By Ian Berndsen and Jake Shumaker If you would like to know more about the story of MyCareer in NBA 2k22, click here for a complete guide to the storyline from TheGamer.com. In NBA 2k22’s MyCareer mode, the user can progress through the storyline however they choose. First off, the user chooses the “build” for their player. Your build consists of body type, facial features, and hair designs. After this initial step, you then choose which position you want your player to be, and complete the measurements of height and weight. After completing the general information, you begin your path toward the NBA. Your first major decision is choosing whether to go to college or go to the G-League, which is the NBA’s minor league basketball organization. A short while after this decision is made and you feel your player is ready for the NBA, you attend the NBA Combine. This is a multi-day showcase where the best college or G-League players show off their talents in front of NBA representatives for each team. After the Combine, you will then be sent to the NBA Draft where one of the 32 teams will take a chance and draft your player. Once you have been drafted by a team, you will start out as a bench player. This isn’t ideal for anyone, as you have to work your way up over time in order to become the starter. To get into the starting lineup, you must achieve a teammates grade of “B” or higher in numerous games. A teammate grade is based on overall statistical performance, as well as your player’s defense and ability to share the ball. The next order of business is to select an agent among the choices given. Once you select an agent you are fully equipped to embark on your NBA journey. Your best friend in your whole basketball journey, Ricky, will be there by your side helping you make tough decisions along the way. There is an abundance of things to do in your respective city, so it is important to explore your city and find out which kind of player and person you want your MyCareer player to be in NBA 2k22. The MyCareer story in NBA 2k22 is worth analyzing because it is unique from different forms we have analyzed in class. The sports game caught our attention due to its central theme of perseverance which differs from what we have discussed. Perseverance incorporates hard work, competition, and more that allow the user to shape their MyPlayer to be one of the all time greats. The game is re-developed yearly allowing for development and different scenes to be included in the story for a unique experience each year. The MyCareer story in NBA 2k22 relates to our in-class discussions as it is an interactive form of media. The story revolves around two central themes: perseverance and identity. Throughout the story, your MyPlayer (MP) strives for an end goal of being an NBA legend, while expressing himself through music and fashion. The MP has to hustle through the NCAA or the G-League to have a chance at the combine to earn being drafted in the NBA. One key pivotal decision that the user gets to decide for the MP is which agency to sign with: Palmer Athletic Agency or Berry and Associates. Palmer Athletic Agency is the more traditional route to earning stardom, while Berry and Associates is a smaller agency allowing the MP to find their identity through different social opportunities. The unique aspect of the MyCareer in NBA 2k22 compared to other interactive stories we have had in class is that there is the same ending regardless: becoming a NBA legend. The decisions the user gets to make throughout the story affect scenes, but not the overall story. For instance, in the image above the user gets to decide for their MP how they will answer a post-game interview question. Each answer affects the overall approval of your fans, teammates, and coaches. The groupings higher approval can lead to more unique interactions and decisions, such as the coaches' approval can lead to increased playing time, the fans' approval can improve jersey sales and sponsorships, and the teammates' approval can boost team chemistry and social interaction. Although the story may be a bit longer than the traditional forms we analyze from class, the story offers many different layers and opportunities for character development.
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By Brianna Trunk and Eva Taub
When it comes to digital narratives, one genre that generates a large amount of conversation is analog horror. The analog horror genre has grown a budding community on YouTube in recent years with series such as Gemini Home Entertainment, The Mandela Catalog, The Backrooms and the main subject of today, The Monument Mythos. The Monument Mythos is a series uploaded on the Mister Manticore YouTube channel and currently consists of three seasons. The Monument Mythos encourages ideas about how our government hides conspiracy theories from the people. The series also takes place in an alternate reality but it still takes place using monuments that we have in our real lives. The first episode of the series is called “Liberty Lurker,” in which it is eventually revealed that, as the title suggests, there is something lurking in the Statue of Liberty. Most episodes of the series are about 3-5 minutes with two episodes breaking the 10 minute mark. The second season consists of longer episodes, as it starts to piece the story together more. The series is not just about the monuments and their alternate realities but consists of characters and lore that is slowly being uncovered as the story goes on. The full story of the series has yet to be revealed but many have speculated about the exact time line and relationships that are in the story. That is one part of The Monument Mythos that keeps viewers engaged -- the lore is still being discovered.
