1 Tear Down Your Idols: How video game narrative structures explore the consequences of capitalism in political settings A lexander Fordery, 2 4 September 2020 MA Independent Games and Playable Experience Design Goldsmiths University Aim: To investigate how video games, portray the consequences of capitalism in their individual narratives - b oth overtly and covertl y in subtext and metatext - and how the player engages with the discussions of these consequences in the gameplay experience Objectives : • Investigate the different portrayals of capitalism within the medium. • Identify how overt and covert political representations are explored in narrat ives. • Explore the significance of how capitalism as a political system is framed in re lation to the protagonist of said narratives. • Explore how politics shapes the settings and characters in relation to the narrative. • Discover user opinions on whether politics should/ should - not be use d narratively. • Test user reactions to a game based solely on social politics. • Suggest the significance of games that explore the consequences of real - world social politics 2 Research Questions: • How does the integration of politics into a narrative immerse the player into these game worlds? • Do players respond/recognize to this integration, are they seen as favorable and do players pick up on their prevalence? • What level of overt/covert integration adds to the play experience? • Do players take political discussions found within narratives of the medium outside of the respective game world into their personal lives ? 3 Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................... ....... ......... 4 Literature Rev iew ........................ ......................................................... ........ .................. 5 Pre - established narrative & the consequences of capitalism ......... .. ... ...... .......... 6 Discovery narrative & the consequences of capitalism .............. ... ....... ................ 9 Sandbox narrative & the consequences of capitalism .......................... ...... ...... .. 13 Methodology .................................................................................................... ...... ......... 1 8 Planning & Requirements ............................................................................ ...... ...... ..... 1 9 Concept Development ............................................................................ ...... ................. 2 1 Process of Design and Implementation ... .... ................................................ ....... ........ 2 4 Game Engine Systems & Storyboarding ............................ ..................... ....... .... ...... 2 5 Game play & Visual Design ........................................................... ............ ...... ......... ... 2 6 Audio Design ................................................................................ ............... ........ ........ 30 P laytesting Final Prototype ............................................................. .................. ... .. .... ... 3 2 Evaluating Playtesting Results ................................................................. ... ................ 3 4 Next Steps of Development ............................................................. ..................... ... ...... 3 8 References .................................................................................. ..................... .... ............. 4 1 Appendix I: Playtesting Results ........................................................................... .. ........ 4 5 4 Preface In studying the narrative presentation of politics within Kentucky Route Zer o [1] , Danskin (2020) remarks in their interpretation that “ It’s a game about what the world takes from you ... the primary mode of theft is capitalism.” [2] With this statement , I began to consider how the medium of video games reflects on this political system , and what we take from this comme ntary Whilst the inclusion of politics within video game s is not immediately new to the genre , its narrative abundancy in recent releases has become prominent in the discourse surrounding the medium. Kain (2019) reflects on the debate surrounding its uses: “If we ever aspire to have video games treated as a mature artform ... we need to accept that political, ethical, spiritual ... topics will be part of those games.” [3] T hus, there is an immediat e intrinsic link between how the medium is perceived , and the sociopolitical themes a game may endeavor to explore within its text. Like other artforms, Kain recognizes the growing potential that the medium has to explore themes that are considered “serious” ( i.e. political issues ) and the ability that art has to raise questions to consumers P rompting them to examine the political systems they (un)knowingly contribute to. Th is popularity within the genre seems to more prominent than ever – w ith a host of recent Triple A 1 releases feat uring political commentary As recent as 2019, these titles have endeavored to feature politics as a staple of their presentation. Velocci (2019) noted this development in their article on how capitalism itself became the genre’s greatest villain amongst 2 019 releases , stating that: “the system of capitalism, the structure of class inequality, has never been at the forefront of the media we consume so consistently.” [4] Thus, I would argue that political discussion, from independen t to triple A titles , is being presented now more than ever to consumers of videogames. 