All video games are rule systems about shapes, movements, and combinations.

But what would happen if I gave each shape, movement, and combination of shapes inTetris a meaning?

What I have done is to marry an abstract rule system to story elements.

“Story Elements”: actors (like kings and queens); actions (like proposing marriage); states (like being married); and events (like a marriage).

Castlevania Symphony of the Night RULES You are Alucard. Raging through you is the hunger and bloodlust of your vampire father and the gentle empathetic compassion of your human mother. As you have tried to come to terms with that constant internal struggle, you have recognized an outer struggle as well—the need to destroy Castlevania and bury the demons both within the castle and within your soul. On your mission you will discover ancient relics that will open new paths to you. Hidden weapons and magical items from a long time forgotten will be uncovered. Some weapons and items have restricted use—you must earn “hearts” to enable them. As your quest continues, you will encounter myriad monsters and dark forces who will challenge your progress. Every victory gives you experience which yields power and strength. Gradually, you will be able to face and defeat stronger and stronger foes. When you receive damage, you lose some of your life force. Because you are half human you can be defeated more easily than your father. If your life drains to zero, the Start screen will reappear, and (if you have saved a game in progress) you can resume play from the last saved location. (p. 14).

The primary thing here is the player’s production of story elements, not a story per se (e.g., Alucard kills a Sword Lord; Alucard finds a sword shield; Alucard discovers a gold ring).

1. How things look and feel The experience of playing a game like Castlevania is closer to producing and living inside a symphony than to reading a book or watching a movie.

2. Humans find story-elements profoundly meaningful.

3. The marriage of rules and story- elements allows two quite different stories to exist: A) The Designer’s Story B) The Virtual-Real Story (Trajectory).

Deep Past

Alucard  Gaming Expertise  Jim.

Alucard has no distinctive skills associated with his profession, i.e., being a vampire hunter. He has pretty much the same skills as Mario or Sonic.

So while the game can generate story elements, it cannot generate the professional practice of a vampire hunter. Why not?

Things are different in Full Spectrum Warrior or S.W.A.T. 4

Soldiers  Military Expertise  Jim

Ways of Seeing and Being Bodily

Full Spectrum Warrior forces the player to accept a strong set of values connected to a very specific identity. Indeed, the player must follow “doctrine”.

First Story: The Designer’s Story Second Story: The Virtual-Real Story (Trajectory) Third Story: The Virtual-Real Career Story

In Morrowind, the player must build an authentic professional expertise for his/her character. The player and the virtual character share a developmental capacity, but here a capacity to develop as a certain sort of person in a certain sort of profession ( “class”).

Games like The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind allow players to make and live out life histories. They open up a space of making decisions about, thinking about, and playing with identity.

Virtual Character  Dev. Capacity  Jim

Strategy games like Rise of Nations add a fourth story. This fourth story is a history.