narrative criticism

Stories have been told since the beginning of time. They began with the oral traditions of ancient times, to the use of plays to relate tales and dramas, to books, and all the way to movies and TV shows. All of these methods of storytelling have evolved with the human race throughout the ages. Today we live in an age of technological prowess in which electronic media has become the new standard for human narrative. Following this train of thought we now ask, what has storytelling evolved into today? Although most of the old methods of relating narrative still exist today, what has become the new standard? Video games have become and continue to grow as an amazingly complex and vibrant way to not only tell stories, but to interact with them. This level of connection with human narrative is something that tales of the past were unable to achieve. Now we can not only continue to pass on old and new stories, but we are able to virtually live them. The question that is then raised is “Are video games the evolution of storytelling today?” In order to determine the answer to this question we should explore the different features of narrative and see where video games stand in relation (Foss 401-406).
Stories are set in a variety of interesting and fantastical places and time periods. We have stories of great battles, intense emotional dramas, mystical realms, galactic conquest, and numerous other milieus. Video games take these amazing settings to a new level. Games are set in gritty crime areas, realms of fantasy, the far reaches of space, just to name a few. Although traditional storytelling is able to stimulate our imaginations by making us imagine these exciting places and times, video games allow us to interact and visually “look at” these realms. We are able to virtually “be there” and experience these settings for ourselves. Just as novels go to great lengths to fill their worlds with exquisite detail, video games equally, if not more so, travel to great lengths to recreate locales in amazing detail. Rockstar Studios’, Grand Theft Auto IV created a world which recreates a version of New York City in jaw dropping detail. Trash blows by on the streets, your game character receives calls on his cell phone, cars drive by and other people walk by you on the sidewalk carrying on their virtual lives. The childlike fantasy of wanting to be able to “go inside” the world of a book has now become a reality in the realm of video games. We are now able to not only venture into the worlds of these fantastical realms but we are able to explore and interact within them. A game by Bethesda Studios, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, thrusts the player into a magical realm reminiscent of Tolkien’s Middle Earth. Here you witness skyscraping fortresses and castles set amidst a land of mystical beasts and dragons. You can set your sights on a mountain far off in the distance and literally ride your horse across the landscape until you reach the peak of the mountain and then view the surrounding landscape from your perch high in the sky. This level of presentation and interaction truly shows how far narrative has evolved. People are now able to live in the legendary tales which have been told for generations.
One of the most important parts of stories is that of characters. Our society has been formed around the narratives of larger than life characters such as Beowulf, Odysseus, Jean ValJean, Captain Ahab, etc. Reading about these great heroes, and villains, of literature has been the pastime of children and adults alike. Videogames take these legendary characters and allow us to step out of our ordinary lives and live an extraordinary one. We are now able to wrestle sea serpents at the bottom of the ocean floor, outwit a Cyclops, evade capture as a hunted fugitive, etc. For example, a game by Bungie Studios named Halo, places the player into the boots of a super soldier known simply as Master Chief. As events unfold far in space you, as Master Chief, are thrown into a galactic conflict in which you are the sole hope for humanity against the overwhelming odds of an invading alien force. Although this story setup would make for an entertaining book, it does more than that by allowing you to be the hero of humanity and not just read about it. A recent review by Andrew Reiner in the November issue of Game Informer magazine, regarding a game called Uncharted 2 by Naughty Dog Studios, had this to say regarding the use of characters in video games,
“The divide separating video games and motion pictures is expansive, but moments like this one bring them closer together. I’m not saying games should be movies, or vice versa, but exploring characters in different conditions, emotional or physical, can open the doors for more dynamic storytelling and gameplay in games. Uncharted 2 is testament to this idea.” (Reiner 102)
This level of immersion in video games is unparalleled by any other form of medium ever created. Video games do not just create characters; they create you into a character of legend.
Narration in traditional narrative comes about in a variety of ways. We sometimes are given a first person narrative, third person narrative, etc. Regardless of how a book or movie is told it still unfolds in the same sense; the viewer or reader is shown the story as it unfolds and it does so in a linear fashion. Although the narratives of video games have a definite beginning and end they have the unique ability to be more malleable in terms of narration. Although video games are telling the player a story, it is the player who molds the story through his actions. Players are not always set into a linear sequence of events. They create their own story through their actions and choices in a game. Do I save the hostages and sacrifice my squad? Or do I capture the enemy leader and sacrifice the hostages? Choices such as these allow players to not only enter these incredible stories, but to create the story as well. This unique ability that video games possess, form it into a narrative medium of an entirely different kind than ever before witnessed. In a way video games have now become a tool of narrative creation. Following this evolutionary train we have now seen narrative go from medium we would read such as books, to being able to “enter” books through video games, to now being able to create narrative while being a part of it.
Stories are filled memorable events and scenes which burn into the reader or viewers memory and make a societal impact as we converse and share these memories with those around us. Many conversations begin with the phrase, “did u see that scene in…” or “have you read the chapter where…” because we want to share these fictional experiences we have attempted to experience through books or movies, etc. In video games this same phenomena happens often, but to a fuller extent. “Have you gotten to the sniper level in Chernobyl? Wasn’t that so intense?” or “I was out of ammo with no shields but I held off the entire offensive front using my fists and my wits!” Moments like these occur repeatedly in a video game offering a very visceral experience that you could not receive from another type of narrative medium. For example in Bethesda Studios’ game Fallout 3 you find yourself wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland armed with shotguns and handguns and at one point you encounter a wandering group of soldiers. You decide to travel with them and suddenly encounter an ambush of mutant creatures. As soldiers are being killed all around you, you grit your teeth and hold your ground popping off round after round. Suddenly an enormous mutant giant emerges out of an abandoned subway wielding a sledgehammer with a head the size of a small car. The soldiers draw back but you stand firm and defeat the monster in an epic battle earning the respect of all around you. Another good example of incredible immersion is described well in a game review, concerning a Batman game, by Ben Reeves in the September issue of Game Informer,
“…then-from out of nowhere-batarangs knock their guns away and Batman single-handedly takes down 20 men. Arkham Asylum is filled with these moments, but now you’re the one kicking guys in the head…” (Reeves 82)