1 Triple A – Titles which tend to have significantly higher budgets behind them than independent titles, usually backed by the biggest publishers and developers. 5 This study will mainly focus on the work of Picucci (2014) and their focus on narrative models Exploring how different instances of linearity (a problem mainly exclusiv e to video games), can result in varied discussions on the consequences of capitalism Due to th is recent prominence in the medium, this study will explore in - depth the discussion of capitalism in games that have political themes – ranging from independent titles to triple A releases released within the last few years. Th is study will seek to analyze how developers integrate politics into their narratives: culminating in a n understanding of how successfully their message s resonate w ith players In addition to my research into narrative presentation and techniques in the medium, I also explored for myself the games which best represented a political narrative experience. I focused on games which were narrative le d with political references and/or commentary , from independent to triple A releases These included the titles ; Kentucky Route Zero , Red Dead Redemption 2 [5] and Vampyr [6] , Tacoma [7] , Dishonored [8] and the Bioshock [ 9] series By analyzing the extent to which a commentary is made on capitalism as a political system within the narrative, I was able to infer the effectiveness of said evaluation. Literature Review In relation to how these narratives are structured and presented to the user , Picucci (2014) proposes two models that have been utilized by designers , w ith each model varying in linearity of play. Picucci details the “methodological divide involving the narrativist and ludological approaches” [10] in the preface of their article. P rimarily, this split in the academic approach to studying narrative was prominent at the turn of the century , raising questions on the significance of story in the medium. 6 For my study, I ascertain that Picucci’s statement of “the increased prominence of storylines in the design process ” [11 ] is essential in a pproaching narrative s politically within the medium. By determining which structure is used by each game that I wish to explore in this study , an understanding arises regarding how effective ly each of them discusses capitalism. Following on from their article, I wish to re - purpose Picucci’s format by structuring my own analysis in the same narrative architecture Discussing Line a r, Discovery, an d finally Sandbox narrative structures used by designers in the medium. Pre - established narrative & the consequences of capitalism First, I wish to reflect on the nature of the linear structure in digital games . Primarily, these linear forms of narrative are most common to the medium Picucci states tha t this structure “offers designers a highly controlled story delivery environment governing the main plot” [12] Thus, the user is guided along a set path by the game and the ending is defined by t he designers from an early stage. T his lent itself not only to the narrative structure but also the release structure of the game: this episodic release of each episode allowed each act to be divulged and studied fully. Hudson (2020) remarks how Jake Elliot , o ne third of the team behind Cardboard Computer’s Kentucky Route Zer o , knew this from the outset of the development of the title : “ Kentucky Route Zero would only have one ending – because it was a tragedy and every tr agedy ends the same way. It’s the opposite of a power fantasy. ” [13] T his opposition to power fantasies, lends itself to working 7 class people and the lives they experience in the political system they live in One in which their position at the bottom of society stands in contrast to the power that those wealthier than them tend to w ield. Figure 1: Kentucky Route Zero ., surrealist elements in its narrative One of these consequences of capitalism that I wish to explore is the accumulation of debt. Gordon (2016) reflects on th e focus of the title “Kentucky Route Zero ... is a game specifically about the profound downsides of capitalism. It’s barbed and confrontational” [14]. Everything with in the game world has a connection to this political system, illustrating what capitalism takes from its inhabitants. The environmental storytelling itself is gloomy and drab, with the only relief to be taken comes from the surrealist elements like Ezra’s brother , a gigantic eagle shown in F igure 1. Gordon continues along this line of analysis, stating that: “ Capitalism doesn’t care about you, not eve n a little. It’s not just indifferent, though, it’s corrosive and divisiv e” [15]. Nearly every character that the player takes control of, or meets, share this sentimen t Each of them possesses some form of debt as a result of capitalism that eats away at the ir existence within this political system. 