Why does Mario have extra lives? Oh I get it, it makes sense for a game, but is he a supernatural plumber that can come back from the dead? It’s good old-fashioned ludonarrative dissonance, the tension between gameplay and story that haunts gaming criticism. But for all the talk about its presence in video games,… Continue reading Cinenarrative Dissonance
Tag: ludonarrative dissonance
Loopynarrative Resonance
So I’ve been digging into Deathloop lately, a new PS5 game that I’m playing because I now have a PS5. It’s a really rad game, the central idea being that you’re stuck in a time loop — like Groundhog Day or Palm Springs — and wanna get out. The twist is everyone on the island… Continue reading Loopynarrative Resonance
Of Ludonarrative Dissonance
I say again and again on this blog that video games are a truly unique medium especially when it comes to storytelling. Thing is, storytelling in games is inherently weird. What you do in the game doesn’t always quite line up with the narrative it’s telling. Clint Hocking dubbed it ludonarrative dissonance, TV Tropes calls… Continue reading Of Ludonarrative Dissonance
Essays, Not Rants! 