Videogames as Narrative Medium
© 2003 Nich Maragos

  1. Chapter I - Are Games Art?
    1. The Case Against
    2. The Case For
  2. Chapter II - Narrative Components of Games
    1. Imagery
    2. Sound
    3. Movies
  3. Chapter III - Conventional Narrative in Games
    1. Plot
    2. Character
    3. Point of View
    4. Setting
    5. Theme
    6. Sidequests
    7. Metanarrative
  4. Chapter IV - Interactive Narrative in Games
    1. The Arbitrary Choice
    2. The Burdensome Choice
    3. The Interpretive Choice
    4. The Behavioral Choice
    5. Rewards
  5. Chapter V - Conclusion
  6. Works Cited

The following is my undergraduate senior thesis, originally conceived and started as a means of fulfilling my Honors College requirements at the University of Mississippi. I was kicked out of the honors college halfway through, but it was important enough to me that I kept on board the project through completion. If all goes well, I'll be able to expand this into publishable form somehow.

That said, it was written with a slant toward the tenured faculty at a university and not for the regular game-savvy visitors to this site. That means there's a lot of material here you'll already know, so bear with me during some bits you might find tedious. More importantly, I took it as a given that my instructors and graders would neither have experienced nor would have any inclination to experience the games as they are, which means this thesis is heavily dosed with spoilers. A simple way of avoiding unwanted spoilers is to peruse the Works Cited page; if you see a game listed there, it's safe to assume I discuss it and its plot at length, often with an analysis of the game's ending or endings.

If you think you can handle that, then by all means proceed to the first chapter--and don't forget to stop by the forums, or to email me when you're finished to share your thoughts. Enjoy!