8 This line of thought is perfectly reflected in the first protagonist of the narrativ e: Conway, an aged delivery driver trying to complete his final assignment , one l ast package to be delivered at Dogwood Drive. As the most omnipresent consequence of capitalism in this narrative , debt – and the extent in which it can alter our being is the primary focus of Conway’s character arc At the beginning of Act III, our protagonist finds himself with a ghost leg as shown in Figure 2 , resembling the skeletal apparitions who are confined to work for the Hard Times Distillery until their debts are settled. This is just the beginning of Conwa y’s entrapment in capitalism , paying the price for a surgery he simply could not afford. This is an apt metaphor for the healthcare system found within this game - world’s reflection of the predatory nature of capitalism in the United States of America. Figure 2: Kentucky Route Zero., the reveal of Conway’s ghost leg to the player These connections to capitalism within the western world are not lost on the developers. In working on the game, Jake Elliot , stat es this significance in Gordon’s article: “It’s important that the game be in, and of, the real, contemporary world. So the characte rs are living in the world of predatory lending and bizarre, inscrutable financial machinery” [16] Th e narrative treats the real consequences of debt wit h severity and it shows the user just how exploitative capitalism can be 9 Conway’s narrative finale culminates in the perfect s yner gy of linear storytelling and political discussion. Towards the end of Act IV of the game, Conway can no longer escape his debt – his metamorphosis into another of the skeletal beings must be complete. The player has no say in this event, there is no way to prevent the debt catching up to the protagonist. You are powerless in letting him be take n away It perfectly reflects the reality for those living with debt under capitalism, its consequences are simply inescapable This additionally, highlights the power of linear narratives within the medium. The player at no point in the story can change C onway’s fate. By pulling this control away from the player, the developers reinforce the gravitas of this moment The player is helpless in watching the first character they get to play as be taken away because of a system they have no say i n Whilst this is only one analysis in the linear narrative structure space, other independent titles also have greater freedom to overtly explore the consequences of capitalism. This is primarily due to the artistic freedom attached to this branch of development in comparison to big budget titles. Fullbright S tudio’s Tacoma features a narrative that is discovered by the user to completely revolve around futurist capitalism. And is highly recommended for readers who wish to explore further the power of political linear narratives in th e medium. Discovery narrative & the consequences of capitalism Migrating from the independent scene into digital games with slightly larger budgets, these titles have begun to embrace the open world nature of AAA titles. Striking a balance between overt and covert discussions evolving around the consequences of capita lism in more explorative spaces Returning to Picucci, they define these titles that have open world features as “Discovery narratives” In titles that feature this branch of narrative structure , “we are presented with a higher 10 degree of nonlinearity combined with the frequent presence of side - stories and/or multiple story branches.” [17] N arrative motifs and themes of these titles can switch between the main pre - established narrative and the side stories of various characters. This differ ing level interaction is highlighted by Picucci Ultimately, this extra content can be accessed by the user to whichever degree they wish. They state : “the designers intentionally withdraw large amounts of story information from the main narration I n or d e r to weave them into the game world and among its inhabitants.” [18] Thus, they give the player as much insight into the characters as the player desires This is true for the first discovery narrative game I wish to discuss in this section: Dontnod Entertainment’s Vampyr Set in 1918, just after the Great War, our protagonist returns to London suffering from the Spanish influenza. Naturally, this setting gives way to a great deal of political analysis given the suffering of the working class in London during this time. With the consequence of capitalism in this section , I wish to focus upon class systems in society. The denizens of this title, each with their own position regarding class, make sure to communicate their feelings on the dire situation at hand – e specially those from working class backgrounds, whom naturally , are more vulnerable to the flu spreading throughout the city due to the lack of access to health servi ces and expensive medicine. As a design mechanism of the game , Klepek (2018) discusses this living web of optional characters , e ach suffering their own version of hell during