A Game of Twisted Shouting
Ludo-Narrative Dissonance Revisited
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7557/23.6506Keywords:
Ludo-narrative dissonance, ludology, narrativity, gameplay, games and violenceAbstract
This article takes a deeper look at the notion of ludo-narrative dissonance (henceforth LND), a popular term that refers to the perceived clash between the ludic and the narrative aspects of games. We wish to argue that a better understanding of the nature of LND and the reasons it appears in games enables us to look at this phenomenon from a new perspective that was not, as of yet, considered in game studies literature or the popular discourse. The typical approach to LND presents it as a problem or a design flaw that needs to be avoided by the developers. In contrast to this, we suggest that LND can be seen as a source of inspiration for the creators as it inherently invites the developers and the players to reflect on the game structure. We start with a closer look at the notion of LND and present three ways it can be interpreted. In section two we analyze the reasons LND can appear in games (regardless of the developers’ intentions). Section three goes through some of the existing methods of dealing with LND. Here we argue that embracing LND as a result of some of the necessary tensions of game design can result in the creative victory of the developers. We finish the paper, in the fourth section, with a longer case study of Manhunt which we see as a good exemplification of the reinvigorating power of LND.
References
K Boston and 2K Australia (2007) BioShock. 2K Games (Xbox 360).
Aarseth, E. (2001) Allegories of Space: The Question of Spatiality in Computer Games. In: Eskelinen, M. and Koskimaa, R. (eds.) Cybertext Yearbook 2000. Saarijärvi, Finland: Publications of the Research Centre for Contemporary Culture, University of Jyväskylä, pp. 152–171.
Aarseth, E. (2012) A Narrative Theory of Games. Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, pp. 129–132. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1145/2282338.2282365
Aarseth, E. and Möring, S. (2020) The Game Itself? Towards a Hermeneutics of Computer Games. FDG ’20, September 15–18, 2020, Bugibba, Malta. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1145/3402942.3402978.
Archer J., (1976) The Organization of Aggression and Fear in Vertebrates. In: Bateson P. P. G., Klopfer, P. H. (eds.) Perspectives in Ethology (vol. 2). New York: Plenum. pp. 231–298. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-7572-6_7
(2007–2020) Assassin’s Creed. Ubisoft (Microsoft Windows)
Backe, H.-J. (2018) A Redneck Head on a Nazi Body: Subversive Ludo-Narrative Strategies in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Arts, Vol. 7 (4). Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/arts7040076.
Backe, H.-J. And Thon, J.-N. (2019) Playing With Identity: Authors, Narrators, Avatars, and Players in The Stanley Parable and The Beginner’s Guide. Diegesis, Vol. 8 (2), pp. 1-24.
Bruner, J. (1987) Life as Narrative. Social Research, Vol. 54 (1), pp. 11–32.
Carnap, R. (1937) Logische Syntax der Sprache [The Logical Syntax of Language]. New York, NY: Humanities.
Coktel Vision (1991) Gobliiins. Coktel Vision. (PC DOS)
Consalvo, M. (2012) Confronting Toxic Gamer Culture: A Challenge for Feminist Game Studies Scholars. Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology, (1). Available from: http://adanewmedia.org/2012/11/issue1-consalvo [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Domsch, S. (2013) Storyplaying. Agency and Narrative in Video Games. Berlin: De Gruyter. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110272451
Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Smith, J. H., & Tosca, S. P. (2009) Understanding Video Games: The Essential Introduction (1st ed.). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203930748
Engelns, M. (2014) Spielen und Erzählen. Computerspiele und die Ebenen ihrer Realisierung. Heidelberg: synchron Publishers.
Festinger, L. (1957) A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. Stanford: Stanford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781503620766
Froschauer, A. (2017) ‘Sag mal, erzählst du die Geschichte oder ich?’ Erzählerstimmen im Computerspiel: Erscheinungsformen und Funktionen. Paidia. Zeitschrift für Computerspielforschung. Available from: http://www.paidia.de/sag-mal-erzahlst-du-die-geschichte-oder-ich/ [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Galactic Cafe (2011) The Stanley Parable. Galactic Cafe (Microsoft Windows).
