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a everyone um how's it going

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so okay basically could talk about

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narrative and try and provide us a

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summary or a kind of insight into

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narrative in games obviously narrative

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is a pretty huge topic so I'm not going

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to be able to go over the whole history

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of narrative and narrative theory and

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everything so I'm going to look at a

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specific article that I find really

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inspiring which is called game designers

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narrative architecture by Henry Jenkins

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and I'm going to apply that to

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blood-borne some we use blood-borne as

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an example of what he's talking about

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because blood-borne is just a really

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great game and I think it tells its

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story in a really interesting way

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everyone hear me okay by the way yeah

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cool okay so um it's a great opening

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slide and that the image is courtesy of

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solo who's a has it his tumblr page

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there

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okay sunshine that dr. tom blow calm and

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I used that which is good so a little

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bit about me and my research I'm

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currently writing a PhD in titled

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ludonarrative convergence a study of

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narrative development in recent video

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games across reception production and

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player contexts so we're playing out

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here that academics and game designers

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share a love for the colon so that's

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something that we all have in common

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I'm interested in production studies and

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building bridges between academic

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humanities Department and the industry

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so part of my PhD is about interviewing

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game designers about their kind of

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practices of kind of you know

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implementing narrative in their games

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I'm interested in raising the profile of

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video games as a valuable object of

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study within humanities which is why me

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and Tom organized this day of talks and

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I'm interested in exploring how

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narrative and

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ludecke gameplay elements of games can

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work together to create meaningful and

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original narrative experiences so in

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kind of video games there's generally

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seen a conflict between a story and

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gameplay and so this is summed up quite

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nicely by this quotes by Greg Costigan I

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hope I've pronounced his name correctly

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I probably haven't so there's a direct

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and immediate conflict between the

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demands of a story and the demands of a

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game diverging from a story's path is

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likely to make for a less satisfying

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story restricting a player's freedom of

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action is likely to make for a less

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satisfying game so these things are

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often seen as in tension and in terms in

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the academic field of game studies which

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isn't exactly like game design that you

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might be familiar with game studies kind

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of a discourse that kind of is has been

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trying to establish itself for a long

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time within the humanities departments

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and they've largely or have

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traditionally split into two camps this

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is one of the big debates in game

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studies is lewd ology versus narratology

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so a typical neurologists position is

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that computer games and not narratives

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rather than narrative tends to be

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isolated from or even work against the

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computer gamers of the game that's

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Jesper Juul who's like a leading narrow

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lead ologist and a typical narrow

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colleges position is about Janet Marie

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and she talks about which comes first

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the story or the game for me it's always

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the story that comes first because

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storytelling is a core human activity

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one that we take into every medium of

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expression from the aural formulaic to

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the digital multimedia so lewd ologists

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are very much about moving on and

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looking at games specifically for their

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unique interactions and don't want to

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know about narrative in their most

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extreme state and narratology

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are a bit more interested in narrative

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and disc reiated a bit of tension so

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things got a little heated so in an

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article game studies org which is one of

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the leading journals on gay

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studies mark o/s : and said in his

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article the gaming situation he wants to

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annihilate for good the discussion of

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games as stories narratives or cinema in

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this scenario stories are just

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uninteresting ornaments or gift

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wrappings to games and laying any

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emphasis on studying these kinds of

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marketing tools is just a waste of time

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and energy so for him narrative is just

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a marketing tool which is a sick burn

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for the narratology

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out there and demonstrates I think that

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academics can also enter into flame wars

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so enter Henry Jenkins is like a hero of

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mine and so he wrote this essay game

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designers narrative architecture and one

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of the reasons I love this so much is

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it's a kind of a fairly early attempt to

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kind of build a bridge between these two

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positions so he says in this short piece

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I hope to offer a middle ground position

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between the lewd ologist and meratol

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adjusts one that respects the

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particularity of this emerging medium

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examining game's lesser stories than a

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spaces right with narrative possibility

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so I'm going to explore this essay in

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relation to blood-borne so he encourages

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us to think about games in less

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reductive ways okay a game story telling

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in this reductive ways and this is some

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of the problems he has with the lewd

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ologists view of narrative so I think

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they have too limited a conception of

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narrative based on classical linear

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storytelling rather than more

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experimental forms he thinks they have

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too limited a conception of narration

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focusing on the work of the author

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rather than the process of narrative

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comprehension so the experience of

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actually reading the thing and he asked

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whether games and their entirety of

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stories rather than and they sorry they

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asked whether games in their entirety

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are stories rather than whether

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narrative enters a game a more localized

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level which he argues and finally they

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assume that stories are self-contained

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rather than serving some specific

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functions within a new transmedia

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storytelling environment just something

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I'll touch on again in a minute

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so there isn't as much a big divide

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between video games

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literary tradition as you might think

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Jenkins suggests there's a link between

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spatial stories of videogames and older

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forms of stories having like the hero's

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Odyssey quest myths and travel writing

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the notion of the monomyth was put

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forward by Joseph Campbell in his book

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the hero with a thousand faces which is

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really famous had a huge influence on

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things like Star Wars and has a huge

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influence on game does game designers

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and game critics Mary Lou Ryan's book

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narrative as virtual reality makes the

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case for games as building on notions of

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immersion and interactivity that always

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been a concern of literature so those

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are the two big things that are always

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talked about in relation to games and

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she says no they've been there all along

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they're just more intensified or

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slightly different in games and James

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Newman uses em4 stirs notion of flat and

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round characters to explore how

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characters and video games are typically

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defined by their functions and abilities

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so it's kind of like a wealth of

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thinking about games using kind of more

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literary theories and literary theories

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can be very systematic and we all know

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how game designers love systems so

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there's a bit of commonality there so

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Jenkins wants us to think about games of

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spatial stories so he says game

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designers don't simply tell stories they

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design worlds and sculpt spaces so

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considering what ways the structuring of

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game space facilitates different kinds

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of narrative experiences so the work the

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designer does anticipates different

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narrative experiences for the player

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he's enough he also says though that

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games are a bit different to traditional

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stories and there's a tendency to

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dismiss games as as not an expressive

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medium because they're perceived to have

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overly simplistic storytelling but as

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Jenkins suggests spatial stories are not

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badly constructed stories rather they're

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stories that respond to alternative

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aesthetic principles privileging spatial

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exploration / plot development spatial

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stories are held together by broadly

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defined goals and conflicts and pushed

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forward by the characters movement

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across the map

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so let's move on to blood-borne what is

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it just briefly you probably all know

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what it is Japanese action role-playing

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game released in 2015 on PlayStation 4

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developed by from software and published

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by Bandai Namco is the spiritual

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successor to the soul series which

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includes Demon Souls and Dark Souls 1 2

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and almost 3 is coming out soon and

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we're looking forward to that

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the lead designer is hitter taka

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Miyazaki and he's very much considered

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the creative force behind the game and

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has I guess the privileged position of

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being like an author within the

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commercial games industry on YouTube

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there's dozens dozens and dozens of

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videos exploring the law of blood-borne

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which is something that I'm going to

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touch on a bit in this talk and I think

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in quite interesting ways so his a few

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of the youtubers who are engaged and

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that kind of stuff to introduce the game

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and this kind of thinking about I'm

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going to use a video by Fatih Vidya

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which is a disss or extract looking at

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some of the lore of the game think on

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human history imagine if in any era a

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church was founded that had access to a

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substance that could cure any illness

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imagine if this church gave it freely to

