{"id":92,"date":"2018-01-25T18:07:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T23:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/?page_id=92"},"modified":"2018-01-26T10:05:08","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T15:05:08","slug":"lab-1-spatial-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/lab-1-spatial-storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Lab 1 (Spatial Storytelling)"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header\"><\/header>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>In \u201cGame Design as Narrative Architecture,\u201d Henry Jenkins argues that many games enable \u201cplayers to move through narratively compelling spaces.\u201d Jenkins goes on to suggest that \u201cbefore we can talk about game narratives\u2026we need to talk about game spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jenkins details several ways environmental storytelling can infuse narrative into a physical\u2014or virtual\u2014space:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>By <strong>evoking pre-existing narrative associations<\/strong> (through intertextuality and transmedia storytelling)<\/li>\n<li>By<strong> providing a staging ground where narrative events are enacted<\/strong> (through spatial stories and micronarratives)<\/li>\n<li>By <strong>embedding narrative information<\/strong> in the mise-en-scene (lighting, sound, set design, costuming, etc.)<\/li>\n<li>By providing resources for<strong> emergent narratives<\/strong> (enabling spatial interactions that foster poetic, symbolic, and narrative potential)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Another point worth keeping in mind\u2026Jenkins mentions the difference between <em>plot<\/em> and <em>story<\/em>. Plot refers to events we see and hear directly, in the order that we encounter them. Story is the actual chronology of events, regardless of the order we learn of them, and this chronology includes both those events presented directly on the screen and the events we can only infer.<\/p>\n<h2>Lab Procedure<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Take turns playing <em>Portal <\/em>in groups of three. When you\u2019re not the one playing the game, take notes on the various forms of environmental storytelling at work.<\/li>\n<li>Toss around ideas with your group about the way<em> Portal <\/em>employs spatial storytelling, taking care to address all four of Jenkin\u2019s categories.<\/li>\n<li>Outside of class, write up your lab report (400-500 words) in a Google Doc. In your report consider the some of the following questions as starting points for your analysis:\n<ol>\n<li>What forms of spatial storytelling does<em> Portal <\/em>rely on? Which type of spatial storytelling in\u00a0<em>Portal<\/em> interests you most, and why? Be sure to provide specific examples from the game.<\/li>\n<li>Why is the distinction between story and plot important with <em>Portal<\/em>? And what does it have to do with narrative architecture?<\/li>\n<li>Are there ways that the mechanics and other formal elements of <em>Portal <\/em>work<em> against<\/em> the spatial storytelling of the game?<\/li>\n<li>What other insights or revelations occurred to you by looking at <em>Portal<\/em> through the lens of spatial storytelling?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Append legible photos of your notes to the Google Doc. The lab is due by midnight on Tuesday, January 30. When you\u2019re finished, share the document with <a href=\"mailto:masample@davidson.edu\">masample@davidson.edu<\/a> and be sure to give me commenting privileges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In \u201cGame Design as Narrative Architecture,\u201d Henry Jenkins argues that many games enable \u201cplayers to move through narratively compelling spaces.\u201d Jenkins goes on to suggest that \u201cbefore we can talk about game narratives\u2026we need to talk about game spaces.\u201d Jenkins details several ways environmental storytelling can infuse narrative into a physical\u2014or virtual\u2014space: By evoking pre-existing &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-92","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P9xw5i-1u","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96,"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/92\/revisions\/96"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.digitaldavidson.net\/games18\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}