Günzel, S. (2008) The Space-Image: Interactivity and Spatiality of Computer Games. Conference Proceedings of the Philosophy of Computer Games 2008. Potsdam: Universität Potsdam Press. Available from: https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/2555 [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Henry, H. (2017) Ludo-narrative Dissonance and Harmony in Larps. [Blog post], available from: https://nordiclarp.org/2017/02/27/ludo-narrative-dissonance-and-harmony-in-larps/ [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Hernandez, P. (2010) Alan Wake Writer Blames Ludonarrative Dissonance on Game Expectations. Available from: http://nightmaremode.thegamerstrust.com/2010/11/30/alan-wake-writer-blames-ludonarrative-dissonance-on-game-expectations/ [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Herte, M. (2016) ‘Come, Stanley, Let’s Find the Story!’: On the Ludic and the Narrative Mode of Computer Games in The Stanley Parable. IMAGE, Vol. 23 (1), pp. 30–42. Available from: https://mediarep.org/handle/doc/17335 [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Hocking, C. (October 07, 2007) Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock: The Problem of What Game is About. [Blog post]. Click Nothing, TypePad. Available from: http://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Howe, L.A. (2017) Ludonarrative Dissonance and Dominant Narratives. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, Vol. 44 (1), pp. 44–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/00948705.2016.1275972
Infinity Ward (2019) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Activision.
Infocom (1981) Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz. Infocom. (PlayStation 4)
Insomniac Games (2018) Spider-Man. Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation 4).
Jenkins, H. (2004) Game Design as Narrative Architecture. Wardrip-Fruin, N. & Harrigan, P. (eds.) First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game, pp. 118–130. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Juul, J. (2005) Half-Real: Video Games Between Real Rules and Fictional Rules. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Keogh, B. (2012) Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops: The Line. Adelaide: Stolen Projects.
Kirkpatrick, G. (2011) Aesthetic Theory and the Video Game. Manchester, England: Manchester University Press.
Klejver, R. (2018) It’s Not the Violence, Stupid. Game Studies, Vol. 18 (1). Available from: http://gamestudies.org/1801/articles/review_klevjer [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Leeson, D. (2005) Simulating Murder in Manhunt. NMEDIAC: Journal of New Media & Culture, Vol. 3 (2). Available from: http://www.ibiblio.org/nmediac/summer2005/manhunt.html [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Makedonski, B. (2012, September 26) Ludonarrative Dissonance: The Roadblock to Realism [Blog post]. Destructoid. Available from: https://www.destructoid.com/ludonarrative-dissonance-the-roadblock-to-realism/ [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Mittell, J. (2007) Complex TV: The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling. New York: NYU Press.
Möring, S. (2019) Distance and Fear: Defining the Play Space. In: Aarseth, E. and Günzel, S. (eds.) Ludotopia. Bielefeld, Germany: transcript Verlag, pp. 231–244. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783839447307-013
Murphy, D. T. (2016) Hybrid Moments: Using Ludonarrative Dissonance for Political Critique. Loading…: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, Vol. 10 (15), pp. 1–12. Available from: https://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/view/147 [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Naughty Dog (2020) The Last of Us Part II. Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation 4).
Neitzel, B. (2010) Wer bin ich? Thesen zur Avatar-Spieler Bindung. In: Neitzel, B. et al. (Eds.) ‘See? I’m Real...’ Multidisziplinäre Zugänge zum Computerspiel am Beispiel von Silent Hill. Münster: Lit Verlag, pp. 193–212.
Neitzel. B. (2014) Narrativity of Computer Games. In: Hühn, P. et al. (Eds.) Handbook of Narratology. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.). Berlin: De Gruyter, pp. 608-622. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110316469.608
Nitsche, M. (2008). Video Game Spaces. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262141017.001.0001
Rockstar London (2007) Manhunt 2. Rockstar Games (PlayStation 2).
Rockstar North (2003) Manhunt. Rockstar Games (PlayStation 2).
Rockstar North (2008) Grand Theft Auto IV. Rockstar Games. (Xbox 360)
Rockstar San Diego (2010) Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare. Rockstar Games. (Xbox 360)
Rocksteady Studios (2011) Batman: Arkham City. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. (PlayStation 3)
Roth, C., van Nuenen, T., and Koenitz, H. (2018) Ludonarrative Hermeneutics: A Way Out and the Narrative Paradox. In: Rouse, R., Koenitz, H. and Haahr, M. (eds.) Interactive Storytelling: ICIDS 2018. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, pp. 93–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04028-4_7
Sample, M. L. (2008) Virtual Torture: Videogames and the War on Terror. Game Studies, Vol. 8 (2). Available from: http://gamestudies.org/0802/articles/sample [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Sarian, A. A. (2018) Paradox and Pedagogy in The Stanley Parable. Games and Culture. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412018765550.