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a city how powerful that city would

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become and how powerful the church would

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become within it this is exactly what

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happened in the Arnim people came far

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and wide to be treated with the

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miraculous blood of the gods and the

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people of yharnam put their faith in the

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healing church in fact what happened in

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yharnam is eerily similar to what

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happened in the tombs deep below where

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the blood was originally found and as

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you know many chalice dungeons

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especially those of lauren are now

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overrun by horrific beasts the lower

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laron chalice states there are trace

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remains of medical procedures in parts

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of ailing Leron whether these were

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attempts to control the scourge of the

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beast or the cause of the outbreak is

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unknown

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the ailing LaRon chalice states the

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tragedy that struck this ailing land of

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LaRon is said to have its root in the

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scourge of the beasts some have made the

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dreaded extrapolation that yharnam may

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be next Yanam was next through overuse

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of the healing blood the city would

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eventually succumb to the scourge of the

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beast until then though Lawrence and the

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healing church managed to grow in power

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with the miraculous healing properties

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of their special yet infected blood okay

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so I think I think what that video

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demonstrates is um blood-borne doesn't

276
00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,049
go to any trouble to make its meaning

277
00:11:42,740 --> 00:11:47,450
clear though that meaning is always

278
00:11:45,049 --> 00:11:49,278
tantalizing which has resulted in

279
00:11:47,450 --> 00:11:51,980
hundreds of deeply analytical RT

280
00:11:49,278 --> 00:11:53,360
articles and videos on YouTube so this

281
00:11:51,980 --> 00:11:55,190
video is a good example of the kind of

282
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close textual analysis and use of

283
00:11:55,190 --> 00:11:59,450
sources that we might expect in academia

284
00:11:57,259 --> 00:12:01,220
which leads me to speculate that the

285
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:03,410
majority of the scholarly activity

286
00:12:01,220 --> 00:12:06,500
around such games occurs in the fan

287
00:12:03,409 --> 00:12:09,620
space Henry Jenkins has also been a key

288
00:12:06,500 --> 00:12:11,120
figure writing about fan studies and if

289
00:12:09,620 --> 00:12:13,669
you want to find out more about that and

290
00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:15,980
what he believes the value of fan

291
00:12:13,669 --> 00:12:18,769
discourses are to academia you can read

292
00:12:15,980 --> 00:12:22,789
his book textual poachers or mat hills

293
00:12:18,769 --> 00:12:25,789
book fan cultures very interesting so

294
00:12:22,789 --> 00:12:27,559
Jenkins talks about four modes of

295
00:12:25,789 --> 00:12:28,969
spatial storytelling and they will begin

296
00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:33,078
with ease I've called them the for ease

297
00:12:28,970 --> 00:12:35,990
of spatial storytelling so they evoke

298
00:12:33,078 --> 00:12:38,028
enact in bed and have emergent

299
00:12:35,990 --> 00:12:41,060
narratives and we're going to go through

300
00:12:38,028 --> 00:12:42,740
each of those in relation to blood-borne

301
00:12:41,059 --> 00:12:45,469
so it's sold with the evocative

302
00:12:42,740 --> 00:12:47,509
narrative so Jenkins says such works do

303
00:12:45,470 --> 00:12:49,519
not so much tell self-contained stories

304
00:12:47,509 --> 00:12:52,250
as draw upon or pre-existing narrative

305
00:12:49,519 --> 00:12:55,069
narrative competencies games can be

306
00:12:52,250 --> 00:12:57,220
based on licenses they can rely on

307
00:12:55,070 --> 00:13:00,079
genre conventions they can recreate

308
00:12:57,220 --> 00:13:01,959
events they can evoke other works

309
00:13:00,078 --> 00:13:06,078
through a process called intersexuality

310
00:13:01,958 --> 00:13:09,198
it's basically just having one text have

311
00:13:06,078 --> 00:13:13,208
a relationship to the other support for

312
00:13:09,198 --> 00:13:15,109
it he talks about this occurring in

313
00:13:13,208 --> 00:13:16,519
process that he's written extensively

314
00:13:15,110 --> 00:13:18,980
about called transmen

315
00:13:16,519 --> 00:13:21,110
storytelling so increasingly we inhabit

316
00:13:18,980 --> 00:13:23,330
a world of transmedia storytelling one

317
00:13:21,110 --> 00:13:25,129
that depends less on each individual

318
00:13:23,330 --> 00:13:26,930
work being self-sufficient than on each

319
00:13:25,129 --> 00:13:29,360
work contributing to a larger narrative

320
00:13:26,929 --> 00:13:31,370
economy so for example the Star Wars

321
00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:33,350
game may not simply retell the story of

322
00:13:31,370 --> 00:13:35,360
Star Wars but it doesn't have to do in

323
00:13:33,350 --> 00:13:41,180
order to enrich or expand or experience

324
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:43,490
the Star Wars saga so this is this is a

325
00:13:41,179 --> 00:13:47,689
British daughter of the cosmos

326
00:13:43,490 --> 00:13:49,250
so I actually recommend this slide to be

327
00:13:47,690 --> 00:13:53,060
more of a surprise I should have read a

328
00:13:49,250 --> 00:13:54,919
little bit more but basically so in

329
00:13:53,059 --> 00:13:56,000
blood-borne you're a hunter on the night

330
00:13:54,919 --> 00:13:58,549
of the hunt and you find yourself

331
00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,830
cleansing the ruined streets of yharnam

332
00:13:58,549 --> 00:14:02,299
of werewolves and other creatures so

333
00:14:00,830 --> 00:14:03,940
this setting and its antagonists are

334
00:14:02,299 --> 00:14:05,990
common tropes of gothic horror

335
00:14:03,940 --> 00:14:08,210
eventually though you start facing

336
00:14:05,990 --> 00:14:10,070
enemies that bear similarities with the

337
00:14:08,210 --> 00:14:13,580
creatures in love cross Lovecraft's

338
00:14:10,070 --> 00:14:15,350
Cthulhu Mythos hold on like a breeches

339
00:14:13,580 --> 00:14:17,330
daughter of the cosmos everyone acts

340
00:14:15,350 --> 00:14:20,920
surprised because I should have done

341
00:14:17,330 --> 00:14:23,930
that just now sorry

342
00:14:20,919 --> 00:14:25,789
so it's got tentacles and it's got an

343
00:14:23,929 --> 00:14:29,899
unpronounceable name and that's not just

344
00:14:25,789 --> 00:14:31,909
because it's in the Japanese slide so it

345
00:14:29,899 --> 00:14:35,299
must be a reference to Lovecraft I'm

346
00:14:31,909 --> 00:14:37,189
guessing so although it avoid though the

347
00:14:35,299 --> 00:14:39,889
gamer avoids referencing Lovecraft

348
00:14:37,190 --> 00:14:41,900
directly many have noticed at the close

349
00:14:39,889 --> 00:14:43,580
comparison between her twisted creatures

350
00:14:41,899 --> 00:14:45,409
and locations in the game and

351
00:14:43,580 --> 00:14:49,220
Lovecraftian stories such as the dream

352
00:14:45,409 --> 00:14:52,429
quest of unknown Kadath so whilst

353
00:14:49,220 --> 00:14:54,139
blood-borne begins by evoking the gothic

354
00:14:52,429 --> 00:14:56,149
horror it makes a transition into the

355
00:14:54,139 --> 00:15:00,649
specific world of HP Lovecraft's notion

356
00:14:56,149 --> 00:15:02,860
of cosmic horror and the only clue to

357
00:15:00,649 --> 00:15:07,100
this early on is this incomprehensible

358
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:08,899
start on your stat sheet that's like Oh

