Do Choices Matter? An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Decision-making in Video Games and its Effect on Storytelling, Immersion, and Player Interactivity

Video games form one of the latest media in which stories are told. However, video games are not just stories - they are interactive experiences in which players have an active role. Therefore there has been much debate on how video games should be academically approached: can video games be analysed with methods used in literary studies or should new methods be developed. Yet, little to no research has been done on the relationship between storytelling and interactivity in a video game genre that blends these two features together unlike any other: choice-driven video games. While the genre is not unique in its approach to blend storytelling and interactivity, as role-playing games (RPGs) have done so for several years, it has become increasingly popular with video game developers specialising in these sort of video games, such as Quantic Dream and Telltale Games. This genre of video games is often marketed to highlight the players' freedom and control over the video games in which...Show moreVideo games form one of the latest media in which stories are told. However, video games are not just stories - they are interactive experiences in which players have an active role. Therefore there has been much debate on how video games should be academically approached: can video games be analysed with methods used in literary studies or should new methods be developed. Yet, little to no research has been done on the relationship between storytelling and interactivity in a video game genre that blends these two features together unlike any other: choice-driven video games. While the genre is not unique in its approach to blend storytelling and interactivity, as role-playing games (RPGs) have done so for several years, it has become increasingly popular with video game developers specialising in these sort of video games, such as Quantic Dream and Telltale Games. This genre of video games is often marketed to highlight the players' freedom and control over the video games in which their decisions dictate the outcome of the story. Nevertheless, these qualities are often overplayed as scripted events serve as boundaries limiting the extent players are actually able to affect the outcome of these video games. Thus I propose that choice-driven video games (and RPGs) offer the illusion that players' choics, decisions, and actions are significant to the outcome of the video game they are playing through clever use of mechanics that provides players to chance to immerse themselves in these video games. Until Dawn (2015), Life Is Strange (2015), and Undertale (2015) are used as case studies for this thesis.Show less

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Do Choices Matter? An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Decision-making in Video Games and its Effect on Storytelling, Immersion, and Player Interactivity