The Walking Simulator’s Generic Experiences

This article examines walking simulators through the lens of video game genre study. Following Arsenault’s (2011) thesis which theorized genre as the “temporary crystallization of a common cultural consensus” (pp. 333–334), it maps the shared horizon of expectations of the walking simulator. The first section presents an overview of genre theory in the field of game studies. The second part assembles a corpus of five iconic walking simulators based on a discourse analysis conducted in four gaming communities: scholars, journalists, designers, and Steam users. The third portion builds on this discourse analysis to conceptualize five clusters of “generic resources” (Gregersen, 2014) that synthesize the collective understanding of the walking simulator’s generic experiences, which are then analyzed in the final segment with reference to one exemplar game of the corpus. Each analysis introduces a specific “generic effect” (Arsenault, 2011)—peacefulness, secretiveness, fatalism, everydayness, and self-reflexive distanciation—that contributes to ongoing efforts to outline the experiences of this genre. The conclusion ends witha brief discussion about the importance of transgeneric studies

Split-Screen : Videogame History through Local Multiplayer Design

By looking at videogame production through a two-vector model of design – a practice determined by the interplay between economic and technological evolution – we argue that shared screen play, as both collaboration and competition, originally functioned as a desirable pattern in videogame design, but has since become problematic due to industry transformations. This is introduced as an example of what we call design vestigiality: momentary loss of a design pattern’s contextual function due to techno-economical evolution

La mise au jeu mise en récit

Cet article présente un système d’analyse qui permet de documenter l’émergence, la prolifération et l’hybridation des différentes configurations ludiques dans l’histoire du jeu vidéo. Ce système prend acte du potentiel et des limitations de différents modèles et méthodes formalistes et de différentes ontologies du jeu. Il repose d’abord sur la segmentation de l’expérience ludique en fonction des figures d’interactivité modélisées dans le système du jeu, puis sur la modélisation de l’action à travers trois couches d’interface et les modalités de performance associées à chacune des figures. Le SHAC (Système Historico-Analytique Comparatif) s’inspire à la fois des acquis de la ludologie et de la narratologie transmédiale, et permet de réaliser des analyses pointues des différentes configurations ludiques de manière uniforme.This paper introduces a comparative analytical system that seeks to document the emergence, dispersion and hybridization of various ludic configurations in the history of video games. This system was built following an inspection of various formal and ontological contributions in the field. It relies first on a segmentation of any given game experience into interactive figures, and then on the analysis of the interface and modes of engagement for each figure. The historical-analytical comparative system (HACS) builds upon contributions emerging from game studies as well as transmedia narratology. It is useful to achieve meticulous analyses of various ludic configurations

Simul-marcheur : configurer le jeu vidéo différemment

Cette recherche utilise la création d’un nouveau genre de jeux vidéo hyper-narratifs, les walking simulators, comme prétexte pour revisiter des théories liées à la narratologie et aux études du jeu vidéo de prime abord inadaptées à cette nouvelle manifestation vidéoludique. Les points de discordances sont soulevés pour enrichir le bagage théorique du champ des études du jeu vidéo en essayant de créer un compromis et une ouverture aux œuvres vidéoludiques dont la jouabilité est moins primordiale à l’expérience de la joueuse. En prenant comme point de départ la définition du jeu vidéo classique de Jesper Juul et la proposition d’une nouvelle configuration médiatique, dans le sens entendu par Philippe Marion, ce mémoire tente par la suite de mieux définir cette nouvelle configuration en analysant étroitement la relation qu’entretiennent la jouabilité, le récit et la joueuse.This research uses the creation of a new genre of hyper-narrative video games, the walking simulator, as a pretext to revisit theories related to narratology and video games studies that are at first glance unsuited to this new type of video game manifestation. Points of discordance are raised to enrich the theoretical background of the field of video game studies by trying to create a compromise and an opening to video games whose gameplay is less essential to the player's experience. Taking as a starting point Jesper Juul's definition of the classic video game and the proposal of a new media configuration, in the sense understood by Philippe Marion, this dissertation then attempts to better define this new configuration by closely analysing the relationship between playability, narrative and the player

The PO-VE Framework : Understanding the Relationships Between Player Objects and Virtual Environments in Digital Games

Based on a qualitative analysis of 99 different digital games, this study develops a framework for understanding the functionality and relationships between player objects and virtual environments, explored in what has been named the PO-VE framework. The PO-VE framework encompasses a general theory, a dedicated terminology, and an analysis model. A virtual environment is a navigable geometry and a computational, relational model that represents the relative positions and functions of objects within it. Based on a relational and functional approach, objects are conceived of as integrated in the virtual environment by being spatially and functionally related to other objects within it, thus emphasising the virtual environment’s relational system-structure. Within the virtual environment, player objects constitute the player’s point of control. As integrated and movable objects, they consist of attributes (properties such as health, speed, and size) and affordances (possible actions such as running, shooting, and jumping). In most cases, player objects are dynamic (i.e., their attributes and affordances are altered over time); they can not only move along a single axis, but also be used for navigating the virtual environment along multiple axes; and they have some sort of visual presentation, which varies according to the specific visual framing of the player object and the virtual environment. The PO-VE framework results from an analysis and iterative coding process of 99 digital games. The games were chosen using a purposive sampling method guided by a pre-conceptualisation of what constitutes an avatar-based game (the initial focus of the study), popular game examples from game studies literature, and certain diversity labels: year of publication, platform, and country of origin. The PO-VE framework thus results from observational data iteratively translated into codes from games published between 1978 and 2018, across 32 different platforms, developed in 17 different countries. The iterative data collection and coding process, which resembled to some extent that of grounded theory, was finally conceptualised into the PO-VE framework, consisting of a general theory of virtual environments as relational systems, a terminology of player objects in virtual environments, and an analysis model that consists of seven categories related to different aspects of PO-VE relations. To illustrate the applicability of the PO-VE model, two levels of application were employed. The first was a broad analysis of the 78 of the 99 games in the sample that meet the player object definition, which reveals general trends and patterns according to types, genres, and production year of games. The second were close readings of ten chosen games from the sample: Space Attack, Altered Beast, Passage, Hotline Miami, Subway Surfers, ZombiU, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Papers, Please, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, and Reigns: Her Majesty, that each illustrate the depth of the PO-VE framework, while also clarifying some of the limitations of the framework, including how and why some games, such as Papers, Please and Reigns: Her Majesty, cannot be analysed using the PO-VE framework. The relational foundation of the PO-VE model offers a unique and descriptive approach to analytical game studies that utilises a functional understanding of the digital object. This enables a focus on the environment as a relational system and on integration within it, rather than, for example, on rules, goals, or player experiences. Utilising an OOA/D inspired terminology in the analytical framework is a step towards bridging the gap between humanities-based, theoretical game studies, more technical game studies, and game development. This study is thus a contribution to the most fundamental level of any research endeavour: attempting to map out (parts of) the research object and develop a language that facilitates closer inspection and ultimately a better understanding of digital games and virtual environments.Doktorgradsavhandlin