Erzählen Spiele Geschichten?: Eine kurze Anmerkung zu Spielen und Erzählungen

Games occupy a distinct ontological space that cannot be fully subsumed by traditional narrative theory. While games frequently incorporate background lore or thematic elements common to literature and film, they operate on fundamentally different structural principles. The core tension lies in the temporal relationship between events and discourse. Traditional narratives rely on a temporal distance, where a story is recounted after the fact, allowing for a structured, interpretive experience. In contrast, games demand an interactive "now," where the player’s actions and the game’s responses occur simultaneously, prioritizing performance and agency over passive consumption.

This divergence highlights the limitations of applying cinematic or literary frameworks to interactive media. Because games are defined by formal, rule-based systems and goal-oriented mechanics, they function as dynamic environments rather than static sequences of events. Attempting to force games into narrative models often results in a loss of clarity regarding their unique medium-specific qualities. The player’s active participation transforms the experience from one of cognitive identification with characters into one of strategic engagement with a system, rendering the traditional definition of a story insufficient for describing the gaming experience.

Ultimately, games should be recognized as an independent medium that utilizes narrative elements without being defined by them. While games can serve as a foundation for secondary storytelling or personal accounts of play, their essence remains rooted in configurative structures and player-driven outcomes. A nuanced approach that respects the formal independence of games is necessary to avoid obscuring the very mechanics that distinguish them from other forms of media. By acknowledging these fundamental differences, analysts can better appreciate the unique capacity of games to function as interactive systems rather than mere vessels for pre-determined narratives.