Abstract
The success of the gaming industry relies on the ability for companies to meet consumer expectations of product quality. However, as technology advances, the expected quality of games increases, and the problem arises that gaming companies make compromises during the development process, either at the expense of storytelling or the quality of developers' lives. To study this problem, my technical topic analyzes the implementation of different narrative types in interactive digital narratives to create high-quality and engaging storytelling. My STS topic, on the other hand, focuses on the issue of crunch as an infrastructural issue in game development that impacts the lives of developers negatively.
My technical topic focuses on the problem of lower player retention when there is unengaging storytelling within interactive digital narratives (IDNs). To approach researching this problem, I completed a literature review for different video games with branching narratives, which are a type of IDN. Eventually, I defined four example types of narrative structures used within these games. I performed a case study for each narrative structure, picking one game representative of the narrative type and analyzing how the narrative structure interacted with player agency to uniquely impact the user’s playing experience. I found that while there is not a ‘correct’ narrative structure for all IDNs, the effectiveness of a narrative is dependent on the type of story developers want to tell. Game designers should carefully consider the narrative structure that best represents their intentions with their game.
My STS problem focuses on the issue of crunch as an infrastructural element of the game development process. Crunch is characterized by tight deadlines and extended work hours, at the expense of developers' well-being, financially or physically. To analyze this problem, I first analyzed the historical use of crunch from the beginning of the industry, looking at several case studies during this historical overview. I also analyzed legal and social attitudes that enabled the process's growth. I then looked at case studies of independent game companies' success, where crunch was not in use. Most importantly, I found that while crunch was used from the inception of the game industry and integrated into the standards of practice for game development, crunch has since been proven to be an unnecessary process, as games have been created in crunch-free environments and performed successfully in the market.
Through my STS research, I successfully showed that crunch was not a necessary practice for quality and well-performing games. While I did not pose an overall solution, I did pose different options to address or mitigate the issue, such as extending deadlines or providing adequate compensation when taking into account instances where tight deadlines do occur naturally. Looking forward, researchers should continue to look for replicable and adaptable solutions to crunch. Specifically, beyond institutional changes within game development companies, how can developers continue to pursue collectivization and unionization to improve their working conditions? My technical research was not as successful contributing to a solution to unengaging narratives. However, the foundation of my technical research was heavily rooted in the subjective question: what makes a ‘good’ narrative. This question does not have a correct answer, so the definition of a solution is already loose. Further research should investigate narrative structure beyond those I defined. There should also be research that directly compares the player experience of these different narratives, asking how does the player experience changes or evolves from game to game?
For my technical research, I would like to thank my capstone professor, Mark Sherriff, for serving as an advisor through this independent research. I would also like to thank my friends, Chloe and Rachael, for telling me about their favorite games and serving as some of my inspiration. For my STS research, I would like to thank my professor, Caitlyn Wylie, for her support throughout the past two semesters. Her advice was invaluable during the writing process. For both, I would like to thank all of my friends for listening to me talk about video games for a year and responding to me with the same enthusiasm.
