Le Ludophile

Arsenault, Dominic [2009]. "Video Game Genre, Evolution and Innovation", Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture, Vol. 3, No. 2, p. 149-176. [online]

This paper provides a critical overview of the notion of genre in game studies and in the video game industry. Using the concept of genre requires one to acknowledge the recent developments of genre theory in other fields of research; one such development is the contestation of the idea of generic evolution. After a comparative analysis, video game genres are found to differ from literary and film genres precisely on the basis of evolution. The technological imperatives that characterize video game production are also pinpointed as relevant to the establishment and development of video game genres. Evolution is linked to the processes of innovation, and so a model of innovation is laid out from a compare-and-contrast approach to literary and film genre innovation. This model is tested through the history and analysis of the First-Person Shooter genre. This results in new insights for the question of genre in video games, as it is established that genre is rooted not in game mechanics, but in game aesthetics; that is, play-experiences that share a phenomenological and pragmatic quality, regardless of their technical implementation.

Arsenault, Dominic [2008]. Narration in the Video Game. An Apologia of Interactive Storytelling, and an Apology to Cut-Scene Lovers, VDM Verlag, Saarbrücken. (English translation of Master thesis, supervised by Bernard Perron, Université de Montréal, 2006) [PDF]

Do video games tell stories? And if they do, how and why do they do so? In this study, Dominic Arsenault takes the reader through the battlefield of ludology and narratology in video game studies, and argues for a radically new narratological conception of the video game. Like a Starcraft Zerg Drone, he extracts ideas from the rich veins of new media and video game studies, along with the latest developments of narratology and French film theory, and morphs them in with his own personal historical insights and gameplay experience with video games and pen-and-paper role-playing games. The resulting theoretical approach finds that narration, as a process, is intrinsic to video game playing, independently of the “cut-scenes” usually much touted by the proponents of interactive storytelling. Academics with an interest in video game studies, narratology or new media will find here a novel perspective on a well-researched subject, while like-minded students and amateur, professional and prospective game developers will also appreciate the quick, efficient and readable introduction to these hot topics.

Arsenault, Dominic [2008]. "Guitar Hero: Not Like Playing Guitar At All?", Loading... Journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association, Simon Fraser University, Vol. 1, No. 2. [online]

This paper examines the Guitar Hero franchise's ‘simulational’ fidelity in respect to actual guitar-playing. This relationship is often overlooked by many who claim that the game is “not like playing guitar at all”. While there are some significant differences between Guitar Hero and guitar playing, the author takes an in-depth look at the game's controller and interface to argue that these differences are not as important as they may first seem. This paper will argue that game does not perfectly simulate any one dimension of music and guitar playing because it takes another approach toward simulation, favoring breadth over depth. This investigation herein results in a distinction being made between two simulation models for games.

Arsenault, Dominic [2008]. In The Video Game Explosion: A History from Pong to PlayStation and Beyond, Mark J.P. Wolf (ed.), Greenwood Press, Wesport, Conn.:

1) "Company Profile : Nintendo" [PDF]

2) "System Profile : The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)" [PDF]

3) "System Profile : Sony PlayStation" [PDF]

4) "The Video Game as an Object of Controversy" [PDF]

Arsenault, Dominic [2005]. "Abstract of Dynamic Range : When Game Design and Narratives Unite", DIGRA 2005 International Conference, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. [online] [PDF]

As the clash between Game and Narrative rages on, many attempts to unite the two make their way. As heir of this tradition of reconciliation, the Dynamic Range is a tool brought forth to examine how different game systems can give freedom to the players. In its present state, I am going to use it as a compass to pinpoint the close relationship between game design and narratives, and perhaps understand how such a union can be successful.

Arsenault, Dominic [2005]. "Dark Waters : Spotlight on Immersion", Game On North America 2005 International Conference Proceedings, Eurosis-ETI, Ghent, p. 50-52. [PDF]

This paper combines several empirical studies and some theoretical research to shed some light on the dark, undefined waters in which we plunge when we are "immersed". Immersion, across all media, comes in three different types and in three different degrees, and can be hindered by barriers, such as inaccessibility, or favored by fuel, such as using one's imagination. The resulting model of immersion can be applied to experiences formed by any type of media object, but is particularly relevant to video games.

Arsenault, Dominic [2005]. "Dynamic Range : measuring player freedom and its narrative possibilities in resource-driven games", 5th Symposium on Art and Multimedia : Metanarrative(s)?, Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona. [PDF]

This paper proposes a tool and methodology for measuring the degree of freedom given to a player in any resource-driven game (that is, any game in which managing resources is an integral part of the gameplay). This concept, which I call the Dynamic Range, can be used namely to evaluate a given game system's potential for developing emergent narratives, as defined by Henry Jenkins in his publication Game Design as Narrative Architecture. While Jenkins places at the heart of the creation of narratives the concept of spatiality, I will argue that narratives can be triggered just as well by a game's very system - the rules that govern that which Janet Murray calls the participatory.