Turning Games into Literature: An Interview with Starlight Runner’s Jeff Gomez and Narrative Limited’s Edwin McRae

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If you’ve been following my articles over the past several months, you should have noticed a reoccurring theme of mine. If you haven’t, just quickly: I have a passion for video game storytelling and would love to see a day where video games are considered on par with books and film as having strong literary merit.

Because of this, I decided I’d reach out to some of the best experts in storytelling I know, and really try hone in on the questions I have revolving around video game narrative and how we as narrative designers can see story take front row seat in gaming.

That Perfect Ending/s: The Multi-Choice Conclusion In Video Game Narratives

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Do You Save Hitler? Or Let Him Drown?

Moral choices effecting story are all the rage in video games at the moment and they have been for a long time. Perhaps one of the earliest examples of this (at least that I can remember) can be seen in Microsoft’s Fable (2004) in which every choice was said to have an outcome which would effect how your character looked as well as how the story would ultimately end.

It is this ability for the player to directly influence plot that makes gaming so unique, so fascinating in comparison to other forms of literature. Video Game narratives offer lovers of story an incredibly visceral experience in which we get to actually BE the protagonist within the story.

“Arrival” An Almost-Lovecraftian Masterpiece

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TLDR;

Arrival is a triumph of Scifi and Weird Lovecraftian fiction. A culmination of original ideas, classic tropes and an optimistic message, it succeeds where so many Hollywood movies have failed as of late. The story is well-written and brilliantly displayed on the screen to both dislocate the viewer, placing them in the strangeness of the character’s situation, as well as pack an emotional punch that will have you choking back tears in the films climax.

 

The “Don’t Show The Monster” Rule: Ambiguity, Terror and Dislocation In Weird Horror

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A highly important rule in horror, in particular Lovecraftian/Weird horror is the rule of not showing the monster. Although this is perhaps a bit of a mislabeling, what we are looking for in this style of horror fiction is not necessarily the omission of the monster or monsters, but the tasteful showing of said creature, paired with a respect for suspense throughout the story.

Allow me to unpack this a bit further.

Horror, especially in film mediums hinges on the understanding and following of this rule often times. The reason why some horrors work while others don’t is due to this factor of ambiguity. The ones that do work work because the story plays with and cause us to question things that we know to be true. A successful horror story needs to combine some element of fear of the unknown.

‘Westworld’: A Primer In Speculative Fiction

http://gizmodo.com/tag/westworld

Recently, the pilot episode of the much anticipated new HBO drama Westworld hit our screens. Based off the 1973 film of the same name, Westworld tells the story of a cowboy/colonial-themed amusement park in the not-too-distant future where the occupants are synthetic androids believing they truly do exist in the Wild West. This theme park, open to only the obscenely wealthy, offers an experience like no other — come to West World and do whatever you like with no consequences.

You can be the hero, saving the township from evil banditos, you can live it up as a high roller — gambling, drinking and spending time with ladies of the night — or, you can be the bad guy, shooting up everyone in your path with no repercussions or threat of being harmed yourself.

Issues become complicated however, when the androids begin to show signs of self-awareness and a desire to be freed from their hellish existence, and it is at this point that the series takes off.

Story In 5: Episode 1: Inside

Hey all my lovely readers, I’m beginning a new video series called “Story In 5” in which I’ll be looking at narratives from mostly video games and analyzing them in around 5 minutes.

Episode 1 has just been launched, so be sure to check it out here, and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more content:

“The Shallows” A Coming Of Age Survival Horror?

Once again, my partner and I found ourselves on a rainy New Zealand Sunday with not much to do. We decided to jump on the bandwagon and head long with our flatmates to the cinema and check out the latest Shark attack movie The Shallows.

The Shallows is an American film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, Run All Night), written by Anthony Jaswinski (Vanishing On 7^th Street) and starring Blake Lively (Gossip Girl). It follows the horrifying story of a young medical student named Nancy who arrives at the unnamed beach her mother visited while pregnant with her, and ends up stranded atop a coral reef 200 yards from the shore, while a gigantic great white stalks her from the water.

Post Colonialism In From Software’s Bloodborne: Father Gascoigne and Blood Ministration

Authors’ note: This Post is Part 2 in a 2 Part Series. Click here for Part 1.

Authors’ note: Due to the nature of Bloodborne lore, certain bits of information in this article may change over time to reflect a more accurate understanding of the games’ story and mythology. While I will always try my best to deliver the most accurate information as possible, due to the constant changing nature of theories around Bloodborne I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy all the time. I will however strive to make sure that the post-colonial analysis of this series remain equally valid even if some of the smaller details do change.

Strange Flesh: The Use Of Lovecraftian Archetypes In Queer Fiction: Cthulhu (2007)

Authors Note: This is Part 7 of an ongoing series. Click here for Part 1  Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 and Part 6

It is fitting that we save this text for last as it brings the article full circle and back to the plot of The Shadow over Innsmouth. Cthulhu is a 2007 film which loosely adapts TSOI and presents it in modern times. Directed by Dan Gildark and co-written alongside Grant Cogswell, the film received mixed ratings and holds 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. While the queer themes in the film split viewers, it has garnered a following and an appreciation in the last few years. Film critic Steve Barton of Dread Central writes that the film is:

“High on ambition and originality and the closest we’ve come to a true H.P. Lovecraft film.” (Barton, 2009)

Last Week I Spoke On CultPopture’s Podcast Regarding The Evil Dead Franchise Which You Can Check Out Here.

This week on FILM FRANCHISE FORTNIGHTS, Richard and I are joined by The Punk Writer himself Nick J Jones, to discuss the wild and ever-changing EVIL DEAD series, a saga which has transcended genre and medium to become the bizarre cult icon it is today. Give it a cheeky listen oi!
You can listen for FREE here:

iTunes

SoundCloud

Youtube