That Dragon, Cancer

Creator's Discussion of the Growing Focus on, and Potential of, Storytelling in Video Game Design

Video games are widely perceived as violent, genre-bound entertainment dominated by science fiction, horror, and fantasy, but this reputation overlooks a rapidly growing arthouse-style movement running alongside large commercial releases.

• The video game industry's mainstream reputation for violent, otherworldly content (science-fiction, horror, fantasy) understates a growing arthouse movement of personal, autobiographical and life-inspired narrative games.
• Over the last decade, and especially the last five years, an increasing number of games have focused on vivid, believable characters, personal stories, and emotional experiences enhanced through interaction.
• The article examines key titles in this narrative-driven space and the debates they provoked within video game culture, including discussion of ludonarrative dissonance in BioShock.