Tactical Breach Wizards

The Playful Pleasures of the Videogame Detective Board

This paper, by Cassandra Barkman of the University of Melbourne, examines the detective board as a dual ludic and narrative device in videogames.

• The paper argues that the detective board is both a ludic and narrative device, shaping player behaviour and narrative sensemaking, and reveals a close relationship between videogame narrative design and detective fiction.
• The Roottrees are Dead uses a structured, goal-driven board: a genealogical network of roughly fifty relatives across several generations that players must reconstruct retroactively by identifying names, occupations, and images.
• The paper contends that the Roottrees board's prescriptive structure can make overall narrative comprehension secondary to uncovering minor details needed to complete the board.