Ingame Instances: Authors, Actors, and Recipients
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Keywords

Model of Communication Levels in Computer Games Game Entities Narrative Entities Regulatory Entities Abstract Author Implied Player Narration in Computer Games Narratology Immediacy Hypermediacy Game Studies Computer Games

How to Cite

Voronin, R. (2019). Ingame Instances: Authors, Actors, and Recipients. Galactica Media: Journal of Media Studies, 1(4), 108-129. https://doi.org/10.24411/2658-7734-2019-10039

Abstract

The paper projects the theoretical and conceptual framework of narratology (particularly Wolf Schmid’s tradition and some ideas of film narratology) to computer games. The goal of the research article is an attempt to create a model of communication levels for a computer game in a generic form, to define these levels and characterize level-specific entities. Games are of a composite and syncretic media nature, for which interactivity and user – program interactions are a key feature, thus the researcher does not focus on exceptionally a story side of games (as it would be expected by structuralist narratology), but rather adapts and develops the theory from the perspective of game medium specifics. The paper analyses such game entities as the abstract author, the narrator, the regulator, the narrative actor and addressee, the procedural player, the explicit user and some others. It also problematises the explicitness, optionality, and existence of those figures. Furthermore, the researcher investigates the connection between game communication levels and different types of mediacy. The manifestation of entities and some problematic points of the model are illustrated with brief analyses of particular games. In the conclusion the paper author proposes possible implications of the model in other fields of game studies and outlines some ideas for further research.

https://doi.org/10.24411/2658-7734-2019-10039
pdf (Русский)

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