Writing Excuses 20.26: Gaming as a Writing Metaphor
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Jun 29, 2025 Discover how gaming transforms narrative engagement, offering players a unique sense of agency that differs from traditional storytelling. Explore how player choice fosters emergent narratives, leading to personalized experiences. The discussion dives into the symbiotic relationship between gameplay mechanics and storytelling, illustrated by popular titles. Learn how audience preferences shape both gaming and reading experiences. Finally, the importance of collaborative storytelling is emphasized, encouraging creators to balance audience impact with their artistic vision.
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Player Agency Changes Story Experience
- Giving players more choice and agency changes how they experience a story.
- This agency is the fundamental difference between games and prose narratives.
Discovering Story Through Gameplay
- DongWon Song enjoys FromSoft games for the emergent narrative built through exploration and world interaction.
- He prefers discovering story elements rather than being told explicitly through cutscenes.
Games as Action Simulations
- All games are simulations governed by specific actions or verbs players can perform.
- These simulations teach us lessons without the real-world consequences of the simulated activity.