Videogames and Pachyderms

This chapter raises the primary question: “what are videogames?” The answer given by cultural and academic models contrasts with a historically minded approach. It introduces the idea of ludonarrativity as a mode of reading, especially contrasted against novelcentrism. Chapter 1 introduces the problem of defining videogames. Previous approaches have failed to account for the wide diversity of videogames, instead pinpointing specific games to demonstrate specific conclusions or else speaking in abstractions that are too general. It also explores the second key problem of videogame criticism: the influence of novelcentrism as a bias against seeing videogames as literary. The idea of ludonarrativity as a mode of reading, which is grounded in medieval reading practices, can offer a contrast against this bias and suggest a direction to understanding videogames. The four characteristics of ludonarrativity are introduced.