Seraphine, F. (2016) Ludonarrative Dissonance: Is Storytelling About Reaching Harmony? Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307569310_Ludonarrative_Dissonance_Is_Storytelling_About_Reaching_Harmony [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Schott, G. (2016) Violent Games: Rules, Realism, and Effect. New York: Bloomsbury.
Schubart, R. (2001) Passion and Acceleration: Generic Change in the Action Film. In: Slocum, J. D. (ed.) Violence and American Cinema. New York: Routledge, pp. 192–207.
Sicart. M. (2008) Defining Game Mechanics. Game Studies, Vol. 8 (2). http://gamestudies.org/0802/articles/sicart [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Sicart, M. (2009) The Ethics of Computer Games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262012652.001.0001
Sicart, M. (2010) Wicked Games: on the Design of Ethical Gameplay. Proceedings of the 1st DESIRE Network Conference on Creativity and Innovation in Design. ACM Digital Library.
Sicart, M. (2013) Beyond Choices. The Design of Ethical Gameplay. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9052.001.0001
Sicart, M. (2018) Quixotean Play in the Age of Computation. American Journal of Play, Vol. 10 (3), pp. 249–64.
Spasojević, S. (2010) A Serbian Film. Unearthed Films.
Swain, E. (2010) In Defence of Ludonarrative Dissonance [Blog post]. The Game Critique. Available from: https://www.thegamecritique.com/recent-posts/in-defense-of-ludonarrative-dissonance/2283/ [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Swink, S. (2009) Game Feel: A Game Designer’s Guide to Virtual Sensation. Boca Raton: CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781482267334
Thon, J.-N. (2016) Narrative Comprehension and Video Game Storyworlds. In: Perron, B. and Schröter, F. (eds.) Video Games and the Mind: Essays on Cognition, Affect and Emotion. Jefferson: McFarland, pp. 15–31.
Turner, B. (2013, April 16) Ludonarrative Dissonance - A Fallacy of Storytelling. [Blog post]. Available from: http://www.pixlbit.com/blog/1618/ludonarrative_dissonance_a_fallacy_of_storytelling [Accessed: 11 Sep. 2022].
Ubisoft Montreal (2016) Watch Dogs 2. Ubisoft. (PlayStation 4)
Ursin H. (1988) Expectancy and Activation: An Attempt to Systematize Stress Theory. In Hellhammer D., Florin, I., and Weiner, H. (eds.) Neuronal Control of Bodily Function: Basic and Clinical Aspects, Vol. 2: Neurobiological Approaches to Human Disease. Kirkland: Huber, pp. 313–334.
van Kampen, H. S., (2019) The Principle of Consistency and the Cause and Function of Behaviour. Behavioural Processes, Vol. 159, pp. 42-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2018.12.013
Vella, D. (2015) The Ludic Subject and the Ludic Self: Analyzing the 'I-in-the-Gameworld' (Doctoral dissertation, IT University of Copenhagen).
Walther, B. K. (2019) Using Ludo-Narrative Dissonance in Grand Theft Auto IV as Pedagogical Tool for Ethical Analysis. In: Liapis, A. et al. (eds.) Games and Learning Alliance: GALA 2019. Cham: Springer, pp. 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-34350-7_1
Walther, B. K. and Larsen, L. J. (2019) Bicycle Kicks and Camp Sites: Towards a Phenomenological Theory of Game Feel with Special Attention Towards 'Rhythm'. Convergence. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856519885033
Wardrip-Fruin, N., Mateas, M., Dow, S., and Sali, S. (2009) Agency Reconsidered. Proceedings of the 2009 DiGRA International Conference: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory, pp. 1-9.
Wiele, J. (2010) Poetological Fiction: The Self-reflective Artist Narrative in the 20th Century. Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter.
Zagal, J. P. (2010) Manhunt-The Dilemma of Play. Davidson, Drew (Ed). Well-Played 2.0. Pittsburgh: ETC Press, pp. 241-43.
Zhu, F. (2020) The Freedom of Alienated Reflexive Subjectivity in The Stanley Parable. Convergence, Vol. 26 (1), pp. 116-134. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856517751389
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Paweł Grabarczyk , Bo Kampmann Walther
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
