For information :

Analysis grid :
This analysis handout is easy to use.
The first column on the left hand-side shows the twelves steps of the Vogler hero's journey and
constitute the basis of my work of reflection.
The clissification criteria are indicated in the second column. There are two criteria for each Vogler
step, hence their parallelism in the grid. Those criteria were created taking interaction as a
differienciation pattern the shifting point from traditional narration. y choice in picking the
work of Vogler is simple ! making the understanding of my analysis handout easier for everyone for
Vogler's works are well-known in the field of narration "mostly used in the conception of cinema
scripts#.
$f some assimilations are easily understandable between Vogler's step and the classification criteria,
others are less.
%or information, $ am tackling two distinct notions which $ coined ! inferred narration and scripting
narration.
&cipting narration means an event triggered at a given moment in the game, programmed to be at
the certain time and a certain place, as cinematics.
$nferred naration, as for it, stages elements of the narration of the game triggered by the actions of
the player. %or e'ample, when the player is motionless, nothing happens on the screen, but when the
avatar of the player starts moving, a new plot starts as well, whether in the background or in the
foreground.
(ven if those differences between the two narration styles are subtle, they remain essential. There is
a tremendous difference in the feeling of a player watching a cinematic where he does not
participate, and a game phase in which he can move his avatar to change his point of view on the
action on the screen, or to change the plot. $n short, scripting narration is )**+ to the narrative part
of the game design whereas inferred narration combines ,*-,* the narrative aspects and the game
mechanics of the game design.
.elow are the details of the creation of the criteria based on Vogler's work!
The hero in his familiar world! an introduction meant to underline the e'traordinary aspect
of the adventures which are to follow.
/0 The hero in his familiar world! does the player control his character since the beginning
of the adventure 1 23 does the player see on the screen his avatar act by his own will
"cinematic, scripting narration# 1
The call for adventure which appears as a problem or a challenge to take.
/0 The call for adventure! is the player heading to the scenaristic element going to trigger
the main plot 1 23 is the game that will drive the character to start the main plot, by an
element of the scenario 1
The hero is first reluctant, he's afraid of the unknown.
/0 The hero is first reluctant! here, it's a particular case which can be summed up in only
two possibilities! $ndeed, the hero is reluctant and it's only visible through a suggestive
staging it's illogical to imagine the character moving to his destination since he's reluctant
23 4o, at least it cannot be perceived, because the player as an embodiement of his
avatar, initiates the action.
The hero is guided by a mentor, an old wise man or else. &ometimes the mentor will give a
magic weapon, but he will not join the hero who will be alone to face his ordeals.
/0 The hero is guided by a mentor, old wise man or else! does the player meet this character
via a cinematic 1 23 does the player meet him during the e'ploration of the game
environment 1
The hero crosses the threshold of his adventure, he's now in an e'traordinary world, he can't
go back.
/0 The hero crosses the threshold of his adventure, he can't go back! is this theashold clearly
visible and e'pressed in a cinematic or a cut-scene 1 23 is this transition made more subtle
by the change from one game 5one to another by the player 1
The hero undergoes ordeals, meets allies and foes.
/0 The hero undergoes ordeals, meets allies and foes! here again is a special case because
confrontation and opposition are the key driving forces of the interaction player-computer,
and this step can happen way before the others, even before the very first one. $n this case,
it's preferable to present this point in the following way! does the player start his adventure
by fighting one or more foes 1 23 does the player start his adventure by meeting an allie 1
The hero has reached the evilest place, often tucked deep down, where the object of his
6uest is concealed.
/0 The hero has reached the evilest place ! is this place stressed out by an element of
scipting narration1 23 is it brought along by an element of inferred narration 1
The hero undergoes his final ordeal, he faces death.
/0 The hero undergoes his final ordeal, he faces death! this element can easily be
assimilated to a .oss which the player imagines as the %inal .oss of the game. The most
interesting point here is to know if the player had the impression to fight the %inal .oss. $f
so, how is this fight suggested 1 23 $f not, did this fight did not show it1 The end of these
6uestions does not matter, the interest lies in the reaction of the player in front of what he
thought to be the final confrontation in the game.