359
00:15:07,100 --> 00:15:13,009
strength against skin what does that

360
00:15:08,899 --> 00:15:16,970
mean no idea so that the game does drop

361
00:15:13,009 --> 00:15:18,740
little hints early on so cosmic horror

362
00:15:16,970 --> 00:15:20,450
is based on Lovecraft's existential

363
00:15:18,740 --> 00:15:22,220
worldview in which humanity is powerless

364
00:15:20,450 --> 00:15:24,230
in the face of an indifferent universe

365
00:15:22,220 --> 00:15:27,379
devoid of God and incomprehensibly

366
00:15:24,230 --> 00:15:28,820
infinite so there's a little quote there

367
00:15:27,379 --> 00:15:30,200
from him the basis of all true cosmic

368
00:15:28,820 --> 00:15:32,120
horror is violation of

369
00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:33,650
of nature and the profoundest violations

370
00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:37,909
are always at least concrete and

371
00:15:33,649 --> 00:15:39,919
describable like that there's another

372
00:15:37,909 --> 00:15:41,600
good quote from Lovecraft which really

373
00:15:39,919 --> 00:15:43,250
sums up this position I won't read Oh

374
00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,790
have a little read if you feel like it

375
00:15:43,250 --> 00:15:49,039
he's not a happy chap

376
00:15:45,789 --> 00:15:52,870
so it's interesting here though that he

377
00:15:49,039 --> 00:15:55,370
talks about one of his big themes is

378
00:15:52,870 --> 00:15:57,560
people wanting knowledge and like

379
00:15:55,370 --> 00:16:00,409
scientists trying to gain knowledge and

380
00:15:57,559 --> 00:16:02,179
going mad for kind of discovering things

381
00:16:00,409 --> 00:16:04,339
that they can't understand with their

382
00:16:02,179 --> 00:16:05,779
puny human brains and essentially that's

383
00:16:04,340 --> 00:16:07,070
the plot of blood-borne because the

384
00:16:05,779 --> 00:16:09,949
founding of the healing Church of

385
00:16:07,070 --> 00:16:11,150
yharnam is a result of academics playing

386
00:16:09,950 --> 00:16:13,550
around with forces beyond their

387
00:16:11,149 --> 00:16:15,199
comprehension they go to the chalice

388
00:16:13,549 --> 00:16:18,019
demons they find the blood of the great

389
00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:24,259
ones they start using it everything goes

390
00:16:18,019 --> 00:16:26,240
to hell basically so um to talk about

391
00:16:24,259 --> 00:16:29,120
briefly about a little mechanic in the

392
00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:32,120
game which is the insight mechanic where

393
00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:33,980
basically your knowledge of the world is

394
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,690
trapped in the form of insight which is

395
00:16:33,980 --> 00:16:38,420
rewarded each time you first encounter

396
00:16:35,690 --> 00:16:40,340
or beat a boss and and so there's this

397
00:16:38,419 --> 00:16:42,289
sense that the more horrific things you

398
00:16:40,340 --> 00:16:44,060
see in the game the more insight you

399
00:16:42,289 --> 00:16:46,039
have in the world and in true love

400
00:16:44,059 --> 00:16:48,259
crafty and fashion this allows you to

401
00:16:46,039 --> 00:16:48,980
start seeing things that you couldn't

402
00:16:48,259 --> 00:16:53,480
see before

403
00:16:48,980 --> 00:16:57,320
so this chat up here amygdala or Amy as

404
00:16:53,480 --> 00:16:59,389
I like to call her is these guys have

405
00:16:57,320 --> 00:17:01,460
been hanging around on the buildings in

406
00:16:59,389 --> 00:17:02,720
blood-borne all the time and you know

407
00:17:01,460 --> 00:17:04,400
that they've been there even though you

408
00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,230
can't see them because if you're unlucky

409
00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,730
enough to go by one of them it will pick

410
00:17:06,230 --> 00:17:11,119
you up and kill you and you won't know

411
00:17:07,730 --> 00:17:13,250
why so I think it's interesting that as

412
00:17:11,118 --> 00:17:15,979
a system in the game that tracks your

413
00:17:13,250 --> 00:17:17,240
knowledge and changes the game based on

414
00:17:15,980 --> 00:17:19,338
that knowledge actually makes the game

415
00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:22,608
harder in some areas as well it changes

416
00:17:19,338 --> 00:17:24,919
enemy attacks and things and amigdala is

417
00:17:22,608 --> 00:17:27,618
also a part of the brain which is

418
00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:30,320
associated with knowledge and emotional

419
00:17:27,618 --> 00:17:33,919
reactions to things so I think there's a

420
00:17:30,319 --> 00:17:40,250
a direct like thematic link there I know

421
00:17:33,920 --> 00:17:41,509
what that was we carry on so moving on

422
00:17:40,250 --> 00:17:42,609
so the evocative narrative of

423
00:17:41,509 --> 00:17:47,579
blood-borne is

424
00:17:42,609 --> 00:17:47,579
it's Lovecraftian kind of homage I guess

425
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:54,970
so moving on to the idea of an enacted

426
00:17:50,859 --> 00:17:56,740
narrative Jenkins noticed that games

427
00:17:54,970 --> 00:17:59,529
enable players to perform or witness

428
00:17:56,740 --> 00:18:01,509
narrative events so narrative enters the

429
00:17:59,529 --> 00:18:03,759
game on two levels in terms of broadly

430
00:18:01,509 --> 00:18:06,460
defined goals or conflicts and on the

431
00:18:03,759 --> 00:18:08,230
level of localized incidents in terms of

432
00:18:06,460 --> 00:18:11,319
broadly defined goals

433
00:18:08,230 --> 00:18:13,900
the player often has a quest that drives

434
00:18:11,319 --> 00:18:15,159
them forward although in blood-borne you

435
00:18:13,900 --> 00:18:17,170
eventually discover that you've been

436
00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:20,890
manipulated by a great one all along

437
00:18:17,170 --> 00:18:22,930
sorry spoilers that's another thing

438
00:18:20,890 --> 00:18:27,310
academics like to do is give away the

439
00:18:22,930 --> 00:18:29,590
ending of things so the organization of

440
00:18:27,309 --> 00:18:31,750
the plot becomes a matter of designing

441
00:18:29,589 --> 00:18:33,849
the geography of imaginary worlds so

442
00:18:31,750 --> 00:18:35,559
that obstacles thought and affordances

443
00:18:33,849 --> 00:18:39,069
facilitate the protagonist forward

444
00:18:35,559 --> 00:18:41,440
movement towards resolution in

445
00:18:39,069 --> 00:18:43,450
blood-borne the architecture conspires

446
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,980
to channel players towards encounters

447
00:18:43,450 --> 00:18:46,809
that have been specifically designed to

448
00:18:44,980 --> 00:18:48,549
challenge them a good example is the

449
00:18:46,809 --> 00:18:50,169
sequence in old yharnam where the player

450
00:18:48,549 --> 00:18:51,879
traverses in a series of ruined

451
00:18:50,170 --> 00:18:54,009
buildings whilst under fire from a

452
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,450
hunter by the name of juror if you

