INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE ARCHITECTURE
Abstract
Video games and the study of narratology go hand in hand. It’s a natural development, as the rise of videogames has induced a generation of exploration into how one can narrate, be it through a spatial investigation or an interactive emotional journey. It is this evolving notion of narrative I intend to explore in the context of this dissertation. As we move away from traditional means of storytelling in light of emerging technolgies, how can investigate and begin to incorporate these new forms of storytelling into the architectural discourse, sovereign to the static forms we currently cling to?
The premise of the static narrative is gradually becoming more out of place in a post-modern society and our connection to its linearity results in limited opportunity to move forward. So, we must begin to reflect upon how we define ‘narrative’ to obscure this distinction between temporality and spatiality. Henry Jenkins notes that “The experience of playing games can never be simply reduced to the experience of a story”. Thus demonstrating the importance of the perpetual space the videogame offers, which differentiates the players experience from that of a reader or an observer. This explosion of possibilities presented through game design allows us to see a new light in the conceptualisation of narrative in this space, be this through level design, characters or emotions. Which begs the question; will this allow us the create and expand into a truly interactive narrative within videogames and architecture?