The hero has sei5ed the object of his 6uest ! the eli'ir.
/0 The hero has sei5ed the object of his 6uest! the eli'ir "it represents the goal of the player,
triggered by the scenario#! this point can be very different according to the different video
game genres. $n some games, the goal is clearly indicated, in others it is not, or the eli'ir is a
physical or an immaterial object "more spiritual#. To follow the logics initiated earlier, we
should try to know! has the player succeeded in finding what he had to after his
confrontation with death 1 23 has the player failed in obtained what he was seeking after
his confrontation with death 1 $n spite of the lack of logics in these two 6uestions with this
7
th
Vogler's step, it is the simplest way to determine a classical narrative scheme of the video
game. ore e'planations in the following points.
8acing back, the character often has to escape the vengeance of those from whom the object
was robbed.
/0 pacing back when sometimes escaping a last enemy for any reason! it is clearly the point
which makes the difference between a various video games. The best way to be the most
objective here is to ask these two 6uestions! is the player watching an element of scripting
narration 1 23 is the player playing an element of inferred narration 1 $n fact, the aim is to
know if the player interacts with the game on what seems to be the end of the game.
The hero comes back from the e'traordinary world where he was transformed by his
e'perience.
/0 The hero comes back from the e'traordinary world where he was transformed by his
e'perience! it is again here a particular point because this element is generally included with
the character backtracking, or even not shown to the player. 9ere, the 6uestion is to know if,
in the case where the hero has come back to his starting point! has the player still got an
interaction with the game "triggers an element of inferred narration# 1 23 is the player blank
of any interactions "triggers an element of scripting narration# 1
The coming back to the ordinary world and the use of the object of the 6uest to improve the
world "endowing the adventure with a meaning#.
/0 The coming back to the ordinary world and the use of the object of the 6uest! that point
is 6uite e'plicit! does the player see his character use the object of his 6uest 1 23 does the
player not see his character use the object of his 6uest 1
.y those :; 6uestions, the mail narrative scheme can be segmented in different elements. 9owever,
the richness of certain kinds of games like 38<, offers the possibility to develop some secondary
plots, which are, according to some games, to understand some elements of the scenario of the main
plot, to know better the characters embodied by the player or to know more the universe in which
the player is.
&o, let's overlook the secondary narration elements and concentrate on a :,
th
ranking criterion $
suggest! does the game offer one or more secondary plots1 $f so, what are their nature "to
understand better some elements of the main plot, to get a better insight of the characters embodied
by the player, to know more the universe in which the player is...# 1 23 $f not, simply indicate it.
The latter criteria will appear for each analyst to understand its nature, while enabling him or her to
add more criteria.
Thanks to these :, criteria, it will be possible to distinguish angles and general schemes, even if
generalistic, but which will thus present a sort of uniformity and serve as a solid basis for a
structuralist approach of the narration of video games.
Choices of the video games in the corpus :
The most relevant for this study is to take a game from each genre to represent at the best, the
diversity of video games. The genre classification being not yet clearly established, $ based my
choices on a common classification, used notably in the video games press.
$ listed the )* main kinds of video games!
)# =ction-adventure game
:# 38<
> =ction game
;# $nfiltration game
,# 8latforms game
?# &urvival horror game
@# 238<
A# 3ythm game
7# =dventure game
)*# $nnovative game
The main criticism which anyone can raise to this list is the mention B $nnovative game C because to
what e'tent can we say that a game is innovative, since it loses its originality as time goes by 1 That
is why $ will put into this category a recent game which hasn't got yet one or more spiritual
succesors.
The reproach of separating the survival horror game from the action-adventure game can also be
addressed, but in this study, it's important to differenciate them because it's clearly the immersion
into fear which is interesting to take into account here.
Dith this list of kinds of video games, $ suggest ten games to integrate the corpus. $'ll justify each of
my choice at the end of the list below !