453
00:18:54,009 --> 00:18:57,759
approach him from a different direction

454
00:18:55,450 --> 00:18:59,200
he's not hostile and actually speaks to

455
00:18:57,759 --> 00:19:01,930
you about why he is protecting the

456
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:04,539
beasts in the area so this idea that

457
00:19:01,930 --> 00:19:06,279
Jake Jenkins talks about that games have

458
00:19:04,539 --> 00:19:07,839
an accordion like structures there's

459
00:19:06,279 --> 00:19:09,910
certain plot points that are fixed

460
00:19:07,839 --> 00:19:16,269
whereas other moments can be contracted

461
00:19:09,910 --> 00:19:20,410
and expanded and moved around so in

462
00:19:16,269 --> 00:19:21,779
terms of enacting narratives that

463
00:19:20,410 --> 00:19:25,810
there's a lot about the kind of

464
00:19:21,779 --> 00:19:28,690
geographical layer of space so in

465
00:19:25,809 --> 00:19:30,309
blood-borne the layout of space allows

466
00:19:28,690 --> 00:19:31,870
for the inclusion of shortcuts that

467
00:19:30,309 --> 00:19:33,940
allow players to return quickly to

468
00:19:31,869 --> 00:19:36,309
previous areas there's an excellent

469
00:19:33,940 --> 00:19:39,160
video on Eurogamer actually about the

470
00:19:36,309 --> 00:19:41,859
doors in blood-borne and how frightening

471
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:44,650
it is when you can open a door because

472
00:19:41,859 --> 00:19:46,959
the game wants you to progress and kill

473
00:19:44,650 --> 00:19:49,300
you um and doors that you can't open

474
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:51,640
like are likely to be shortcuts that you

475
00:19:49,299 --> 00:19:54,700
need to find the other entrance war and

476
00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:55,910
this map I think shows how everything

477
00:19:54,700 --> 00:19:59,420
links up in a really into

478
00:19:55,910 --> 00:20:04,060
stay away and this map is a bit more of

479
00:19:59,420 --> 00:20:04,060
a artistic impression of those linkages

480
00:20:04,450 --> 00:20:09,830
references at the bottom if you want to

481
00:20:06,289 --> 00:20:11,750
see who made them and this is more of a

482
00:20:09,829 --> 00:20:14,990
kind of flow chart of your progression

483
00:20:11,750 --> 00:20:16,819
through the game I think it's

484
00:20:14,990 --> 00:20:18,980
interesting to point out at this point

485
00:20:16,819 --> 00:20:21,349
that there isn't actually a map that

486
00:20:18,980 --> 00:20:25,089
exists in the game so all of these

487
00:20:21,349 --> 00:20:29,509
wonderful things have been created by

488
00:20:25,089 --> 00:20:31,549
the fan base which i think is great and

489
00:20:29,509 --> 00:20:33,829
Henry Jenkins has written elsewhere that

490
00:20:31,549 --> 00:20:36,409
defining quality of place relationship

491
00:20:33,829 --> 00:20:38,059
to a game is the mastery of space and I

492
00:20:36,410 --> 00:20:41,779
think this is a good example of that

493
00:20:38,059 --> 00:20:44,240
and here's another map which is a little

494
00:20:41,779 --> 00:20:45,799
bit more more simple but at the same

495
00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:47,690
time complicated because it's kind of

496
00:20:45,799 --> 00:20:50,690
charting your narrative progression

497
00:20:47,690 --> 00:20:52,009
through the game in a spatial way so I

498
00:20:50,690 --> 00:20:54,470
think it's interesting that you can

499
00:20:52,009 --> 00:20:56,480
think about the narrative as a series of

500
00:20:54,470 --> 00:21:01,519
triggers in a spatial sense and you

501
00:20:56,480 --> 00:21:02,900
could almost map this onto this so that

502
00:21:01,519 --> 00:21:06,279
a narrative and space work together

503
00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:08,840
that's a good example of that but blood

504
00:21:06,279 --> 00:21:12,259
Jenkins always also talks about micro

505
00:21:08,839 --> 00:21:16,089
narratives so these are narrative that

506
00:21:12,259 --> 00:21:19,869
enters the game on the on like a kind of

507
00:21:16,089 --> 00:21:23,599
local level on a kind of more specific

508
00:21:19,869 --> 00:21:26,149
level and is more self-contained so he

509
00:21:23,599 --> 00:21:28,339
uses the example of attractions in

510
00:21:26,150 --> 00:21:31,310
pioneering Soviet filmmaker Sergei

511
00:21:28,339 --> 00:21:34,279
Eisenstein's films and particularly his

512
00:21:31,309 --> 00:21:36,289
film Battleship Potemkin so Eisenstein

513
00:21:34,279 --> 00:21:38,240
used the word attractions broadly to

514
00:21:36,289 --> 00:21:40,430
describe any element within a world work

515
00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:42,740
that produces a profound emotional

516
00:21:40,430 --> 00:21:44,390
impact and theorized that the themes of

517
00:21:42,740 --> 00:21:49,400
the work could be communicated across

518
00:21:44,390 --> 00:21:51,170
and through these discrete elements so

519
00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:54,769
here's a few shots from battleship

520
00:21:51,170 --> 00:21:57,140
potemkin here's the steps the OD this is

521
00:21:54,769 --> 00:21:59,389
the Odessa steps sequence so this is

522
00:21:57,140 --> 00:22:01,460
like the Tsar's army shooting upon the

523
00:21:59,390 --> 00:22:03,020
peasantry which supposed to be sparked

524
00:22:01,460 --> 00:22:04,759
or for the communist revolution it's a

525
00:22:03,019 --> 00:22:06,500
kind of propaganda film but it's

526
00:22:04,759 --> 00:22:08,420
interesting because it's the very early

527
00:22:06,500 --> 00:22:09,750
days of film this was the guy who

528
00:22:08,420 --> 00:22:12,210
created film editing

529
00:22:09,750 --> 00:22:14,309
basically and within this one big

530
00:22:12,210 --> 00:22:15,840
contested space like Henry Jenkins talks

531
00:22:14,309 --> 00:22:17,759
about this as a contested space just

532
00:22:15,839 --> 00:22:19,379
like in the video game you have all of

533
00:22:17,759 --> 00:22:21,299
these little stories happening

534
00:22:19,380 --> 00:22:23,880
the soldiers marching forward and firing

535
00:22:21,299 --> 00:22:26,279
a pram rolling down the stairs after the

536
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:28,230
mother is killed someone who's calling

537
00:22:26,279 --> 00:22:30,240
for peace getting shot there's a few

538
00:22:28,230 --> 00:22:31,920
other little narratives and he talks

539
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:33,509
about these as micro narratives

540
00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:37,289
something that's a useful way to think

541
00:22:33,509 --> 00:22:41,369
about them so we have micro narrative as

542
00:22:37,289 --> 00:22:43,980
cutscene so Henry Jenkins talks about

543
00:22:41,369 --> 00:22:46,049
how these can often be cutscenes and

544
00:22:43,980 --> 00:22:47,700
games these micro narratives but they

545
00:22:46,049 --> 00:22:48,750
don't have to be and I think is

546
00:22:47,700 --> 00:22:51,420
interesting that there's only one

547
00:22:48,750 --> 00:22:54,769
significant cutscene in blood-borne and

548
00:22:51,420 --> 00:22:58,410
it's when you touch Lawrence's skull and

549
00:22:54,769 --> 00:23:01,829
they then see a flashback to William and

550
00:22:58,410 --> 00:23:03,210
Lawrence having their falling out which

551
00:23:01,829 --> 00:23:05,909
led to the creation of the healing

552
00:23:03,210 --> 00:23:08,160
church as a really significant moment

553
00:23:05,910 --> 00:23:09,570
and it's narratively motivated as well

554
00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:11,490
so it's not I don't think a

