Rewriting the Tragic: Classical Storytelling Structures and Moral Complexity in Interactive Narratives
ELIKA MARY RAJI
Research Scholar Department of English
TKM College of Arts and Science, Kollam
Abstract: The art of storytelling shifted from the boundaries of quill and paper, diving into the codes and depths of digitalisation. Storytelling evolved into an art that spread its branches into transmedia, and, currently, it has expanded its roots into the digital world, taking the form of digital narratives, specifically interactive video games. Video games became a platform for transmedia storytelling, where players became co-authors of their narrative evolution, giving rise to interactive storytelling. Players are not just passive users but have become active participants in the progression of gameplay and character development. The player utilises the freedom to navigate the direction of the narrative progression. The narrative art of video games inherits the tragic and ethical frameworks of analog literature (traditional literature) while reshaping it through player agency and interactive storytelling. This leads to the creation of a digital form of storytelling that re-imagines classic motifs such as villainy, catharsis, and morality. The academic goal of this venture is to investigate how narrative video games reconfigure classical literature’s ethical, tragic, and villainous framework through interactivity, player agency, and a digital narrative framework.
Keywords: Catharsis, Tragedy, Player Agency, Interactive Narratives, Villainy, Morality, Digital Narratives
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