby fundamentally modify the parameters of our cultural appropriation and media literacy. The model proposed herein shall then be tentatively applied to the complex re-staging and re-examination of ‘the real’ in a wide range games from Wonderland to Enter the Matrix.https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/eludamos/article/view/5962
spellingShingle Stefan Werning
‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
Eludamos
title ‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
title_full ‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
title_fullStr ‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
title_full_unstemmed ‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
title_short ‘Translating Narrative into Code’ – Thoughts on a Technology-Centric Model of Digital Games as Programmable Media
title_sort translating narrative into code thoughts on a technology centric model of digital games as programmable media
url https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/eludamos/article/view/5962
work_keys_str_mv AT stefanwerning translatingnarrativeintocodethoughtsonatechnologycentricmodelofdigitalgamesasprogrammablemedia