the epidemic ravaging the city. They state on the game narrative : “At the center ... is a complex web of major NPCs who don’t exist in isolation. They have deep ties to one another, and you often end up in the middle of conflicts.” [ 19] Thus, discovery narratives give the player a choice of open ing a web of themes regarding political discussions This itself is exasperated by the standing of the protagonist within London, the conflict most obvious is Reid’s b etween being a white, middle - class doctor and then becoming a vampire. Seppala (2016) 11 reflects on this in t heir article on the gender politics of the game : “Vampyr is a story of duality ... You play as Reid, who believes in science and helping people as a doctor, but you’re also a supernatural being who must take lives and feed on the living.” [20] Th e subject of class becomes more applicable in this scenario. How the player interacts with this class system to shape the fate of London seen in Figure 3 , garners different reactions from the living T he player must interact with and balance these class gr oups in society throughout the course of the game narrative. Figure 3: Vampyr., the visually dark world design reflects London in this epidemic Presenting this kind of conflict between classes under capitalism, also accompanies a personal conflict for the protagonist. In the best designed conflict present in the narrative , the player is tasked to handle the fate of the wealthiest character in the game world – one Aloysius Dawson , business tycoon as seen in Figure 4. Reid is provided a dilemma : Dawson desires to build a wall around the middle class of London and in doing so , barricade the wealthy from the poor – and thus, the areas where the flu has spread more so due to the lack of money and healthcare access. 12 Figure 4: Vampyr., the player decides the fate of Aloysius Dawson As a reflection of issues regarding the consequences of capitalism, art reflecting life and vice versa , Vampyr weaves a debate on human rights into the mind of the player during this narrative segment. Côté , Piff & Willer (2012) discuss this consequence of c lass under capitalism in their article on class disparity and moral reasoning T his ties the philosophical debate surrounding utilitarianism into the anaylsis They abstract that : “ ... when confronted with moral dilemmas that pit visceral moral intuitions against consequentialist calculations, the tendency of the upper - class individuals to fee l less empathy for those harmed renders them more likely to make utilitarian judgements that maximize the greatest good for the greatest number, relative to their lower class counter parts ” [ 21] Confronting this philosophical assertion, the player is given three choices of interactivity to shape the narrative ( with one being secret and considered the best option from a utilitarian standing ) regarding Dawson’s fate. By speaking to th e web of NPCs 2 that the designers encourage the players to interact with to learn more about the game world , the player can unlock this option. Allowing for the wealthy man to rediscover his humanity , abandoning his plight to become a vampire and to build a wall around the rich , Dawson confronts his mortality This results in him d onating his wealth to the 2 Non - playable characters. 13 city and in the process healing all NPCs currently afflicted with any sickness in the player ’ s current game world state. This is a n in - game combination of the d iscovery narrative method and a discussion regarding the consequences of capitalism Requiring the player to interact with the games systems to unlock the most moral outcome available. It also forc es the player to consider the repercussions of wealth and the divide it brings to the rich caring for the poor. Thus, the designers bring class disparity to the fore in this gameplay section of their narrative. Many other titles utilize this approach to form branching narratives, allowing for differing player decisions. This d rive s home the benefits of this story structure, giving choices more weight since the player effectively shapes the story. Other discovery narrative games on the AAA side of the industry also incorporate this into their design to bolster the power of their stories ; the Dishonored and Bioshock series share political explorations in their motifs and are highly recommended to the reader if they wish to explore discovery narrative titles. Sandbox narrative & the consequences of capitalism A t the summit of AAA development, open worlds (and the development time they require) have become synonymous wi th games tha t have seemingly infinite budgets for designers to utilize This brings a new challenge , however, for developers of these titles H ow is a structured narrative put into place in a world in which your choices of play are almost infinite within them? Picucci reflects on this conflict between linearity and non - linearity, discussing how designers approach solving this : “... Sandbox games ... are designed to maximize the paidia type of play and provide an interactive environment where players can exercise creativity and craft individual stories which maintain a sense of cohesiveness