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Literary Gaming: Questioning Traditional Agency in Game-Play

September 20, 2016 by Maureen Maclean

My group (me, Iris Fu, and Matt Fay) is creating a superhero game in which the player can choose between three superpowers: super-strength, the power of flight, and invisibility. With the limitations of their ability, the player must navigate one of three different scenarios assigned to them by probability/chance. All three scenarios feature the player (superhero) confronting and trying to defeat a villainous force. Each scenario is written to favor one power, thus limiting success by chance and ability (superpower). Even though certain scenarios are more adventitious for a certain power, the outcome of any run of the game is not as clear as win or lose. For example, the player might be successful in saving the day but still end up in jail; life isn’t black or white, but it’s messy and gray.

The Netflix hit show Jessica Jones inspired my scenario in which the player is an investigative journalist trying to get at the bottom of a government conspiracy. Unlike a lot of superhero narratives, Jessica Jones questions traditional concepts of agency and morality. At the end of the season, viewers are not rewarded clear winners or losers and conflicts still remain at large.
The Netflix hit show Jessica Jones inspired my scenario in which the player is an investigative journalist trying to get at the bottom of a government conspiracy. Unlike a lot of superhero narratives, Jessica Jones questions traditional concepts of agency and morality. At the end of the season, viewers are not rewarded clear winners or losers and conflicts still remain at large.

In the introduction of Literary Gaming (2014), Ensslin states that literary games are “designed to make players reflect on conventional aspects of games such as fast-paced action, rule-governed kinetic behavior, goal-directedness, and simplistic friend-and-foe binary thought ”(7). Indeed, our game fits within this framework of literary gaming as our game delineates from traditional aspects of fairness. For example, many traditional games start with players on equal level fields; regardless of the race you choose in Skyrim-whether Breton or Argonian- you will get the same quests. In our game, however, players are assigned scenarios that are easier or harder depending on their power. Even beyond the realms of game or narrative, our game asks players to question their experience of life in terms of the choices awarded to them by chance and/or ability. How does privilege affect your circumstance? What abilities or lack thereof affect what you can do or accomplish? How much “luck” do you reward to your current situation in life?

Like many literary games or really games in general, our game is a collaborative effort. Using Rettberg’s definition, each team member is a conscious participator- we all know the restraints, nature, and our role in the project (137). For instance, each of us is writing one scenario that favors one superpower: Iris is doing super-strength, Matt is doing flying, and I am doing invisibility. Even though we each write a scenario, we have to be mindful to balance our stories in terms of length and difficulty with each other’s. Additionally, we have to be mindful not to make our scenarios to similar to each other. One challenge or difficulty of working in a group of three is that we can’t read each other’s minds; we have to continually communicate about how our scenario is evolving. Also, in terms of the division of labor, our method (we all write and code) is inefficient. It delineates from traditional group work that assigns a role to one person, such as one person coding and another writing the story. On the other hand, our method offers a greater variety of game-play and lets each of us participate in storytelling process. If I were to create the game alone, I would not have the time to create 3 scenarios much less have the creativity to ensure that they each represent different points of view.

My narrative outline of the game. WARNING: contains spoilers.

Filed Under: Reflection #1, Reflections Tagged With: agency, choice, DH, Game, Iris Fu, Matt Fay, maureen, python, reflection, super powers

Best Game EVER seriously, guys!

September 20, 2016 by Sarah Rosecky

My group’s project is a murder-mystery game. So far there are 3 characters that are interactive: the narrator, the player, and the detective. Of course, the murder victim is also a “character,” but he will not be a major part of the game. He was murdered, so he does not need to be an interactive character. The objective of our game is to figure out who murdered the victim. The player is trying to find out the real story, along with getting questioned by the detectives himself. The conflicts that we are building into our game is that the player is actually the one who committed the murder, but the player does not know it. The whole time they think they are innocent or also trying to find out who the murderer was, but it was the player the whole entire time. The player’s storyline begins with waking up and not knowing how he got there. Also the narrative adds specific clues and ideas that serve as alibis for the player. However, if the player decides to let the detective him, he fails, and it is “gameover”.

Rettberg analyzes the relationship between readers and authors in actual printed material. Readers know their favorite authors, but not their favorite editors (Rettberg). With digital editions and the World Wide Web, we can serve in all aspects of the project. We are the authors but also the editors and other important roles that go into publishing a work of art. Rettberg writes that “any time of collective narrative mst be understood not only in terms of a resulting “work,” but also as a performance (Rettberg 197). This project is not only about the final result; it is about the experience off creating the work of art,

There are many benefits and drawbacks of working collaboratively in completing this assignment. Some advantages are that the workload can be evenly distributed. Also, when working with others, there is a type of courtesy to your peers that allows yo to get work done in a timely manner and with good quality. Because others rely on your work for their own grades, it is very important that work is completed on time and with good effort. Another benefit of working with others is that it is very easy to ask or help. If an particular aspect of the assignment is challenging for you, your teammates are there to assist you. An advantage that may be the most beneficial is the creativity that can be conjured up by three people rather than just one. It allows the project more room to be creative and more successful.

A disadvantage to working with others on a project is that sometimes it is not on your own time. Sometimes, for example, I may get a creative revelation and want to change the project, but I cannot just go ahead and make changes. It is not only my project, and I must consult my peers. Also, the other team members may not agree with my opinions about the direction that I see the project going. As a finished project, I helped collaborate with my team to make the best quality that I could, but it is not “mine” and cannot speak about all of the creative decisions.

Each team member is contributing creative and artistic talents, time dedicated to Python, and opinions about the story line. Each member has a few chunks of the story that we all will put together. Also, the work with Python is going to be as a group and will be exclusively collaborative.

Our project, inspired by the film, Memento (2000), highlights the effects of having no recollection of a serious crime.

Filed Under: Reflection #1, Reflections Tagged With: Best, Ever, First, Game, Greatest

HUMN 271

Bertrand 012
TR 9:30-11:20am
Dr. Diane Jakacki

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