The Wind path
Cartographers of the Virtual: Navigation in Skyrim
Analyzing how open-world video games offer interactive navigation, requiring player engagement with geography, landmarks, and emergent storytelling. This chapter compares Skyrim's approach to ergodic navigation with that of literature and theatre.
PATHS.
Which way will you go?
The Wind /
The Daughter
A House of Stories: Navigation in the Talliston Universe
An EP of music reflecting on a life lived in joy, in anger, in regret. These are the memories made along the way.
Dance
The Lost /
The Dead
Ergodic Storytelling in Digital Narratives
A short film on the freedom of youth and the consequences of that raw energy. Where do your feet lead you, and are you in control of them?
Dance
Footnotes & References
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Core Theoretical Foundations:
- Espen Aarseth – defines video games as cybertexts requiring player agency.
- Janet Murray – Hamlet on the Holodeck (1997) –discusses narrative play in digital spaces.
- Henry Jenkins – defines game narratives as spatially exploratory rather than strictly plot-driven.
- Espen Aarseth – defines video games as cybertexts requiring player agency.
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Critical Debates and Counterarguments:
- Jesper Juul – questions whether games are truly narratives or just interactive systems.
- Alexander Galloway – Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture (2006) – critiques whether agency in games is meaningful or pre-structured.
- Lev Manovich – argues games are database structures, not narratives.
- Jesper Juul – questions whether games are truly narratives or just interactive systems.
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Empirical Studies & Case Studies:
- Skyrim – emergent navigation through open-world exploration.
- Breath of the Wild – wayfinding without traditional quest markers.
- The Stanley Parable – critiques the illusion of choice in game navigation.
- Skyrim – emergent navigation through open-world exploration.