WARNING: The following section contains spoilers of the episode "Liberty Lurker.”
The episode begins with an interview done with the designer of the Statue of Liberty. The interview is about how the design for the base was constantly being revised by the Americans and eventually came to the base being taller than the actual statue. We then see the blueprint for the statue after it has been classified for 36 years. We see an engine, axel and wheels before we see an entrance or stairs. This is followed by further off-putting features like a drain and waste storage. The video changes to interviews with immigrants who went through Ellis Island and reported a foul smell. The video cuts to the first sighting of the Liberty Lurker and an explanation to the foul smell and waste storage area.
The most intriguing thing about this series is how real it feels. The creators do an amazing job of captivating the viewers and transporting them into a new reality. The monuments that the series covers are all monuments that exist to us in our current reality. This allows for the viewer to feel like the conspiracy theories that the channel covers could actually be real and encapsulates the viewer deeper and deeper into this new reality with every episode they watch. The channel doesn’t say these outlandish things about the monuments that viewers would have a very hard time believing, and they use interviews from people to ‘prove’ that the conspiracy theories are not just theories but the truth. The way that the channel presents the information is also in a very documentary style, which makes it even more believable. The fact that they have interviews from people, use real monuments that we can see today, and present the information the way they do is what creates this new reality where what they are saying could possibly be very true. This kind of digital literature is very important. A lot of tv shows, movies, and books transport their viewers/readers into a new reality, but most of them are so fabricated that the viewer/reader knows that the reality is not real, which takes away a little bit from the story. This analog horror genre that The Monument Mythos falls into creates stories that are so believable that it transports the viewer into a deeper, more meaningful new reality. This form of encapsulating the viewer into the new reality is what intrigues so many people and keeps them watching episode after episode.
By Amelia Tam and Francesca Zaccor Webkinz is an interactive online game created in 2005 by the toy company, Ganz. The reason Webkinz achieved such a high status among children was because it encouraged players to buy physical stuffed animals in order to play the game. Every Webkinz stuffed animal produced has an online counterpart. This digital aspect not only made the game highly marketable towards children but it also gained the support of parents. Parents could buy their children stuffed animals while at the same time providing their kids with a free interactive game where their child’s beloved stuffed animal pops up on their screen. On Webkinz’s current website, it says that the game is aimed towards 6-13 year olds. However, in my personal opinion, I think the age could be even lower. I remember starting to play Webkinz by the time I turned 4. The wonderful thing about Webkinz’s online interactive world is that it only includes content appropriate for all ages. Parents did not have to worry about their kids finding inappropriate content or bad language. Webkinz is just a fantasy world, where beloved stuffed animals come to life! Webkinz enabled players to have physical stuffed animals in real life as well as create and care for the animals digitally. Once a player buys a stuffed animal, all they have to do is enter the adoption code on the stuffed animals tag and then the animal is automatically added to the player’s world. Being able to have the same stuffed animal in real life as well as digitally was revolutionary for the time. It made the Webkinz world so much more immersive. Not only did requiring players to have stuffed animals make Ganz more money, it also allowed the franchise to become adored by many. I remember having a pink poodle Webkinz stuffed animal and it was one of my favorite stuffed animals of my childhood. Furthermore, I loved having my pink poodle but I loved getting to dress her up and decorate her room even more. In order to buy food, decorations, and clothes, a player needed to play games to earn coins also known as Kinzcash. The arcade holds tons of games to choose from. Some of my favorite games to play were “Polar Plunge,” “Smoothie Moves,” “Wacky Zingoz,” and “Candy Bash.” Most games could be played all the time, but some could only be played once a day such as “Wheel of Wow,” bringing players back in everyday to see their prizes and the special deals offered on the daily. These arcade games provided players with a fun way to make Kinzcash so they could explore other different aspects of the Webkinz World. Having Kinzcash allowed players to make purchases at “The Curio Shop,” “KinzStyle Shop,” and “The WShop." A popular aspect of this beloved franchise is “The Curio Shop”, run by Arte Fact: a character known for selling novelties, artifacts, and antiques to other Webkinz. The shop serves as a place for players to buy rare and exclusive items as well as hunt for gems. While Arte’s artifacts are often intriguing, the