“Fear the Old Blood”: The Gothicism of Bloodborne

Gothic studies and Game studies are beginning to be explored in connection with each other to find various configurations of Gothic elements in the cybertext of games. In this article, I explore various Gothic elements in Bloodborne (From Software, 2015). My methodology incorporates the analysis of the manifestation of Gothicism in the game through the interplay between the figure of the player character, mise-en-scène, and the presence of psychologically affective states pertaining to the experience of playing the game. The role and aspects of player participation, performativity, and in-game mechanics are also examined with respect to the particular function they serve in the realization of the Gothic experience. The presence of Gothic and Lovecraftian tropes, symbolism, and elements of horror within the narrative are also explored.

Using Characterization Theory to Study the History of Video Game Characters

The Rogue and the City: Thieves World and the expanding role of Literature in Tabletop Roleplaying

“We’re Excited to Chart this Unknown Territory Together”: Storytelling Strategies in Patch Notes Documents

Developers often describe changes to online games in Patch Notes. These documents are for players of the game to learn about changes and revise their understanding of the game. The evolution of Patch Notes Documents (PNDs) as a genre with structural conventions is a story of how adding narrative features helps explain changes to a genre-savvy audience. In this paper, I explore stylistic and structural techniques used in the PNDs to construct a consistent narrative of evolution of the online multiplayer game League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009). Exploring narrativizing as sensemaking suggests that storytelling can supplement existing preservation activities for digital games

Fresh Start: An Innovative Video Game to Educate First Year College Students about Mindful Drinking

A Recipe for Disaster? The Emerging Ludo Mix and the Outsourcing of Narrative

Employing The Final Fantasy XV Universe as a case study, this article examines how the changing climate of game development, in tandem with established media mix strategies, contributes to the emergence of the ludo mix as media ecology. Through a comparative analysis of the climate of modern game development and the adoption of media mix strategies, as they relate to the franchise in question, the case is made that these two distinct phenomena intersect to create novel challenges and incentives for a particular kind of game development, wherein the mitigation of mounting production costs has resulted in the strategic outsourcing of Final Fantasy XV’s core narrative, negatively affecting the games critical reception. These findings posit challenges for the future of the ludo mix as the evolving technological, aesthetic and economic climate of game development continues further down the path that has led to this outcome.

Breaking the Meta: Origins and Influence of Fourth Wall Breaking Games

Interactive Narrative Strategies in Videogames

Past Stories and Future Worlds: History and Popular Imagination in Fallout 4

Game Narrative Through the Detective Lens