)# =ction-adventure game ! The Eegend of Felda ! ajora's ask "4intendo ?;, :***#
:# 38< ! %inal %antasy V$$ "8laystation, )77@#
># =ction game ! 9alf Eife "8G, )77A#
;# $nfiltration game ! etal <ear &olid "8laystation, )777#
,# 8latforms game ! &uper ario ?; "4intendo ?;, )77@#
?# &urvival horror game ! 3esident (vil "8laystation, )77?#
@# 238< ! Dorld of Darcraft "8G, :**,#
A# 3ythm game ! .it Trip 3unner "8G, :*))#
7# =dventure game ! 9eavy 3ain "8laystation >, :*)*#
)*# $nnovative game ! Hourney "8laystation >, :*):#
%or each of the selected games, here are the reasons of my choices !
)# The Eegend of Felda ! ajora's ask ! this episode of the Felda saga is the most original by its
gameplay mechanics based on time. $t's both a ludic mechanics and a narrative one. $t helped me
decide to choose this Felda game from another.
:# %inal %antasy V$$ ! uncontested reference to 38< which was revolutionary in its own time ! the
first >I %inal %antasy with a realisation which grandly improved the scenario of the game.
># 9alf Eife ! The very first game to include real time cinematics and only for this reason, it is
interesting to select 9alf Eife in the category of action games.
;# etal <ear &olid ! the etal <ear &olid saga is the videoludic reference which pays a tribute to
cinema by its references and its borrowings in the realisation. oreover, the fact of breaking the ;
th
wall is grandly and cleverly e'ploited here. .ecause it's the first episode of the saga and the most
known, $ chose this game to represent infiltration games.
,# &uper ario ?; ! $t is not an easy task to find a representative for platform games for a narration
study. 9owever, &uper ario ?; has the advantage to be the most well-known and the best in its
category. $ts level design presents a sublety in the narration by the fact of accessing the ne't level
by jumping into paintings on the walls of 8rincess 8each's castle. $t could be interesting to see what
the analysts can say on this game.
?# 3esident (vil ! a must reference in the survival horror games at its beginning, the first episode of
the saga presents a very good realisation for its time, which allows a better immersion of the player
in fear. $n spite of an hesitation with &ilen 9ill, $ chose 3esident (vil beacuse it's the pionneer of the
survival horror game.
@# Dorld of Darcraft ! great winner in the 238<s, this game presents the advantage to enlarge
its global universe "characters, races, places...# thanks to the add-ons.
A# .it Trip 3unner ! this choice may seem very incongruous but it's interesting to have a look at it.
$f the game doesn't present a clear-cut storyline, it's interesting to see in the first place, that the
character is starting from point = to go to point .. The elements of the game universe are revealed
as the levels are crossed. &o we can imagine the creation of a particular universe. $t's interesting to
see if all players of this game consider the narration according to the same point of view, or even
better, if they can give more information.
7# 9eavy 3ain ! even if it's difficult to 6ualify this game as an adventure game, it presents some
similarities ! to embody a character in a specific universe and to make him progress through a
scenario leaving a lot of possibilities. $ts link with the cinema is very strong, so it is a very
interesting point for this analysis. $f my choice did not concern .eyond ! Two &ouls, it is for the
simple reason that $ never played it.
)*# Hourney ! even if its gameplay mechanics are not innovative, it is in its narration that it offers
something that is one-of-a-kind. Iesigned to be a contemplative e'perience, this software clearly
offers mysterious environments with very large plans of camera for immerge the player in poetical
feelings that are only possible with the interaction player-computer. = uni6ue game which deserves
to be analysed in this study.
=s you may have understood, the choices of the ranking criteria and of the games are voluntary cast
on references called B classics C by the fact that Vogler's works are well-known by a lot of people
and, above all, the selected video games in this corpus are very reputed games and, thanks to their
age, are played in majority by a grand part of the gamers. &o the analysis of this corpus can be made
by the largest audience possible, which certainly bring impressive results for the analysis to come.