Her Story

Interpretive Challenges in Games

Jonne Arjoranta's paper argues that games contain a distinct category of mental challenge, the interpretive challenge, which is separate from the logical or strategic challenges usually discussed in game studies.

• Jonne Arjoranta's paper defines the 'interpretive challenge': a mental challenge in which a player must draw on knowledge outside the game (understanding people, cultural frameworks, background concepts) to progress or win, distinct from the logical or strategic challenges usually discussed in game studies.
• Most games involve some interpretation, but only a small number make successful interpretation a condition of play, which is why the category is useful for identifying a specific class of games.
• The paper's central case study is Her Story (2015), in which players search fragmentary video interview clips about a murder and revise hypotheses to connect vague statements to narrative events.