majority of players visit his shop in order to collect gems with the hopes of eventually being able to acquire the legendary Crown of Wonder. Gem hunting is a daily activity available to the player on the Curio Shop’s main menu. Once selected, the player is able to choose between five different mines to scavenge within. Using their mouse pointer, the player can choose where they’d like to mine. That being said, gems aren’t guaranteed with each hit of the pickaxe. More often than not, a player will return from the mines with nothing but slag. There are 30 gems to hunt overall, and they come in shades of blue, green, red, yellow, and white. The gems are each broken down into three rarities: common, uncommon, and rare. If the player uncovers a gem, it’s their choice to either keep it in their Gem Collection or sell it to Arte. Lastly, another reason why this shop is loved by so many is because the player is able to form a relationship with the shop’s owner. Depending on the player’s purchases or how well they tip, they can strengthen their relationship with Arte. The closer you get to him, the easier it becomes to ask him about sales and when his rare items will become available. Growing up, I remember logging onto Webkinz just for a moment on my busiest days just so I’d be able to visit the Curio Shop and hunt for gems. We chose Webkinz because it was a game from our childhoods that was ahead of its time. Our classes’ forum has been talking a lot about nostalgia recently. Birdland and Great Rock and Roll Pauses prompted a lot of nostalgic feelings for people and Webkinz does just that. It's a game that calls back to a simpler time where interactive media was just about fantasy, immersion, and escapism. We think it's important to revisit that, especially at our age. A game such as Webkinz allows us to explore our imagination and tap into that child-like aspect of just playing
By Emily Markus and Emily White PBS is well-known for some of children’s favorite television shows in society. Clifford the Big Red Dog, Sesame Street, Curious George, and Arthur are just a few shows that have been around for decades now. In addition to the shows, PBS has created a variety of interactive games for kids to play to further their involvement with each character in the different shows. Along with these interactive games, there are print-out activities like coloring sheets and crossword puzzles. In this day and age, children have easy access to technology and the internet like never before. PBS acknowledges this and have created a safe and interactive website full of games and stories that they can participate in. PBS strives to have a positive impact on children with content that ultimately is designed to nurture a child’s well-being. From personal experience, we have interacted with PBS kids games as a result of watching the tv shows or reading the books, an example being Clifford the Big Red Dog. The class has discussed many different forms of digital narrative literature throughout the semester so far. The PBS Kids website is similarly set up to the The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy digital narrative that was explored by the class a few weeks ago. Peter and Wendy had episodes that were organized into seasons that viewers could click through and watch. Additionally, each character in the episodes had their own blog and various social media accounts specifically based on their personalities and activities they did on the show. This made the site more realistic and enhanced each character in the episodes. In the PBS website, children are able to explore different videos, games, and activities related to their chosen television show. On normal television, children’s shows are typically based on audience participation, so the online website is very similar to that where the games and activities allow children to interact in curriculum-based games with their favorite characters such as Elmo or George. Adding to the digital narrative itself, there are also routes of choose-your-own-adventure narrative throughout the site. This is where the participant in time can select which book to read and then choose certain elements that will be presented throughout the story. For example, in the Hungry Pirates book, the reader gets to color the pirate ship, select what the treasure will be, and decide what kind of problem the crew will face at sea during their adventure. These decisions seem very simple and basic, but still have the opportunity to create multiple and very different endings to the story. This interactive book relates to our class discussions because rather than reading these stories from a true book where the ending is already made up and final, the choose-your-own-adventure allows the children to explore their creativity and imagination all while interacting with their favorite television shows. Additionally with the pirate story, PBS also has categorized different stories the kids can participate in within the choose-your-own-adventure aspect. One category that stood out was the labeled “feelings games.” This is where the reader still gets to choose their own path in the story, but the characters will then teach the child how to respond to a problem in a healthy and mature way. The characters express themselves in a way that would also be expected in the real-world in real-life circumstances which is important to learn.
