106411 - NARRATIVE

Subject type: Mandatory

Coordinator: Adso Fernández Baena

Trimester: First term

Credits: 4

The subject of Narrative takes a holistic approach (literature, cinema and games) to the phenomenon of telling, living and playing stories in the framework of the subject of Game Design and Creation. In this way, it is key to understand not only the formal elements of the narratological tradition (characters, plots, temporality and space) but also the contemporary debates that arise from the current playful positions. In addition, the subject has a strong link with the cultural and social framework of the video game, thus generating a text / context reading that takes into account both the cultural function of the medium and its ability to present new imaginaries. This theoretical approach is complemented by the realization of different practices, all of them oriented to the conceptual creation of a small game of marked narrative character.

This subject has methodological and digital resources to make possible its continuity in non-contact mode in the case of being necessary for reasons related to the Covid-19. In this way, the achievement of the same knowledge and skills that are specified in this teaching plan will be ensured.

At the end of the course students must be able to:

E1.6. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a video game in a reasoned and exemplary way.

E2.1. Design mechanics and rules of the game that as a whole is called gameplay

E2.2. Design levels including strategies, definition of the puzzle or the mission to complete, so that the objectives set by the script are achieved.

E2.3. Design the narrative of a video game and specify the interactive script.

The subject uses the following work methodologies: 

Master Class, Video Capsules, Presentations.

1. Is there a narrative in video games? 

1.1. From Hypertext to Cybertext and the debate between Narratology versus Ludology
1.2. Clarifying terms: Narrative, Narrative, Fiction, Experience and play.
1.3. Game fiction

2. Fiction and playable experience 

2.1. The game: between the toy and the story
2.2. The worlds of fiction
2.3. Towards the video game worlds

3. The video game as a cultural heir: archetypes and universal arguments

3.1. The immortal seeds in the video game
3.2. The great hegemonic arguments
3.3. The big pending arguments

4. Gaming fiction in the framework of digital leisure

4.1. Knowledge and action 
4.1.1. The narrator in video games: degrees of existence and typology
4.1.2. Who does the narrator follow? Focus and targeting
4.1.3. Breaking the rules: metalepsis
4.2. Spatio-temporal articulation
4.2.1. The space 
4.2.2. The narrative temporality in the video game 
4.3. The character
4.3.1 Concept of interactive character
4.3.2 Identification and control of the user
4.3.3 Configuration and transformation arc
4.3.4 Emotional, psychological characterization and actions
4.4. Narrative function of style 
4.4.1 The sound
4.4.2 The design of the interface
4.4.3 Abstraction and hyperrealism
4.4.4 Narrative emotional tension and emotional tension of the game
4.5. Narrative structures and game models 
4.5.1 Action as a narrative engine
4.5.2 Plots, conflict and objectives
4.5.3 The relationship of plots to rules
4.5.4 Structure of acts and levels
4.5.5 Game rhythm and narrative rhythm
4.5.6 Climax, resolution and quantitative balance of the game

5. Narration and game creation: the Narrative Designer

5.1 Narrative Designer and related figures: screenwriter, dialogue writer, writer and game designer.
5.2 Types of texts and the notion of world design
5.3. The dialogues
5.4. The design of missions or quests and the design of narrative puzzles

6. Historical representation models in video games

6.1. The Primitive Cinematographic Representation Model (MRP) and its relationship to the video game
6.2. The Cinematic Institutional Representation Model (MRI) and its relationship to the video game
6.3. Playable Films and New Narrative Paradigms

In order to gather evidence of the achievement of the expected learning outcomes, the following will be performed evaluative activities (Related to all common competencies):

Activity 1. Narrative Documentation: Concept, Story, Backstory and character sheets  (Evidence of learning outcomes E2.2, E2.3)

Students will have to create a game proposal, develop the story and the backstory. They will also have to create character cards.

Activity 2. Missions, linear and non-linear dialogues (Evidence of learning outcomes E1.6, E2.1)

From the framework of the game proposed in Activity 1, students will have to write, on the one hand, a flow chart of missions and a description of the main missions. They will also need to write linear dialogues in literary script format (game start and end cutscene) and at least one of the non-linear dialogues that are meaningful within the game made with Chat Mapper (for example, a dialog where a mission is considered, or of knowledge of personages ...).

Activity 3. Final exam (Evidence of learning outcomes E1.6, E2.1, E2.2)

Theoretical-practical exam where all the contents of the subject are collected.

General criteria of the activities:

• The teacher will present a statement for each activity and the evaluation and / or rubric criteria.
• The teacher will inform of the dates and format of the delivery of the activity

The grade of each student will be calculated following the following percentages:

Activity 1. Exercise to do in class or at home: Narrative Documentation: Concept, Story, Backstory and character sheets 20%

Activity 2. Group work: Missions, linear and non-linear dialogues 30%

Activity 3. Final exam 50%

Final grade = A1 0,2 + A2 0,3 + A3 0,5

Considerations:

• It is necessary to obtain a mark higher than 5 in the final exam to pass the subject.
• An activity not delivered or delivered late and without justification (court summons or medical matter) counts as a 0.
• It is the responsibility of the student to prevent plagiarism in all its forms. In the case of detecting a plagiarism, regardless of its scope, in some activity it will correspond to have a note of 0. In addition, the professor will communicate to the Head of Studies the situation so that measures applicable in matter of sanctioning regime are taken. .

Recovery:

• It is necessary to obtain a mark superior to 5 in the final exam of recovery to pass the asignatura.
• The mark of the resit exam will be applied only to the mark of the A3 activity.
• In case of passing the recovery, the maximum final mark of the subject will be 5.

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