555
00:23:09,569 --> 00:23:13,169
hard-and-fast cutscene it's basically

556
00:23:11,490 --> 00:23:15,240
like you're seeing what the character

557
00:23:13,170 --> 00:23:17,789
sees at that point because his knowledge

558
00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:23,390
is is coming from the skull and is

559
00:23:17,789 --> 00:23:26,250
seeing a historical event play out and

560
00:23:23,390 --> 00:23:27,570
and it's got an important bit of

561
00:23:26,250 --> 00:23:29,069
information in it as well right it's got

562
00:23:27,569 --> 00:23:31,409
a password that you need to progress

563
00:23:29,069 --> 00:23:34,609
through the game so it's incredibly

564
00:23:31,410 --> 00:23:38,040
Lingus of progression

565
00:23:34,609 --> 00:23:40,889
there's also micro narrative as soy

566
00:23:38,039 --> 00:23:43,349
quest I think so there's lots of side

567
00:23:40,890 --> 00:23:45,240
quests in blood-borne their focus on

568
00:23:43,349 --> 00:23:48,750
different interesting little side

569
00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:50,370
characters and you have to trigger them

570
00:23:48,750 --> 00:23:51,750
in very specific ways being at the right

571
00:23:50,369 --> 00:23:53,099
place to open to the right people at the

572
00:23:51,750 --> 00:23:55,500
right time

573
00:23:53,099 --> 00:24:01,799
Eileen the crow is a good example I

574
00:23:55,500 --> 00:24:03,450
think she very so

575
00:24:01,799 --> 00:24:05,539
she tracks down hunters who have been

576
00:24:03,450 --> 00:24:09,210
corrupted and have become blood-drunk

577
00:24:05,539 --> 00:24:11,009
and you must speak to her at specific

578
00:24:09,210 --> 00:24:13,259
moments and locations to continue her

579
00:24:11,009 --> 00:24:15,150
quest including two occasions where you

580
00:24:13,259 --> 00:24:17,819
have to help her kill their quarry in

581
00:24:15,150 --> 00:24:19,290
very difficult fights furthermore it's

582
00:24:17,819 --> 00:24:21,210
possible for her to become blood drunk

583
00:24:19,289 --> 00:24:21,980
herself causing the player to fight her

584
00:24:21,210 --> 00:24:23,929
in a

585
00:24:21,980 --> 00:24:26,890
particularly tragic ending to her story

586
00:24:23,929 --> 00:24:29,750
so this incredibly nuanced little story

587
00:24:26,890 --> 00:24:31,610
more than any other in the game asks you

588
00:24:29,750 --> 00:24:33,558
to question the morality of the hunt and

589
00:24:31,609 --> 00:24:36,289
sprinkles a much needed touch of

590
00:24:33,558 --> 00:24:37,639
humanity into the world but it's well

591
00:24:36,289 --> 00:24:39,558
hidden and might play out very

592
00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:41,000
differently from play as a player I

593
00:24:39,558 --> 00:24:43,129
think it's a good example of what

594
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,690
Jenkins refers to as a micro narrative

595
00:24:43,130 --> 00:24:46,460
because it's self-contained independent

596
00:24:44,690 --> 00:24:49,160
from the larger plot and occurs on a

597
00:24:46,460 --> 00:24:51,679
very personal level it's also indicative

598
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:53,990
of the incredible variability that can

599
00:24:51,679 --> 00:24:55,850
be built into videogame stories and how

600
00:24:53,990 --> 00:24:58,339
their outcomes and meanings can change

601
00:24:55,849 --> 00:25:00,139
based on player choices actions and

602
00:24:58,339 --> 00:25:01,730
other hidden triggers which makes them a

603
00:25:00,140 --> 00:25:05,450
fascinating but difficult object of

604
00:25:01,730 --> 00:25:08,450
study for academics moving on to

605
00:25:05,450 --> 00:25:10,220
embedded narratives so in literary

606
00:25:08,450 --> 00:25:11,600
studies the russian formalists made a

607
00:25:10,220 --> 00:25:14,360
distinction between two different

608
00:25:11,599 --> 00:25:18,230
aspects of narrative story and plot this

609
00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:21,379
is a classic distinction so plot is the

610
00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:23,900
way the work is presented on the page in

611
00:25:21,380 --> 00:25:26,360
literature the way you read it where a

612
00:25:23,900 --> 00:25:29,320
story is the actual chronological

613
00:25:26,359 --> 00:25:31,579
sequence and reading is an act of

614
00:25:29,319 --> 00:25:33,289
chronologically reassembling what you're

615
00:25:31,579 --> 00:25:35,449
reading so the classic example was the

616
00:25:33,289 --> 00:25:37,190
detective novel where you have two

617
00:25:35,450 --> 00:25:39,830
stories somewhat Aeneas Lee the story of

618
00:25:37,190 --> 00:25:42,940
the crime which is unknown at the start

619
00:25:39,829 --> 00:25:45,980
and the story of the investigator which

620
00:25:42,940 --> 00:25:48,019
you as a reader are mirror mirroring his

621
00:25:45,980 --> 00:25:51,099
efforts are kind of like reassembling

622
00:25:48,019 --> 00:25:54,048
the chronological sequence of the story

623
00:25:51,099 --> 00:25:55,428
so according to Jenkins the does game

624
00:25:54,048 --> 00:25:57,440
designer creates two different

625
00:25:55,429 --> 00:25:59,780
narratives one relatively unstructured

626
00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:01,610
and controlled by the player as they

627
00:25:59,779 --> 00:26:04,129
explore the game space and unlock its

628
00:26:01,609 --> 00:26:06,798
secrets the other pre structured but

629
00:26:04,130 --> 00:26:09,169
embedded within the meson son awaiting

630
00:26:06,798 --> 00:26:11,539
discovery the game world becomes a kind

631
00:26:09,169 --> 00:26:14,059
of information space and memory palace I

632
00:26:11,539 --> 00:26:15,980
really like this idea of games as a

633
00:26:14,058 --> 00:26:19,819
memory palace it's like one of my

634
00:26:15,980 --> 00:26:21,679
favorite quotes so I think though

635
00:26:19,819 --> 00:26:23,990
there's a challenge of reconstructing

636
00:26:21,679 --> 00:26:25,548
the story from plot in a game on two

637
00:26:23,990 --> 00:26:27,589
levels which is a little bit different

638
00:26:25,548 --> 00:26:29,389
to literature so firstly the game

639
00:26:27,589 --> 00:26:31,039
resists your efforts to read it or

640
00:26:29,390 --> 00:26:32,750
throwing challenges at you that you must

641
00:26:31,039 --> 00:26:35,480
overcome in your quest for meaning as

642
00:26:32,750 --> 00:26:37,869
jenkins says embedded narrative Canon

643
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,829
often does occur within contested spaces