All in all, PBS establishes safe and educational aspects of digital narratives for children to interact with. Digital narratives are much less popular than normal texts. If children are accustomed to interacting with digital literatures and choose-your-own-adventure stories from a young age, there may be a rise in participation of digital narrative literature as a whole in the coming years. By Grant Unruh and Adam Walker If the sun went out, the population on planet Earth wouldn’t know it was gone until approximately 8.2 minutes after it happened. Imagine a world where all inhabitable planets and stars just vanished. This is the focal point of a short horror game published on Steam earlier this year. Set in a universe devoid of habitable planets and stars, the game is called Iron Lung, created and developed by David Szymanski Released in Spring 2022, the game received a decent amount of notoriety from being shared around the horror game and Let’s Play circles, with the likes of Markiplier and Jacksepticeye each taking looks, among many others. Stylized with low-poly aesthetics and haunting underwater soundscapes, it’s a short game that leaves a long impact. (It’s even been described by the creator as about an hour long.) Szymanski’s other works include the likes of DUSK, a 90s-influenced shooter that moves at a mile a minute. Iron Lung is a decidedly... less action-packed affair. Put simply, you are a convict, recently tasked with piloting a (very claustrophobic) submarine named the Iron Lung, cobbled together by scraps from the few remaining spaceships in the empty cosmos, through the liquids on a strange moon. Your one task: explore the anomaly, and earn your freedom! But it's not so simple -- due to the depth pressure, the one window you have is welded shut -- and your only means of navigation are an (incomplete) map, compass, X and Y coordinates on your sub, and a singular camera which can take grainy photos of what’s around you. You’ll need this to capture various points of interest across the map. To quote the store page on Steam, “Then, a mysterious anomaly known as a Blood Ocean (which is exactly what it sounds like) was discovered on an otherwise barren moon. It's not the first Blood Ocean found since the vanishing, but initial scans show a collection of potentially useful anomalous locations in a deep undersea (underblood?) trench that requires further investigation.” Ah, yes. How we said underwater earlier? Scratch that. It’s an ocean of blood. Iron Lung sticks out as a story that’s just begging for exploration, to find out what’s happening -- yet it’s all up to you to find it. The story is held within the game’s files, and there was also an update within the past few months adding more lore and story -- but the presentation coupled with the atmosphere are key. You aren’t even allowed to see what’s out in front of you, only momentary snapshots -- which may not even be reliable to begin with. Aside from a few text logs on the submarine’s computer and a few scraps of paper here and there, you are on your own to find out why you’re here, how this is possible, and what’s lurking beneath the depths. And even then, are you really sure you’re alone down there...? The game's concept is brilliant. Iron Lung takes away many features that contemporary games allow by hiding the vast world beyond your ship. The game is a masterclass in building suspense with the ambient soundscapes, limited view of the world around you and the building knowledge that something is out there. The sounds of the world are impossible to locate with the limited view only adding to the atmosphere. Not being able to see what lurks in the blood makes sure you only see them when they want you too. Iron Lung’s sensory deprivation challenges the medium of video games, and it is a triumph in stripping away nearly all of your senses -- and amplifying the ones you do still have. To quote Markiplier’s take on the game, “There’s not like a super direct thing that’s threatening you; it’s everything around you. It’s constant and pervasive.” Drawing you in closer while still wondering what could be out there, let alone if you’ll make it out...
Oxygen’s limited. Remember to breathe. And don’t forget to get a good shot... By Lily Bryson, Bryn Sentnor, and Sam Stokes The realm of mobile gaming is often associated with Clash of Clans and other online RPG apps, which combine fighting games with the sort of general farming/gathering typical of early social network games like Farmville, which spread like wildfire across Facebook in 2009. However, one specific niche of game apps is choose-your-own-adventure story apps, the most notorious of which is Episode, launched in 2014. It boasts both user-made and app-official stories that feature animated characters that act out your choices and allow you to customize your playable character, down to the eyebrows! However, despite its marketing towards young teenagers, Episode has some iffy elements, including highly sexualized stories featuring underage characters, lack of diversity in customizable elements, and generally terrible writing. So why is it so addictive, and is it a source of enjoyable storytelling, or just a poorly-written waste of time? In the forum posts from Week 4 of class, many people commented that they felt frustrated while playing through Brendan Patrick Hennessy’s Birdland. This frustration stemmed from the fact that the game would show you all the available options at any given decision point, but sometimes, some of those options would be unavailable for you to choose because of your mood statistics. Episode restricts some of the choices you can make in a similar manner, but instead of inhibiting your choices based on previous choices you make, players’ options are limited by price. Episode capitalizes on the desire to make good decisions by forcing