Computer Science (Scholarly Publications)Computer Science (Scholarly Publications)http://hdl.handle.net/2262/1182024-03-19T11:14:09Z2024-03-19T11:14:09ZUnifying Theories of ProgrammingButterfield, Andrewhttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/1073312024-03-19T10:30:41Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZUnifying Theories of Programming
Butterfield, Andrew
PRESENTED; Maynooth University, Maynooth
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZLovecraftian Horror in Story-Driven Games: Narrative Design Challenges and SolutionsHaahr, Madshttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/1073282024-03-19T10:16:26Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZLovecraftian Horror in Story-Driven Games: Narrative Design Challenges and Solutions
Haahr, Mads
Lissa Holloway-Attaway and John T. Murray
Cosmic horror, or Lovecraftian horror, is an important subgenre in horror fiction, which is concerned with the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible. In cosmic horror, the thin veil of human sense-making through which we ordinarily perceive the world is inevitably destroyed through a confrontation with a deep and terrible truth about the universe. For the story protagonists, the encounter with the true nature of things practically always results in madness or death, or at least denial of the events that took place. While cosmic horror originates in literature, significant works exist also in films, graphic novels and games. However, while many games include elements from cosmic horror, the themes and genre conventions of cosmic horror mean that it is far from trivial for games to engage genuinely with the genre. This paper explores the potential for games to capture the feelings of experience of a Lovecraft story authentically via their mechanics and design. We give an overview of the genre conventions of literary cosmic horror and identify six narrative design “challenges” where the genre conventions of narrative-driven games appear to be directly incompatible with those of literary cosmic horror. For each challenge, we discuss the depth and nature of the seemingly irreconcilable differences and use examples from narrative horror games (Lovecraftian and otherwise) to identify potential solutions. Can games and cosmic horror really be mixed? And, if so, how?
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZWhat Really Happened Here? Dealing with Uncertainty in the Book of Distance: A Critical Historiography PerspectiveHaahr, Madshttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/1073272024-03-19T10:13:24Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZWhat Really Happened Here? Dealing with Uncertainty in the Book of Distance: A Critical Historiography Perspective
Haahr, Mads
Lissa Holloway-Attaway and John T. Murray
Uncertain cultural heritage presents a dilemma in its narrative representation. History seeks to push a grand narrative, at the expense of less convenient narratives. Critical historiographic approaches favor the consideration of multiple
narratives as they focus on the mediation of history rather than arriving at a single
truth. Virtual Reality Interactive Narratives, such as The Book of Distance, exemplify how uncertainty can be represented through re-enactment. In this late breaking work, we provide a close reading of The Book of Distance through the lens of
critical historiography and suggest improvements for future similar experiences.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the Interactions Between Narrative Puzzles and Navigation Aids in Open World GamesHaahr, Madshttp://hdl.handle.net/2262/1073202024-03-15T18:01:49Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZOn the Interactions Between Narrative Puzzles and Navigation Aids in Open World Games
Haahr, Mads
Lissa Holloway-Attaway and John T. Murray
Narrative puzzles feature prominently in story-based open world video games where they form part of the progression of a narrative and require exploration and logical and creative thinking to solve. Open world games use navigation aids to help players solve narrative puzzles located across the vast worlds they provide. Narrative puzzles offer designers one of the most interactive methods of conveying a game’s narrative, particularly in the action-adventure focused genre of open-world games. In this paper we discuss the interaction between narrative puzzles and navigation aids in open world games, highlighting in case studies of three different games how the amount of information a navigation aid provides impacts the intricacy and expansiveness of puzzles. Finally, we discuss the design implications of these interactions and suggest potential future analytical uses of the discussed framework.
2023-01-01T00:00:00Z