644
00:26:37,869 --> 00:26:41,629
secondly the story elements once

645
00:26:39,829 --> 00:26:43,639
discovered must be mentally reassembled

646
00:26:41,630 --> 00:26:45,770
to create a narrative pattern which is

647
00:26:43,640 --> 00:26:47,930
close to the process of reading as the

648
00:26:45,769 --> 00:26:50,180
process in literary studies and

649
00:26:47,930 --> 00:26:54,980
philosophy called hermeneutics shouldn't

650
00:26:50,180 --> 00:26:59,420
go into okay so that's an active

651
00:26:54,980 --> 00:27:03,579
narrative so moving on to the final

652
00:26:59,420 --> 00:27:07,759
category sorry not the final category

653
00:27:03,579 --> 00:27:10,819
know that this finds some still the same

654
00:27:07,759 --> 00:27:14,509
thing yeah yeah embedded narrative sorry

655
00:27:10,819 --> 00:27:18,289
I've lost myself anyway so embedded

656
00:27:14,509 --> 00:27:20,660
narratives in blood-borne so Jenkins

657
00:27:18,289 --> 00:27:22,579
talks about embedded narratives don't

658
00:27:20,660 --> 00:27:24,350
require branching story structures but

659
00:27:22,579 --> 00:27:26,149
rather depend on scrambling the pieces

660
00:27:24,349 --> 00:27:27,829
of linear story and allowing us to

661
00:27:26,150 --> 00:27:30,560
reconstruct the plot through the acts of

662
00:27:27,829 --> 00:27:33,169
detection speculation exploration and

663
00:27:30,559 --> 00:27:35,000
decryption so in blood-borne a lot of

664
00:27:33,170 --> 00:27:37,759
the plot is written into item

665
00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:39,890
descriptions dialogue of hidden NPCs and

666
00:27:37,759 --> 00:27:42,049
into the very architecture of the game

667
00:27:39,890 --> 00:27:44,480
world itself here's an example the

668
00:27:42,049 --> 00:27:47,599
yharnam stone which you gain from

669
00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:48,890
defeating the two marion queen after a

670
00:27:47,599 --> 00:27:51,439
very long

671
00:27:48,890 --> 00:27:52,910
she's an optional boss in a very long

672
00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:56,019
run of the chalice dungeons which

673
00:27:52,910 --> 00:27:57,980
incredibly difficult to be and for ages

674
00:27:56,019 --> 00:27:59,990
people were trying to figure out what

675
00:27:57,980 --> 00:28:01,819
this did and it turned out it didn't do

676
00:27:59,990 --> 00:28:05,870
anything it was just there to deliver

677
00:28:01,819 --> 00:28:08,059
its little payload of narrative and be

678
00:28:05,869 --> 00:28:10,129
really enigmatic basically it's if you

679
00:28:08,059 --> 00:28:12,409
read the description it's the Queen lies

680
00:28:10,130 --> 00:28:14,720
dead but her horrific consciousness is

681
00:28:12,410 --> 00:28:17,509
only asleep and stirs in unsettling

682
00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:20,809
motions and the item looks a bit like

683
00:28:17,509 --> 00:28:26,119
it's got fetus kind of thing in it which

684
00:28:20,809 --> 00:28:27,859
is a bit weird so I like to think of

685
00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:30,019
this quality of video game storytelling

686
00:28:27,859 --> 00:28:31,759
as dispersed narrative where the

687
00:28:30,019 --> 00:28:33,139
narrative is just scattered around all

688
00:28:31,759 --> 00:28:35,390
over the place and you have to kind of

689
00:28:33,140 --> 00:28:40,250
go around and pick it up and put it back

690
00:28:35,390 --> 00:28:43,450
together which I really like in games so

691
00:28:40,250 --> 00:28:45,799
the final category is emergent narrative

692
00:28:43,450 --> 00:28:48,019
so emergent narratives are not pretty

693
00:28:45,799 --> 00:28:49,009
structured or pre-programmed taking

694
00:28:48,019 --> 00:28:51,049
shape through the game

695
00:28:49,009 --> 00:28:52,809
play yet they are not as unstructured

696
00:28:51,049 --> 00:28:55,639
chaotic and frustrating as life itself

697
00:28:52,809 --> 00:28:58,609
so they're kind of unpredictable within

698
00:28:55,640 --> 00:29:00,620
limits so there are those stories that

699
00:28:58,609 --> 00:29:02,179
occur through the partially

700
00:29:00,619 --> 00:29:04,459
unpredictable interaction of players and

701
00:29:02,180 --> 00:29:06,049
systems basically so the more systems a

702
00:29:04,460 --> 00:29:08,779
game has the more opportunities there

703
00:29:06,049 --> 00:29:10,669
are for emergent storytelling yet these

704
00:29:08,779 --> 00:29:12,470
systems are designed to create certain

705
00:29:10,670 --> 00:29:14,000
types of gameplay just as architecture

706
00:29:12,470 --> 00:29:15,710
anticipates certain uses and

707
00:29:14,000 --> 00:29:18,740
interactions so these are known as

708
00:29:15,710 --> 00:29:21,500
affordances and Jenkins uses the example

709
00:29:18,740 --> 00:29:23,390
of urban design so urban designers exert

710
00:29:21,500 --> 00:29:25,309
even less control than game designers

711
00:29:23,390 --> 00:29:26,990
over how people use the space as they

712
00:29:25,309 --> 00:29:29,929
create or what kind of scenes they

713
00:29:26,990 --> 00:29:31,789
staged there yet some kinds of expand

714
00:29:29,930 --> 00:29:33,680
themselves more readily to narratively

715
00:29:31,789 --> 00:29:40,730
memorable or emotionally meaningful

716
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:43,250
experiences than others so you can talk

717
00:29:40,730 --> 00:29:44,480
about emergent narrative and blood-borne

718
00:29:43,250 --> 00:29:47,359
I think one of the most interesting

719
00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:49,370
elements is the online functionality of

720
00:29:47,359 --> 00:29:52,579
the game which is like the Dark Souls

721
00:29:49,369 --> 00:29:55,399
games before it quite interesting quite

722
00:29:52,579 --> 00:29:59,389
a symmetric quite different to any other

723
00:29:55,400 --> 00:30:01,160
game so in blood-borne players can leave

724
00:29:59,390 --> 00:30:03,140
messages for one another which are

725
00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:05,600
relayed into other players games by

726
00:30:03,140 --> 00:30:07,880
interdimensional messengers these cute

727
00:30:05,599 --> 00:30:09,289
little guys which I love and you can

728
00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:13,100
give them top hats so that makes me

729
00:30:09,289 --> 00:30:14,599
happy and players can also activate

730
00:30:13,099 --> 00:30:16,759
blood spots that mark where other

731
00:30:14,599 --> 00:30:18,559
players fell in battle to play a

732
00:30:16,759 --> 00:30:20,599
silhouette of that players last moments

733
00:30:18,559 --> 00:30:22,639
potentially offering an insight into

734
00:30:20,599 --> 00:30:28,159
what lays ahead it's an example of that

735
00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:30,230
there and you can most importantly ring

736
00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:32,029
a little bell to summon other players