players to pay for the “good” options using an in-app currency called gems. These options are known as premium options, and they can be anything from choosing a more stylish outfit over sweatpants and a t-shirt, to sharing a moment of physical intimacy with the person your character is attracted to in the game. Technically, you can accrue gems without spending any real-world money. However, there are only two ways to earn gems. One is by completing daily tasks in order to earn “shards,” which you can then exchange for gems at a rate of 100:1. The other is by completing a chapter (or, an episode) of a story, but even that is limited, as you have to have passes in order to start a new chapter. Passes also cost real-world money unless you wait several hours for your free passes to refill. All of these options are tedious and take a lot of time, and teenagers – the app’s targeted audience – generally don’t have the patience for that; they much prefer instant gratification over delayed gratification. Episode’s primary draw is the detailed customization options available for the player’s self-insert character; not only can you choose your name, but you have dozens of options for customizing your physical appearance, including skin tone, body type, face shape, hair color and style, eye color and shape, eyebrow shape and color, and lip shape and color. You can recreate yourself down to the texture and length of your hair, or you can create some idealized creation worthy of the cover of Vogue. This is unique in contrast to the choose-your-own narratives we’ve discussed in class, since those were not customizable at all; instead the player controlled a pre-written character, which, when partnered with a clear visual representation like in Bandersnatch, can lead to a feeling of disconnect from the narrative on the part of the player. However, this level of customization does not extend to every facet of your character, which leads to a fairly one-dimensional user experience. First off, the player typically doesn’t get a choice as to the gender of their character; the default is a stereotypically feminine body, complete with massive boobs. (A running theme of Episode is the rampant sexualization of characters, even in stories set in high school with minor characters. It’s rare to get a default outfit that’s not cleavage city, or the bare-chested male equivalent.) On rare occasions, there is a choice between “guy” and “girl”, but you never, in our experience, get a choice of pronouns. What is more common now, although it wasn’t when the game was first released, is a choice in love interest, both in terms of gender and appearance, though the options still adhere to a very rigid notion of binary gender. In terms of physical appearance, there are a dizzying array of options for hairstyle, skin tone, and more, which have ballooned in size since 2014. While the options for racial diversity are numerous and generally good quality, there are no choices for any sort of religious apparel like head coverings. Further, the choices of body type are performative at best. For female characters, there are three options that are the exact same body size and shape, albeit with slightly different shading options, and one (1) plus-size option (see below), with zero options to customize further. Male characters have even fewer options. While these existing choices are great, it’s clear that a lot more work needs to be done so every player can make a character that at least semi-accurately reflects who they are. It’s also worthy to note that these more diverse choices are relatively new to the game; when one group member began playing in 2016, options like queer relationships, diverse body types, and even the range of hairstyles did not exist. The app presumed its audience was primarily cis, female and heterosexual, and didn’t incorporate customizations that didn’t fit neatly into that niche. The efforts that have been made are certainly a step in the right direction, but there is clearly a lot more to the human experience that the app has yet to incorporate. A lot of people are drawn to choose-your-own-adventure narratives for the sake of escapism and to experience navigating a world other than their own, and Episode takes this to an even more idealized extent. Of the episodes that focus on the lives of everyday people, the settings are very often large, grand, and luxurious. The houses the characters dwell in have sweeping staircases and marble flooring, while the high schools look like expensive private colleges. Episode creates an extremely idealized version of reality for characters that are supposedly your normal, average, everyday people. Similar to how the app’s default for a customizable avatar’s body type is a hypersexualized, hyperfeminine-presenting woman, the app further pushes an idealized and likely unachievable version of reality as the norm. In terms of the quality of the writing and overall storytelling, a vast majority of the narratives you’re given the option to explore are similar to that of a reality show. With reality television shows, you know that what you’re watching is hot garbage, yet it is so hard to turn away. There is something so captivating about watching people bicker over ridiculous drama, and that is exactly what Episode relies on. The storylines are absolute trash, but something about living vicariously through a shallow, yet glamorous person is so addicting and brain numbing. Another defining theme the writing team heavily relies upon is – you guessed it! – sex appeal. It is no surprise that a vast majority of Episode's narratives are painfully hypersexual. There is nothing inherently wrong with sexual stories, but the problem is a lot of these stories are about high schoolers, not to mention the fact that this app is heavily marketed towards young teenagers and preteens.
