Participation Week 11
Publish a review for a link to an article or academic writing
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/once-upon-a-time-narrative-in-video-games/1100-6214951/
This week’s link is of an article from the editorial of a game critiquing website called ‘Gamespot.com’ called ‘Once Upon A Time: Narrative in Video Games’ and addresses the discourse surrounding the importance of Narrative in Video games and whether Video games propose a new form interactive storytelling. The author Laura Parker starts on a note about Human stories and our narratively ridden cultures, now coming to a point where people now have the ability to interact with their stories.
As started by Parker, the viewer is no longer a passive observer but rather an integral part of the storytelling process.
On a whole, the article views video games from the two generalized perspectives, one in which its purpose is solely for the design of its interactive challenge and another in which the narrative is an integral part of the game. By citing various games to draw examples of the degree of narrativity it possess and the significance of it on the critical reception of its release, Parker ultimately parks upon the game ‘Heavy Rain’, critically acclaimed for its detailed and causally intricate plot that drives the game purely. Wherein which users are required to make certain choices that will effect the entirety of the game as a whole and the narrative presented.
Conclusive, Parker comments how it may be time till video games as a storytelling or narrative medium will be truly actualized, which can entail its potentiality in bringing an integrated effect on cultures to come.
Personal Assessment Matrix
| WEEK | Analysis | Execution | Reflection | Learning | Total |
| 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
Provide a link to a form of Multimedia
Given light of the topic of Video game Narratives in the review, I have chosen to provide a link to an interactive animated flash-based game called ‘Exmortis 2’. The reason I had chosen this particular media was to embellish on the note that the article leaves off. ‘Exmortis’ is an extremely detailed plot driven horror game that holds unique in its requirement of the user to navigate through its story world and investigate as a player to find a conclusion and explanation to a particular strange occurrence. In the fear of giving spoilers, I leave you with the phenomenal game and hope to make you reconsider the power of video games in telling you a story.