737
00:30:30,230 --> 00:30:35,509
into your game to help you out or to

738
00:30:32,029 --> 00:30:38,329
invade other players games and and not

739
00:30:35,509 --> 00:30:41,059
leave them basically so there's that

740
00:30:38,329 --> 00:30:42,710
element of kind of emergence there were

741
00:30:41,059 --> 00:30:44,419
players interacting together and being

742
00:30:42,710 --> 00:30:46,130
able to help each other out create their

743
00:30:44,420 --> 00:30:48,650
own stories within the limits of the

744
00:30:46,130 --> 00:30:50,900
game I think it's interesting that

745
00:30:48,650 --> 00:30:52,850
whereas most games would put all of this

746
00:30:50,900 --> 00:30:56,300
online function entities where it's like

747
00:30:52,849 --> 00:30:58,189
choose to go online it's all there

748
00:30:56,299 --> 00:30:59,779
within the narrative context of the game

749
00:30:58,190 --> 00:31:01,610
you're ringing a bell

750
00:30:59,779 --> 00:31:02,319
because blood-borne operates on a

751
00:31:01,609 --> 00:31:04,508
parallel you

752
00:31:02,319 --> 00:31:06,428
verse mechanic whether the sound of the

753
00:31:04,509 --> 00:31:09,038
Bell creates a tumbler that kind of

754
00:31:06,429 --> 00:31:11,139
links to the other players worlds and

755
00:31:09,038 --> 00:31:17,379
cools them forth and it's all really

756
00:31:11,138 --> 00:31:21,569
interesting here's a another picture so

757
00:31:17,380 --> 00:31:24,789
many good pictures from blood-borne so

758
00:31:21,569 --> 00:31:26,829
another aspect of the emerging behavior

759
00:31:24,788 --> 00:31:29,408
relation to blood-borne is the fact that

760
00:31:26,829 --> 00:31:32,528
this system has actually elevated itself

761
00:31:29,409 --> 00:31:36,759
from out of the game and now and play is

762
00:31:32,528 --> 00:31:39,519
kind of like trade information on wiki's

763
00:31:36,759 --> 00:31:41,500
and using YouTube videos to try and

764
00:31:39,519 --> 00:31:44,200
interpret the lore of the game to give

765
00:31:41,500 --> 00:31:46,028
one another advice and I think that the

766
00:31:44,200 --> 00:31:48,819
game creates a really positive

767
00:31:46,028 --> 00:31:53,648
collaborative environment and and that's

768
00:31:48,819 --> 00:31:55,599
a product of the way it's designed and

769
00:31:53,648 --> 00:31:57,428
it's worth noting as well that such

770
00:31:55,599 --> 00:31:59,378
emergent narrative elements based on

771
00:31:57,429 --> 00:32:02,048
online interaction are completely

772
00:31:59,378 --> 00:32:03,339
dependent on active servers and multiple

773
00:32:02,048 --> 00:32:05,558
players experiencing the game

774
00:32:03,339 --> 00:32:07,148
simultaneously so this type of narrative

775
00:32:05,558 --> 00:32:09,819
interaction is perhaps the most unique

776
00:32:07,148 --> 00:32:12,069
to video games and the most ephemeral

777
00:32:09,819 --> 00:32:14,048
because it's based on things outside of

778
00:32:12,069 --> 00:32:15,519
the game itself which i think is

779
00:32:14,048 --> 00:32:17,259
something to bear in mind if you're

780
00:32:15,519 --> 00:32:19,179
going to pull Gooding this talk later

781
00:32:17,259 --> 00:32:24,839
which is about the preservation of such

782
00:32:19,179 --> 00:32:27,639
games so why is all this important

783
00:32:24,839 --> 00:32:29,259
I hope this talk offered an insight into

784
00:32:27,638 --> 00:32:31,808
how narrative and gameplay can work

785
00:32:29,259 --> 00:32:33,370
together and demonstrate how interesting

786
00:32:31,808 --> 00:32:34,778
it is to think of game designers as a

787
00:32:33,369 --> 00:32:36,758
narrative architects rather the

788
00:32:34,778 --> 00:32:38,859
traditional storytellers I think

789
00:32:36,759 --> 00:32:41,319
thinking of video games storytelling in

790
00:32:38,859 --> 00:32:43,479
spatial terms using these four different

791
00:32:41,319 --> 00:32:46,298
models presented by Henry Jenkins could

792
00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:47,889
lead to more creative narratives so

793
00:32:46,298 --> 00:32:49,960
jenkins says such a mixture of in

794
00:32:47,888 --> 00:32:51,699
accident and embedded narrative elements

795
00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,860
can allow for balance between the

796
00:32:51,700 --> 00:32:56,440
flexibility of interactivity and the

797
00:32:53,859 --> 00:32:58,689
coherence of pre authored narrative so

798
00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:03,090
thus bringing together narratology and

799
00:32:58,690 --> 00:33:03,090
lewd ology and there's an academic

800
00:33:03,460 --> 00:33:07,890
that's pretty much here there's some

801
00:33:05,019 --> 00:33:10,210
work cited there's a little bit about me

802
00:33:07,890 --> 00:33:13,180
there's time for questions if anyone

803
00:33:10,210 --> 00:33:15,840
wants to ask skinny you'll have to shout

804
00:33:13,180 --> 00:33:27,009
them out and I'll have to repeat them

805
00:33:15,839 --> 00:33:30,959
any questions well then there are plenty

806
00:33:27,009 --> 00:33:30,960
of videos online for you to look at

807
00:33:52,440 --> 00:33:55,100
yeah

808
00:34:03,750 --> 00:34:24,099
yeah yeah okay just to reiterate for the

809
00:34:21,460 --> 00:34:26,739
video in case that wasn't picked up how

810
00:34:24,099 --> 00:34:29,018
how specific can you go with micro

811
00:34:26,739 --> 00:34:32,799
narratives is a little kind of tableau

812
00:34:29,018 --> 00:34:35,739
in a corner of a room a micro narrative

813
00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:38,830
and is any action a player takes through

814
00:34:35,739 --> 00:34:40,539
space in a sequence a micro narrative it

815
00:34:38,829 --> 00:34:42,549
could be like Jenkins gives the example

816
00:34:40,539 --> 00:34:44,409
of like playing a football game and

817
00:34:42,550 --> 00:34:45,760
giving a getting a touchdown as being a

818
00:34:44,409 --> 00:34:47,800
micro narrative because it's something

819
00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:49,629
that you can lift out of context and you

820
00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:53,199
know have it as a self-contained little

821
00:34:49,628 --> 00:34:54,969
thing and I think totally those little

822
00:34:53,199 --> 00:34:57,639
bits of environmental storytelling where

823
00:34:54,969 --> 00:35:00,879
you get a little tableau almost or still

824
00:34:57,639 --> 00:35:03,699
like you said a still-life can totally

825
00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:05,230
be like a micro narrative so I don't

826
00:35:03,699 --> 00:35:07,869
think there's any hard and fast rule to

827
00:35:05,230 --> 00:35:09,730
it I just think it's a really

828
00:35:07,869 --> 00:35:14,199
interesting way to frame those kind of

829
00:35:09,730 --> 00:35:17,110
things but yeah I mean the problem with

830
00:35:14,199 --> 00:35:18,759
these kind of taxonomy is right is they

831
00:35:17,110 --> 00:35:19,750
create divisions between things whereas

832
00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,480
actually I think there's quite a lot of

833
00:35:19,750 --> 00:35:23,500
overlap between these four categories

834
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:26,530
obviously I can't go into that because

835
00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:27,880
20 minutes is enough to just think of a

836
00:35:26,530 --> 00:35:30,910
taste of always talking about rather

837
00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:35,740
than actually you know explore how