Moments like these plunge the player in the world of the game’s narrative to such an extent you literally can still feel the adrenaline pumping afterwards. This excellent use of particular, memorable events in video games once again offers up an experience out of reach for the everyday person.
The use of time in narrative is exercised in a variety of ways. Stories can be told that focus on a brief period of time or they can relate tales that take place over many years. They can be told as a collection of memories from different points in time or as a linear recounting of past events. Some stories even focus on characters actually travelling through time. The variations on the use of time are many, but useful for determining how you want to affect your audience. Different approaches are better for different stories. An example of existing media that utilizes a unique use of time would be the TV show 24. 24 follows its narrative’s characters one hour per episode. Video games similarly follow the molds for temporal usage of narrative found in novels and visual media. Many games utilize flashbacks, time travel, brief time periods, and long dynasties just to name a few. For example, Lionhead Studios’ Fable series follows your character from his childhood all the way to his last days as a grizzled, gray headed adventurer. This unique use of time provides for a very immersive experience as you follow your character as he literally grows up. This dimension of narrative would probably be where the most similarity can be found between traditional storytelling and video games since they both utilize many of the same techniques.
The audience of all narrative varies from case to case and a niche for all kinds of unique audiences is readily available. There are books for children, adults, elderly, etc. The same can be said for video games. However, videogames are generally stereotyped for children and young adults. This mistake is discouraging because many people of different audiences are missing out on all kinds of amazing medium just waiting to be taken advantage of. Although a large amount of games are indeed directed towards children, the amount of games for mature (not just in the violent or graphic sense) audiences consists of at least half, if not the majority, of games available today. Some efforts are being made to target audiences which have lain dormant. The Nintendo Wii gaming system has released a series of commercials which are trying to bridge this gap. They have commercials picturing elderly people gathered together playing bowling on the Wii, demonstrating how user friendly and “unscary” video games can be. They also have a series where the whole family is gathered around the living room playing Wii as a group activity thus trying to bring mom and dad into the gaming picture. Efforts such as these are commendable and hopefully will continue to break the stereotypes in place which prevent many people from enjoying such a rich form of narrative available in today’s society.
Throughout the ages important and often controversial themes arise in narrative that challenges us to think and search for our own moral foundations. Many of the most revered authors of our time bring up some of the most brutal and obscene issues and situations that further explore the human psyche. William Faulkner repeatedly brings up the issues of racism, suicide, murder, and incest in his works and he holds a throne as one of the greatest American writers. The fact that most “great” authors focus on serious themes adds to quality and depth of their narratives. This same focus on serious, important themes can be found in video games today. A great example of this would be Bioware’s epic Mass Effect. In this game the player takes control of a military government agent who has the legal freedom of the CIA. As you patrol the galaxy trying to prevent the impending doom of the galaxy, your are forced to confront moral conflict after moral conflict. In one series of events you are forced to make a decision between saving your comrade from death or saving the woman you love. In another instance you decide between committing genocide upon a potentially dangerous race or letting them live. You face countless decisions which all hinge around very controversial topics and challenge the player to not only decide what they will choose to do in the game but to pause and think about how these decisions expose who they are morally in real life. Games that offer this kind of intense moral exercise serve not only as a form of entertainment but as a psychological quiz to test where we stand on serious issues surrounding us today.
Storytelling has come a long way since the days of cave men and wall paintings. We have watched it evolve into something that is transports you visually, integrates you into another persona, allows you to create your own story, lets you live extraordinary moments, transports you into many dimensions of time, is accessible for any willing audience, and openly confronts serious issues that affect us today. Videogames are the evolution of narrative in our present society. In the many dimensions of narrative videogames not only meet the highest standards, but they exceed them (Foss 401-406). Videogames have become, in their own right, a complex work of art that should be appreciated by all.

Works Cited
Foss, Sonja. “Narrative Criticism.” Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration & Practices. Ed: Sonja Foss. Waveland Press. 1996. 399-477.
Reiner, Andrew. “The Adventure of a Lifetime.” Game Informer Nov. 2009: 102.
Reeves, Ben. “The Best Batman Game Ever Made.” Game Informer Sep. 2009: 82.