Drawing on the debates of narratology and ludology, choose one game or game series to discuss cinema’s relationship with gaming. This can be through an examination of interactive storytelling, cut-scenes, episodic instalments, or ludic adaptations of films.

Cinema’s Relationship with Gaming Student Name Institution Date Introduction The 19th century witnessed the birth of a new art form where narratives could play out across a screen. The new development allowed individuals to act out stories that were once limited to pages and songs. It would take time before the medium would mature to its full potential and audiences could view film as a true art. Despite the humble beginnings of films, technology has allowed them to make the advancements that now make audiences resonate with films. The same technological advancement that has propagated films to new heights has been instrumental in the development of video games. Video games have started to be accepted as art, despite some critics holding that video games cannot be art. In particular, movie critic Roger Ebert claimed in 2005 that movies did not constitute art since they could not be compared to the more established art forms like poetry, films, drama and composition, indicating that video games represent the loss of time available to make a more cultured, civilized and empathetic society. However, despite the strong opposition to films being a form of art in the first place, video game proponents consider cinema’s relationship with video games as one that cannot be ignored. This essay draws from the debates on narratology and ludology to discuss the relationship between cinema and video gaming from the lenses of the Tomb Raider series in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.[Baty, S., 2020. The Art of the Game: Issues in Adapting Video Games.] Ludology vs Narratology The examination of storytelling in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider can be considered from the debates of ludology and narratology. Video games are not the only variety of interactive media in the market. However, they constitute one of the most widespread examples of interactivity in new media. The structure of an interactive novel has a narrative at its core, but games are not easily decipherable in this manner. As the field of game studies has intensified, the divide between the theoretical paradigms of narratology and ludology has widened. As a result, while a full examination of the opposing paradigms is beyond the scope of this essay, a basic outline of their fundamental tenets is critical in examining the link between cinema and video games. The term ludology was utilized more in the context of more traditional games, like board games. Such games are better understood through their rules and structures, as opposed to their narrative properties. On the contrary, narratology proponents consider games as new forms in the larger perspective of narrative structures like film. Ludology stands as a contrast to narratology, especially where the former considers video games from the strict sense of traditional games like board games. Several scholars propose that games are not stories (narratives) and to think of them as such presents various shortcomings. The statement is rather simplified and an inflexible interpretation of ludology. The strictest ludic acolyte would consider storytelling to be least irrelevant and at worst harmful to games. It is challenging to divorce video games from storytelling a traditional ludic position implies. Semantically, true games are not stories. However, the challenge with this setup is that it creates a binary opposition between games and storytelling. The formal structure of games is not different from storytelling in some critical ways. However, ludology and narratology are not fundamentally oppositional. This is because while games may not be intrinsically a story, they contain a story, or depend on a story. If storytelling can play such a major role in the making of a game, a narratologist could argue that such a game may be understood and analyzed from the lenses of a narrative.[Diel, Matt. "Theatre/Games: The Poetics, Ludology & Narrative in Video Game and Dramatic Structure." (2009).] [Brown, Douglas. "Gaming DNA: On Narrative and Gameplay Gestalts." In DiGRA Conference. 2007. Pg. 49] [Diel, Matt. "Theatre/Games] Storytelling Games have always incorporated storytelling like other forms like film, making them cinematic. It is important to note that while games are interactive, stories are not. Audiences listen, read or watch stories. Ideally, stories are transmitted to the audience, which does not actively participate in creating them. There is a clear demarcation between the narrator and the storyteller. However, in games like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, the player has the illusion of directing the direction through which the video game will follow. In a film setting, when audiences start watching a movie, it will proceed to the end, whether people are there or not to watch it. If someone walks out of the cinema hall, the film will keep on rolling and the story will unfold, even in an empty auditorium. This is because, in a film, the story has been told long before the audience starts watching it. On the contrary, when someone starts a game like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, it will not progress unless the person plays it. In this case, the story has not been told in advance like it is the case with a film and needs a player to proceed.[Dymek, Mikolaj. "Industrial phantasmagoria: subcultural interactive cinema meets mass-cultural media of simulation." PhD diss., KTH, 2010. Pg. 365] From a ludic perspective, the synchronicity of story time and narrative time is a unique trait of games. This stands in opposition to traditional narrative forms where story time and narrative are separate. The impossibility of interactivity and narration simultaneously makes it challenging to define games through the narrow lenses of traditional narrative structures. The player in a game like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider knows they are adhering to a programmed sequence of events. However, immersion in the game minimizes the adverse effects of this limitation and allows the player to become a co-creator of the narrative. The opposition of the ludology and narratology perspectives provides a solid pillar to enable a more robust understanding of games. A question emerges on the usefulness of the traditional paradigms in the narrative discourses in the context of games as newer forms of media. Considering this from a narratologist's point of view, the utility of narratives is apparent in games. As a result, the traditional tools of storytelling should just work fine in games like other cinematic forms like movies. However, a ludologist would differ significantly with such a view. However, it is important to consider games as a hybrid, encompassing both narrative and ludic aspects. Consequently, an examination of the narrative theory may offer a lens to see the use of narratives in video games like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and hence allow for provocative approaches for thinking about theatrical narrative and its construction in the context of video games.[Diel, Matt. "Theatre/Games Pg. 13] [Ibid] An examination of Aristotelian principles of drama provides a basis for considering narratives in video games and how this relates to cinema. In a cinematic setting, a plot is the most important structural element. No drama can lack a plot. It is through a plot that the action, character activities and other important aspects of a cinema unfold. Even when one chooses to forgo any other aspect of a drama, it is impossible to do away with the plot. The Aristotelian principle in drama is a major building block in game design. In every game, actions are critical because they allow players to determine the direction the game should take, hence contributing to its plot. Any input from a player into Lara Croft: Tomb Raider would determine what Lara would do. The game narrative in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider would be pushed forward by the actions the player takes. However, while employing Aristotelian principles of a plot, it is important to consider ludic perspectives to differentiate between traditional and interactive narrative structures. In the strict Aristotelian approach, a plot is supposed to be linear, where actions start from the beginning and occur in an o...