838
00:35:30,909 --> 00:35:38,279
they're interconnected as well any other

839
00:35:35,739 --> 00:35:38,279
questions

840
00:35:41,139 --> 00:35:44,139
yeah

841
00:36:13,099 --> 00:36:19,659
big influence

842
00:36:16,739 --> 00:36:24,068
okay cool so the question is like about

843
00:36:19,659 --> 00:36:26,048
kind of Lovecraft being used more and

844
00:36:24,068 --> 00:36:30,548
more and what other kind of originators

845
00:36:26,048 --> 00:36:32,380
of kind of genres and and tropes can be

846
00:36:30,548 --> 00:36:35,739
used or are being used I think it's

847
00:36:32,380 --> 00:36:39,579
interesting that blood that kind of love

848
00:36:35,739 --> 00:36:41,108
craft is such a popular thing for the

849
00:36:39,579 --> 00:36:43,509
bass games on and things you can't

850
00:36:41,108 --> 00:36:44,798
actually throw a rock I don't know why

851
00:36:43,509 --> 00:36:47,048
you'd be throwing rock we can't throw a

852
00:36:44,798 --> 00:36:48,880
rock these days without hitting the

853
00:36:47,048 --> 00:36:51,190
board game with a Lovecraftian theme

854
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:52,749
right and the main reason for that is it

855
00:36:51,190 --> 00:36:54,369
cool but the secondary and

856
00:36:52,748 --> 00:36:57,548
closely-related reason to that is it's

857
00:36:54,369 --> 00:37:01,298
um isn't it's out of copyright so anyone

858
00:36:57,548 --> 00:37:03,639
can just use it and so I think like the

859
00:37:01,298 --> 00:37:06,248
more it's then used like the more people

860
00:37:03,639 --> 00:37:08,708
become familiar with it and the more it

861
00:37:06,248 --> 00:37:10,268
gets used but I think the interesting

862
00:37:08,708 --> 00:37:13,088
thing with blood-borne is it doesn't

863
00:37:10,268 --> 00:37:16,868
explicitly use it it's all very subtle

864
00:37:13,088 --> 00:37:19,380
is like Miyazaki's use of kind of

865
00:37:16,869 --> 00:37:21,489
western fantasy tropes in Dark Souls

866
00:37:19,380 --> 00:37:23,349
they're there but they're kind of

867
00:37:21,489 --> 00:37:25,749
filtered through his kind of unique

868
00:37:23,349 --> 00:37:29,469
sensibilities and his kind of cultural

869
00:37:25,748 --> 00:37:31,718
influences and he uses I can't remember

870
00:37:29,469 --> 00:37:33,869
the terminology now but his specifically

871
00:37:31,719 --> 00:37:36,699
said that he uses a lot of Japanese

872
00:37:33,869 --> 00:37:39,608
philosophical concepts about

873
00:37:36,699 --> 00:37:41,190
impermanence which is really interesting

874
00:37:39,608 --> 00:37:43,058
it's really interesting to read

875
00:37:41,190 --> 00:37:44,979
interviews with him because he clearly

876
00:37:43,059 --> 00:37:47,949
you know is very intelligent man and

877
00:37:44,978 --> 00:37:51,179
clip who knows what he's doing and I

878
00:37:47,949 --> 00:37:54,670
think in terms of other kind of

879
00:37:51,179 --> 00:37:57,248
originators of important myth AUSA's I

880
00:37:54,670 --> 00:37:59,739
guess Sherlock Holmes like you know I

881
00:37:57,248 --> 00:38:02,439
think Arthur Conan Doyle his his work

882
00:37:59,739 --> 00:38:03,999
gets used a lot and is being used more

883
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:06,269
and more in videogames I think is

884
00:38:03,998 --> 00:38:08,259
another interesting talk to be had about

885
00:38:06,268 --> 00:38:10,508
because I mentioned a little bit there

886
00:38:08,259 --> 00:38:13,119
about kind of detective fiction and

887
00:38:10,509 --> 00:38:14,619
videogames because obviously detective

888
00:38:13,119 --> 00:38:16,719
fiction is a really good example of how

889
00:38:14,619 --> 00:38:18,338
story and plot works but it's a little

890
00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:20,318
bit harder to do in videogames and when

891
00:38:18,338 --> 00:38:25,119
videogames normally do detective stories

892
00:38:20,318 --> 00:38:27,400
because they could be so procedural it

893
00:38:25,119 --> 00:38:29,019
can easily get out of hand

894
00:38:27,400 --> 00:38:31,150
be difficult they normally kind of

895
00:38:29,019 --> 00:38:33,670
systemize that so you had something like

896
00:38:31,150 --> 00:38:35,170
murdered soul suspect where you weren't

897
00:38:33,670 --> 00:38:37,028
really solving a mystery were just

898
00:38:35,170 --> 00:38:39,849
collecting little bits of things and

899
00:38:37,028 --> 00:38:42,969
putting them together and it's I'm yet

900
00:38:39,849 --> 00:38:44,769
to see like a detective game done really

901
00:38:42,969 --> 00:38:47,048
well I think that gives that the player

902
00:38:44,769 --> 00:38:49,239
the freedom to try and work it out

903
00:38:47,048 --> 00:38:50,739
itself but that's the other one I could

904
00:38:49,239 --> 00:38:52,989
think of is at the top of my head is

905
00:38:50,739 --> 00:39:06,729
Sherlock Holmes and do you have any in

906
00:38:52,989 --> 00:39:08,798
mind yeah another one

907
00:39:06,730 --> 00:39:11,260
I'll give you which is a little bit more

908
00:39:08,798 --> 00:39:13,690
highbrow but I think does creep into

909
00:39:11,260 --> 00:39:16,809
things is George annuity of all gays who

910
00:39:13,690 --> 00:39:20,108
is an Argentinean a proto sci-fi writer

911
00:39:16,809 --> 00:39:23,440
he came up with some amazing incredible

912
00:39:20,108 --> 00:39:25,420
mind-blowing ideas that play that you

913
00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,710
know you read one of his stories and it

914
00:39:25,420 --> 00:39:29,200
will change the way that you look at the

915
00:39:26,710 --> 00:39:32,260
world forever his brilliant and I find

916
00:39:29,199 --> 00:39:34,269
I'm finding that his ideas are creeping

917
00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:36,099
into games and popular culture a little

918
00:39:34,269 --> 00:39:38,469
bit more now

919
00:39:36,099 --> 00:39:42,369
try I can't think of an example for the

920
00:39:38,469 --> 00:39:44,649
top of my head but could you think of

921
00:39:42,369 --> 00:39:51,818
one cool I know you like tall guys as

922
00:39:44,650 --> 00:39:54,960
well oh yeah he's that oh yeah joseph

923
00:39:51,818 --> 00:39:54,960
conrad's yeah

924
00:39:55,920 --> 00:40:01,059
spec up to the line yes spec up the line

925
00:39:59,289 --> 00:40:07,239
is an adaptation of the heart of

926
00:40:01,059 --> 00:40:08,590
darkness by Joseph Conrad yeah yeah yeah

927
00:40:07,239 --> 00:40:11,109
videogames are becoming a little bit

928
00:40:08,590 --> 00:40:13,750
more literary and a little bit more you

929
00:40:11,110 --> 00:40:15,460
know encouraged to kind of like newest

930
00:40:13,750 --> 00:40:22,329
literary sources and and play around

931
00:40:15,460 --> 00:40:27,130
with them good anyone else probably try

932
00:40:22,329 --> 00:40:28,929
and wrap up time as its yes okay we

933
00:40:27,130 --> 00:40:33,329
should probably wrap up but I hope you

934
00:40:28,929 --> 00:40:33,329
enjoyed that and it wasn't it was okay

935
00:40:44,969 --> 00:40:47,029
you