Experiential Narrative in Game Environments

Abstract

This paper explores the contentious notion of experiential narrative and proposes the first step in a narrative framework for game environment.It argues for a shift in emphasis from story-telling, the dominant mode of narrative in literature and cinema, to story generation.To this effect the paper forwards a perspective on experiential narrative that is grounded in the specific qualities of the game.This avoids the over-generalization that tends to accompany discussions of experiential narrative while retaining the cognitive dimension in play.