e175. Game Studies: Ludology vs. Narratology

We don’t talk about games as much as we should on this show, but arguably they’re one of the most enduring mediums of popular culture. They’re certainly one of the most popular. There’s much comparison of modern video games to movies. This makes sense… if we want people to consider games to be a legitimate literary form, it stands to reason that we would compare them to an accepted literary form. But games are also unique in many ways. From the most complex video games down to the simplest parlour games, one of the most consistent elements of gaming is rules. The question of what matters more to the concept of gaming between ludology vs. narratology is one of the current most interesting topics in the world of game studies. On this week’s episode, Katya and Hannah are joined by Stephanie Kinzinger, Michael Hancock and returning guest David Rambo to talk about the concept of ludology vs. narratology including explaining just what they are, how they connect to ergodic literature and why part of the fun of games is the ability to lose. Take a listen and let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Citations and Links: * This episode’s Call for Comments* “Computer Game Studies, Year One” by Espen Aarseth* Everything by David O’Reilly* “ACTION BUTTON REVIEWS Tokimeki Memorial“ * Thank you to Maximilian’s thoughtForm Music for our theme* Follow David’s blog: davidrambo.org* Hear Michale on the Three Panel Contrast podcast* Follow Michael on Twitter: @PersonOfCon* Follow Hannah on Twitter: @hannahleerogers* Follow Katya on Instagram: @justthatnerdkid* Follow us on Twitter: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Instagram: @voxpopcast* Follow us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/voxpopcast* Please Subscribe to our new YouTube channel!* Make sure you subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever podcasts are found and please leave us a review! Watch on YouTube!