Connecting player and character agency in videogames

Abstract

In game studies, ‘agency’ is typically defined in terms of the ‘choices’ or ‘freedom’granted to the player, which prioritises the influence of ludology on player engagementwhile discounting the impact of narratology (Tanenbaum & Tanenbaum 2010: 11).Alternative approaches to agency in games are under-theorised but equally important.This paper explores how player agency extends beyond in-game choices to theirindividual understanding and interpretation of a text, and how this form of player agencyis equally evident in creative writing texts and other narrative mediums. Furthermore,this paper considers the understandings of ‘character agency’ that have been establishedin traditional creative writing and considers how this form of agency can influence ourunderstanding of narrative in games. Character agency – and the autonomy of charactersthat it implies – engages an audience in the motivations of characters they (seemingly)do not control, and practitioners should consider how player agency intersects with theagency of non-player-characters (NPCs) if we are to understand the multi-facetedrelationships audiences have with game narratives. This paper explores the ways gamestudies can engage with a broader consideration of agency, and how narrative isimproved by the intersection of these approaches.