Grenzen spielerischen Erzählens : Spiel- und Erzählstrukturen in graphischen Adventure Games

Graphical adventure games pose a new field of media scientific research. These media
products enable us to show how game and story can be combined and which problems result
from this combination. My goal is to show the different structures of game and storytelling
elements and to point out their changes during the period of research.

Adventure games are typical of all statuaric interactive media formats: The user, by playing,
has to make a decision, only then will the narrative events continue – if no decision is made,
no further action will occur. Game and story parts permanently take turns, therefore special
challenges arise for the dramaturgical design. It is difficult to create broad dramaturgical
coherences. Thus the results of the research aims to improve adventure games and comparable
media formats.

The research takes into account three analytical components: economy, structure and history.
An economical analysis shows the market of computer games and their users, whereas a
structural analysis shows the relationships between game and story and gives reasons for
economical changes. The research sample consists of 24 different adventure games.
Economical and structural analyses span a historical period of 13 years (1987 – 1999).