Episode is, to put it plainly, a flaming dumpster fire of an app. The writing is far from high quality, the customization is lacking diversity, and the app limits you from choosing options that are enjoyable unless you throw your credit card at them. All this to say, even though Episode has its problems, the app is wildly addicting. It is the reality television of choose-your-own-adventure games. If you’re looking for mentally stimulating and enriching branching narratives to immerse yourself in, you would be better off looking elsewhere. But if you just want a campy, cheesy good time (and don’t mind sacrificing some fun outfits for the sake of not spending money), Episode might be for you!
By Kerrigan Dunham and Cate Phillips
If you've played video games, chances are that you have a video game soundtrack (OST - Original Soundtrack) that you keep close by to listen to. You probably attached to that music because of the emotional impact playing that game had on you at the time. Because of this, it's no surprise that the UNDERTALE OST is as infamous as it is today. What is the secret behind this game's unrivaled success and popularity? Though disguised, choice plays a very large role in this game, and can affect how you hear and see many different scenes and melodies. By examining the leitmotifs and themes that build up the soundtrack, we can examine how Toby Fox uses recurring melodies to add substance and depth to his overarching narrative.
The song UNDERTALE is the most prevalent in the entire narrative as the song is literally named after the game. This is the first leitmotif the player encounters in "Once Upon A Time" as the game tells the story of how Frisk landed in the underground; the UNDERTALE theme is rather simple in this melody. It appears again in "Home" to signal the player that the story is progressing and the melody is more elaborated on and paired with another leitmotif, "Hopes," which will later be discussed. After you leave the Ruins, you do not hear much of the UNDERTALE leitmotif. The next time we see this is in "Can You Really Call This a Hotel…" when the Frisk enters the Mettaton Hotel to symbolize the midway point of the game and realizing how far through the underground you have made it. "The Choice" may be the last time you hear the UNDERTALE motif if you receive the Neutral endings of the game, however it is slowed down to a great extent. If you go down the Pacifist route, the UNDERTALE theme appears in almost every song becoming more and more elaborate as you get closer to the end; it appears in "Fallen Down (Reprise)" and "Hopes and Dreams/Save the World." The final time the theme is played is in "Reunited" in its more simple and softer form. The player is leaving the underground and almost all conflict has been resolved so all is at peace in the underground and your (under)tale is over.
On a more "hopeful" note, the next prominent leitmotif we're covering is HOPES, the feeling of trust and optimism propelling the player through the game, especially on pacifist playthroughs of the game. It first appears as you enter the "Snowy" region and theme for the first time, with a slow piano and violin combo to warm you up to it, and it will actually play slower or faster if you have already shown signs of heading in the genocidal or pacifistic directions respectively. The theme is further developed and utilized once you enter Snowdin Town, adding sleigh bells and higher pitched and faster rhythms, evoking feelings of comfort and homey vibes, like Christmas in your hometown. As you spend time in Snowdin Town, you go on to see other fun variations of the theme, as it is used in the "Shop" theme as well as the "Dating Start" and "Dating Fight" themes to hilarious proportions, speeding up or slowing down to match the respective vibes! However, there comes a period in the game where you don't hear the theme for a while. This matches the events of the game, as after Snowdin Town, you start to face actual conflict and dangerous characters, throwing you fully into the narrative and onto your main goal of the game, which will involve taking your way all the way through the Underground. However, if you make it to the "end" of the game, and continue to beat the True Pacifist Route of the game (the objectively best route in our opinion), you will be faced with a final boss of epic proportions, with the theme "Hopes and Dreams" cheering you on, as the HOPES leitmotif returns to aid you and help you defeat your foe. It even appears after in the epilogue theme "Reunited," as a nice reminder of all you've accomplished. However, this game would simply not be complete without the leitmotif that arguably holds it all together: DETERMINATION. This theme is probably the one player will hear the most out of any singular theme, as it is the theme that plays during every "Game Over" screen, encouraging the player to pick themselves back up, and try again. In conjunction with this, every SAVE point throughout the game reminds the player of something positive that fills them with determination (during pacifist/neutral runs), or just directly tells the player "Determination;" this reminds them to stay focused and motivated, but also acts as a sort of double entendre, as 'De-termination' can literally mean 'not dying,' and the SAVE points allow you to come back every time you face a death or obstacle. This would be cool enough, but the theme also makes a pivotal appearance during the fight with Asgore near the climax of the game. In the latter half of one of the harder and scarier boss fights in the game, when players might be feeling shook or intimidated, the DETERMINATION theme comes in to reinforce the players in their time of need, helping them to win the battle. The inclusion of these masterful leitmotifs helps not only to reveal story and character from the game, but also provides a sense of familiarity that enhances the experience. So, if you're playing the game on mute, you are not getting the full story. There are so many more themes to explore (that we unfortunately don’t have time for), so the next time you play UNDERTALE, make choices, see how your actions affect the music, and immerse yourself in the musical magic of this once-in-a-lifetime story!