within the greater narrative framework. ” [ 22] 14 Thus, the motif s and themes explored within the linear narrative branch out into the game world within minor stories that the player may optionally engage with at their leisure. Somewhat like the discovery structure, sandbox worlds take th ose possibilities of side stories and multiply them drastically. This allows the player to effectively craft their own tales via the vastly increased level of interactivity . This led to possibilities that the developers themselves might not even have predi cted in the design stage. Picucci highlights this as another facet of the sandbox approach , detailing another of the primary goals of developers utilizing this narrative structure . They state that “the principal idea is to motivate players to spend a long time learning about the fictional world and its characters ... all marked by the highly interactive environments.” [ 23] By coincidence , these quotations all focus upon the predecessor of the title I shall discuss in this section. The Red Dead Redemption ser ies from Rockstar Games ha s utilized the potential of this approach to the fullest. T he latest title in the series dwarf s its predecessor, making it seem like a minute playground in comparison to the universe of possibilities in the world that the latest entry p resents. This unprecedented level of interactivity ties itself into a sandbox rife with political discussions surrounding the decline of the American W ild W est The expansion of industrialism and the consequences it brought to native settlers of the nation has always played a prominent role in the series. And so, this shall be the consequence of capitalism that will be explored in this section – being industrialis m as a facet of capitalism and the consequences that follow from it. Framed as foreboding and in direct conflict to how the characters in the game envision their ideal live s in America , industry has a main presence in the narrative. This serves as a driving motivation for these outlaws on the run from its expansion throughout the main story. Environmental distress and the discussions surrounding climate change ha ve become prominent in m odern discourse. The philosopher Glenn Albrecht (2005) defined this reaction as “solastalgia” , a term which details “the distress that is produced by environmental change impacting on people while 15 they are directly connected to their home environment.” [24 ] This plays a prominent role in the Red Dead series , and especially in the latest release. By a mplifying this, the designers introduce the player to the open world space that the narrative takes place in T he abundancy of tutorials at the beginning take place in relatively untouched land starting in the snowy mountains and then progressing the player to the more industrialized hearty green land. Gordon (2019) reflects on the beauty of these mostly untouched environments that the pl ayer is first introduced to : “Despite an aesthetic which leans into photorealism, the game’s rural landscape is filled with moments of fantasy.” [25] Although the segment of the map that the initial narrative takes place in is never enclosed by the designe rs , they certainly suggest t he player to thrive in the current environment of the story. Then, they introduce the user to a new system within the world in each of the first missions Showcasing the beauty from the living in accordance with nature, instead of exploiting it for capital gain as the story growingly reflects on throughout its course as seen in Figure 5. Figure 5 : Red Dead Redemption 2 ., the pollution of industrial cities shown later in the game This facet of environment al storytelling in the sandbox narrative structure , allows for another consequence of industrialism to be explored. Colonialism i s in explicably tied to the growth of industrialism not just in America, but throughout history. Gor don reflects on this issue in his article , 16 stating : “that set of behavior correlates closely with colonialism ... and continues to drive exploitation underpinning ecological crisis and climate change, not to mention the erasure of indigenous knowledge” [ 26] The gang exploit the desire of indigenous survival, allying with the son of a native chief to distract the authorities from their own desire to escape the natio n. After all, one does play as the villain in this title – the gang and protagonist are not considered morally good people. The grow th of industrialism in this game world comes with the attachment of what is deemed to be “acceptable society” ; a s the protagonist, your gang stands in complete conflict with this ideology. Although you play as the right - hand man of th ese outlaws, no other character better exemplifies this conflict against civilization as the leader himself – Dutch v an d er Linde. His libertarian philosophy direct ly contrast s the spread of industrialism t hrough the Midwest Considering t his philosophy , Viswanath ( 2018) details the academia surrounding Dutch’s character writing : “the prime embodiment of libertarian existentialism: he’s against big government , a fervent believer in the paramount importance of individual