Musings on the nature of narrative, storytelling and everything in-between.
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:
If you’ve read some of my previous articles, you may have noticed more than a passing interest in transmedia storytelling. For those of you who haven’t I’ll give you this simple explanation before we continue – transmedia storytelling is the telling of different stories within the same story world, released intermittently on multiple platforms for example – a TV show, a video game, a movie and a tie-in novel.
Like most of the world, in the past month or so I have become absolutely captivated by the fantastic Netflix Original Show Stranger Things. As I write this article, Episode 1 is playing in the background – my third or fourth time watching it.
With a second season now confirmed for the show, I’ve gotten to thinking, like I do, about how the show could potentially branch out across media to become a transmedia franchise (something I believe is crucial for the survival of franchises in the very near future).
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.
With an upgrade to my personal laptop, I’m finally getting through a backlog of video games that have been on my to-do list for some time now. One such game is the horror/adventure game Alan Wake, which revolves around a famous writer by the name of Alan Wake, who upon being struck with a terrible case of writer’s block, travels to a remote mountain town with his wife for some well needed R&R. However, the small town is not as it initially seems, and it isn’t long before an insidious darkness begins to surround Alan, his wife and the locals, bringing to light secrets long forgotten.
If you think that sounds familiar, it’s probably because it is. It sounds familiar, because the game is almost straight from the pages of a Stephen King novel. The master of horror himself, has spent years penning stories about tortured writers, strange monsters and small town secrets, and has made quite a lucrative career for himself from it.
Alan Wake’s story is as expected – very good, but not as good as King himself. And this got me thinking – why are there no video games out there based off King’s novels?
Continue reading “Why Are There No Games Based On Stephen King Books?”
My Complicated Relationship With GTA.
If there’s one thing that differs and divides me from many other gamers out there, it is the Grand Theft Auto Series. I hate it. Ever since entered my awareness as a young High School kid, I struggled to understand the appeal of the series. While my buddies would be killing police and stealing trucks in the streets of Miami, having the time of their lives, I’d be sitting next to them on the couch, stuffing my face with potato chips, bored out of my mind.
This isn’t to say the Grand Theft Auto games are bad games, obviously they’re not. To have the kind of commercial appeal and critical acclaim that those games have, the creators have to be doing something right. And they are. I’m not debating the graphics or the sandbox gameplay. Those things are objectively good decisions from a gaming perspective.
Continue reading “Grand Theft Auto: The Misuse Of Social Satire In Video Games”
Authors’ note: This Post is Part 1 in a 3 Part Series. Stay tuned for more.
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 remains equally valid even if some of the smaller details do change.
It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of From Software’s 2015 game Bloodborne. So much so, that I have already written articles about it several times in the past. Recently, during some academic study I have been doing, I was prompted to find myself a copy of RedGrave’s seminal work – The Paleblood Hunt and give it a read. The Paleblood Hunt which you can read here, is essentially an 80 page analysis of the complex and confusing story of Bloodborne by which, the author submits ten chapters unpacking each of the multifaceted stories contained within the game’s narrative, layering upon them as you read through, until hopefully the game makes a little more sense.
Continue reading “Post Colonialism In From Software’s Bloodborne: The Foreigners’ Journey”
Almost a week ago, I wrote an article on the now booming Smartphone game Pokémon Go, and talked about how it is, I believe, an important moment in history due to the fact that it is plummeting Augmented Reality technology into center stage of mainstream society for arguably the first time.
Now that a few days have passed and we as a society have begun to settle into a Post-Pokémon Go world, I thought I’d take the time to talk about a few things I’ve noticed from my obsessive playing of the game and what I think needs to be figured out by designers if the game is to have long lasting appeal.
Continue reading “Top 5 Things Pokémon Go Needs To Fix To Create Long-Lasting Appeal”
At this year’s E3, fans were treated to the surprising return of everyone’s favorite hot-tempered God of War – Kratos, usurper of the throne of Olympus. This time around however, not only is Kratos sporting a different look, he seems to have grown up a bit.
In the ten-minute Gameplay trailer from E3, we watch an older, more grizzled Kratos track through the snowy undergrowth of a Norwegian forest alongside a young boy. A child, whom turns out to be none other than Kratos’ son, learning how to hunt under the guidance of a master. Of course, being a God of war game, it isn’t long before the duo encounters a monster which they have to fight against for their very lives.
Continue reading “The God Of War Dad – What Sony’s Reveal Can Teach Us About Character Arcs”
Those Sam-and-Dean-crazed, frothing at the mouth sort of fans will disagree with me, but I think WB’S horror themed show Supernatural is dying. Say what you want about the acting, or the way the creators expertly interact with the fandom, for me everything comes down to story. And let’s face it; Supernaturals’ story isn’t that great right now.
It’s safe to say, the creators saw the kind of money Supernatural was making and decided they wanted to make more. Now we have not only the TV show but comic books, novels, action figures, clothing and even a Japanese styled anime series. In fact, the only thing missing is the one thing I think could save the franchise – a video game.
Continue reading “If “Supernatural” Were A Game: How To Save A Dying Franchise”
I hammer on a lot about storytelling in games. About how I am dissatisfied with the current way most games immerse the player into their tales, and how I believe we are heading towards a proverbial renaissance in which video games will one day be considered “on the level” along side other great pieces of literature in Film, TV and Prose writing.
As much as current interactive narrative annoys me, there are a few stand outs that I have come across over the last few years that give me hope we are heading in the right direction.
Because I don’t want to be a negative Nancy and get down on what the industry gets wrong, I thought it would be cool to take some time out for a few minutes to look at two games that I reckon get stuff right in regards to narrative.
I want to discuss in this article what exactly they succeed in and why, as well as suggesting how these certain techniques can advance our writing abilities in the industry.
The two games I want to look at here are DARK SOULS III and BLOODBORNE.
Continue reading “The Minimalist Storytelling Of Bloodborne And Dark Souls III And Why it Works”
The Punk Writer. 