By Taylor Davis, Bekah Leipold, and Faith Reidinger
Have you ever wanted to date hot dads in a video game? Well, keep on reading...
Dream Daddy is a 2017 dating simulator game, developed by Vernon Shaw, Leighton Gray and Youtube comedy gaming duo Game Grumps. Beginning as a joke between Vernon and Gray, the game was created in response to cult-classic dating sim Hatoful Boyfriend, or, to most: “the pigeon dating simulator.” Players are drawn to Dream Daddy’s cheeky title, cutesy design, and intriguing plot line as a dad looking to “meet and romance other hot dads.” Yet what seems to be a joke on dating sim culture turns out a wholesome, queer-positive narrative: delightfully funny and slice-of-life. You begin your journey of romancing as a custom hot dad yourself, having just moved to the town of Maple Bay with your 18-year-old daughter, Amanda. There, you are met with seven swoon-worthy bachelor dads who live in the neighborhood, all with unique interests and physiques, that show interest in meeting you. Similar to other choice-based narratives discussed in class such as Birdland, the relationships had with each dad are dependent on user choice. From picking your own stage name to choosing to have pineapple on pizza, every decision elicits a like, love, neutral, or dislike from the daddy at hand. With multiple endings and achievements, Dream Daddy brings hours of gameplay and storyline to explore, and the hearts of many daddies to hold (or break).
As mentioned previously, Dream Daddy holds multiple endings for each individual Dad depending on the choices the player makes throughout the game. These choices will not only open the player to opportunities of either “good” or “bad” endings (or even in this game a secret cult ending), but will also limit a player from accessing certain endings with certain Daddies. Let’s take a look at the story track for the character Robert. Robert is the dark, scruffy, rough and tough “lone-wolf” type who is secretly waiting for that special someone to break down the walls he puts up around others. He is the first Daddy the player’s character encounters, meeting him at a bar late one night. The player is met with one of the first major decisions of the game: You can choose to have a one-night stand with Robert, or refrain from sleeping with him. If you choose to sleep with him, this decision prevents you from being able to pursue Robert later in the game, and therefore the player will not get Robert’s “good” ending. It is only if you choose not to sleep with Robert in the beginning that the player can pursue Robert throughout the game and get his “good” ending. The importance of decisions and the effect they have in the game’s playthrough not only concerns the major choices, but the smaller ones as well. Seduction of the Daddies also depends on specific dialogue options the player is given when talking to each character. Players must pay close attention when selecting their answers, as they can increase or decrease in likability to the Dads, making it easier or harder to pursue them in game. Just as in real life, Dream Daddy forces the character to make decisions that will affect their specific experience of the world and decide its outcome.
Just as Dream Daddy has real life applications, dating sims as a genre are interesting in that aspect. In March of 2016, the YouTube channel The Game Theorists posted the first video of a two-part series titled “How to Win At Love (According to Dating Sims).” The purpose of the series is to examine how the logic dating sims use to make the different characters fall in love with the player, and how those tactics can be used in real life. For example, one of the things the series talks about is that part of why dating sims work is because psychologically, we become attracted to people that we are around consistently. In dating sims, including Dream Daddy, you are usually in the presence of these potential dates a lot, you ask questions about themselves and their interests, and you’re expected to remember their answers and react the way they would want you to. And this applies to all sexual preferences. Of course we like it when someone remembers things about us and what we like! It makes us feel cared about. Yes, dating sims like Dream Daddy and the many others out there are silly, but there are aspects that are used in them that are entirely accurate and applicable in real life.
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AuthorWe are the students of "Digital Literatures" at Millikin University. These are some of the digital narratives that entice, inspire, and challenge us. Categories
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