freedoms, who fears that ‘ civilization ’ ... comes at the cost of true freedom itself.” [27] Whilst Dutch may be the main espouser of thi s plight, his ideals spread throughout the gang , enabling their belief of being more than just simple criminals. This tension between the gang and civilized society culminates in one of the great narrative moments in the title : the first confrontation w ith the lawful Pinkertons tasked in bringing down the gang. Within this moment, the protagonist and antagoni st as shown in Figure 6 r esemble a philosophical argument in their conflict. Both being stalwarts and firm believers in their contras ting ways of life W hile the protagonist compar es the detectives to being “a rich man’s tool” , the other they retort the gang are “venerat ing savagery”. Questioning the price of freedom as a consequence of living within a capitalist system. 17 Figure 6: Red Dead Redemption 2., first conflict between the law and the criminals Overall, Rockstar manage s to cover a broad range regarding the consequences of capitalism with industrialism and the price of freedom being at the fore. Due to th e scale of this title , this will be the only Sandbox game that will feature in this thesis. Even with the discussions mentioned ; industrialism, environmentalism, colonialism, freedom, and civilization – these topics only scratch the surface in relation to th e political content found in the game. 18 Methodology Entering the development stage, I wanted to utilize the Iterative Approach as detailed in Games, Design and Play In p rototyping aesthetic ideas for the project, I as ked colleagues and friends : how would they like to learn about politic al history & revisionism interactively ? Iterative Design Approach Taking advantage of this approach to game design, I felt that getting ideas working quickly from the research process would allow for fast theory crafting of the final project. This is reiterated by Shah (2018) in their comparison between the Iterative & Waterfall Design approaches : “... the iterative approach in data science starts with emphasizing the importance of getting to a first model quickly, rather than starting with the variables and features. Once the first model is built, the work then steadily focuses on continual improvement. ” [28] This allowed for easy prototyping of early g ameplay ideas in th e planning stage of development, enabl ing f eedback from peers to be taken onboard from the beginning. Solidifying the core idea of the game, and that the design of it would be achievable. Being the most vital piece of feedback from the planning phase : delivery tone of the historical information was a major deciding factor for the immediate direction of the project. With initial 19 preference steered towards finding a way to make learning revisionism enjoyable, whilst still being insightful and engaging Planning & Requirements Following from the research presented, the main narrative structures analyzed served as an integral first step during the early design phase Brainstorming the final game project around the knowledge that a study would be conducted into player observation and political discussion in the medium. Questioning to what degree users interacted with the subject of politics , and how it affects their pl ay experience ? Both within the game world and taking this information/observation into the real world outside of the game. This would take the form of something simplistic like a research q uestionnaire, with the data collected from the widest range of participants possible giving a good indication of conscious interaction with the political nature of the n arrative. Early on, I opted to create a title that visibly questions the role of politics and its presentation in narrative games. Questioning players with well - known historical figures that they may have differing perspectives on, especially those that tend to be covered in glory. Creating a dialogue between the se personal histor ies , and the players’ own personal politics One revisionist example could be how the Bengal Famine is not widely taught to students in the United Kingdom national curriculum : protecting Winston Churchill’s histor ical significance to the country. 20 To gain a thorough understandin g of the political figures I wished to focus on, I knew that rigorous research of the figures would be needed to present this historical information accurately. Ideally so the user engages with the revisionism; without feeling like they are playing a lecture instead of a game. In writing up all the necessary details, I decided to alter the writing formula that I usually start my early design process with. Since there were no fictional characters to writ e for (apart from the narrator), all th e historical research would be placed into character descriptions. Preview of early research for character sheet s in the planning process In writing up all the necessary details, I decided to alter the writing formula that I usually start my early design process with. Since there were no fictional characters to write for (apart from the narrator), all the historical research would be placed into character descriptions. Weighing up the