Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: STORYTELLING AND NARRATIVE IN ROLE-PLAYING VIDEO GAMES (BROWN)

Department: College Courses

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: Role-playing video games, frequently shortened to role-playing games (RPGs), are a genre of video games, where the player interacts directly with the world, usually gaining character development in terms of recording statistics. The game world is often rooted in speculative fiction, drawing from fantasy and sci-fiction to inhabit worlds that suspend standard understandings of reality. More than other genres, RPGs rely on a combination of gameplay mechanics, cutscenes, and user interface to develop well-defined stories and settings that drive the complex negotiation between the player and the game. Building on this, how do RPGs integrate interactive gameplay and narrative elements to create an effective story? In this course, we will explore elements of role-playing games (abilities, items, combat, cutscenes, setting) through the lenses of narrative (character development, worldbuilding, plot) with an intersectional framework that attends to culture, gender, sexuality, and disability simultaneously. We will be thinking about how RPGs serve as a site of speculative possibility for experimental and unconventional stories. During class, we will discuss popular RPGs such as Chrono Trigger and Legend of Zelda, as well as less known titles like Okami and Ib, walking through gameplay footage and cutscenes to eventually apply their understanding in a final project, where students get the opportunity to work in teams to either submit their own game design proposal or write a short analytical paper on a RPG of their choice.