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Oct ‘09 Blogs of the Round Table – UPDATED 11-01
By Corvus | October 31, 2009
October ‘09
Designer DenouementsHow can the denouement be incorporated into gameplay? In literary forms, it is most often the events that take place after the plot’s climax that form your lasting opinion of the story. A well constructed denouement acts almost as a payoff, where protagonists and antagonists alike realize and adjust to the consequences of their actions. Serial media often ignored the denouement in favor of the cliffhanger, in order to entice viewers to return. Television has further diluted the denouement by turning it into a quick resolution that tidily fits into the time after the final commercial break.But the denouement is most neglected in video games where it is often relegated to a short congratulatory cut scene, or at most–a slide show of consequences. This month’s topic challenges you to explore how the denouement can be expressed as gameplay.
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Oct. 12 – Aim for the Head: After the Climax. Jason launches our topic with a brief look at a possible approach.
Oct. 14 – Mind’s Eye: This is the end… my only friend, the end. Josh gives us examples of denouements that aren’t and hints at an idea for one that is.
Oct. 15 – Emily Short: Blogs of the Round Table: Denouement. Emily talks about what makes the denouement work and provides examples from IF.
Oct. 15 – …duck, duck, DIE!!!: Blogs of the Round Table: DenouementCody explores the difficulties of denouement in various genres of video games.
Oct. 19 – Indigo Static: To end or not to end. Diego presents a game design that uses different sets of verbs to make the denouement meaningful.
Oct. 19 – Worldmaker: The Ending Has Not Yet Been Written. Max asks whether games really need a denouement in the first place.
Oct. 20 – The Select Button: Playing the Denouement. Brian takes a look at why more games don’t allow you to play the denouement.
Oct. 21 – The Autumnal City: Interactive Denouement. Travis puts on his dancing shoes and designs an IF denouement.
Oct. 21 – Deirdra Kiai Productions: Once Upon a Time, The End. Deirdra explores her own use, or lack thereof, of denouement in her projects.
Oct. 23 – Mile Zero: What Sharp Teeth. Thomas leads us down The Path’s denouement.
Oct. 31 – Breadth-First (Game)Play: Gameplay as Denouement. Yana joins us with a discussion on flow and the denouement.
update
Oct. 31 – Discount Thoughts: Denouement of the rings. As the title suggests, Sparky talks about LotR games and how they fail to provide the same experience as the source text.
Oct. 31 – Jamey Stevenson: Destination Disappointment. Jamey shares several examples of how games deal with endings.
Oct. 31 – The Game Critique: Denouement: The Gameplay Slowdown. Eric also shares examples of games that extend their gameplay beyond the climactic boss battle.
The BoRT is dead! Long live the BoRT! Stay tuned tomorrow for the unveiling of a new BoRT structure.
Tagged:Blogs of the Round Table. | 3 Comments »
October 14th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
The “denoument” that I like best in a game is that of GTA IV, where, after the end, the wrapping up, the climax of the game… …I get to play the game.
The end of the game is thus whenever I decide I’m done with it. Of course, one might say that this is bad in that as a result I’ve been playing the game for month, long after I was “done”.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Should I change my name to Diogo? It sounds cooler =)
October 20th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Or perhaps I should wake up before I update the BoRT posts!