A Redneck Head on a Nazi Body. Subversive Ludo-Narrative Strategies in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Backe, Hans-Joachim

doi:10.3390/arts7040076

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(10 reference statements)

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“…Such cases have been termed ludo-narrative dissonance (Hocking, 2007) and it has long been an accepted truth in game design that, for the sake of consistency, such cases should be avoided. However, recently scholars have pointed to the artistic potentials of tensions between narrative and rules that can have estranging and therefore engaging implications for players and audiences of gameplay (Murphy, 2016; Backe, 2018; Grabarczyk & Walther, 2022). Such possible tensions can be an important area of inquiry when preparing game-based teaching sessions.…”

Section: Theory and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Pötzsch

Hansen²,

Hammar

2023

Simulation & Gaming

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Background Videogames can be useful tools for teaching and learning. To plan educational uses, potential benefits and possible problematic aspects of specific titles need to be critically assessed by teachers and school leaders prior to implementation. Theory and Method Based on game ontological models, we identify salient areas of inquiry in games research and use these to structure a template for evaluation. This way we operationalize foundational games research and put key insights to practical use in the planning and preparation of videogame-based teaching sessions. Aims We develop a template for the evaluation of videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning to facilitate critical uses of these technologies in schools and other educational settings. Results We present a template for critical evaluation to facilitate the use of videogames for educational endeavors. The template distinguishes between videogames as tools for and objects of teaching and learning and is structured along the game ontological dimensions of 1) sign system, 2) rules and mechanics, 3) materiality and 4) players, and includes aspects of both representation and simulation. This way, we disentangle a complex phenomenon and make its components amendable for critical analysis and constructive intervention. Discussion and Conclusion We offer illustrating examples for how the template can be used to assess the usability of specific titles in education and discuss advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we suggest steps for implementation and further improvement.

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Section: Theory and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Digital Games as Media for Teaching and Learning: A Template for Critical Evaluation

Pötzsch

Hansen²,

Hammar

2023

Simulation & Gaming

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“…The other mode is where the player has too much power over the destiny of the character. The point is that this complex asynchroneity which sparks the player's reflection is not reducible to a design-centric 'within' (meaning it cannot readily be devised and 'fixed'); but rather it emerges as a result of the dissonant ludo-narrational architecture, and maybe even to the point where the game "presents in itself a critical engagement with the politics of its genre", as commented by Hans-Joachim Backe on a different game but in a similar context (Backe 2018). Thus, the outcome of LND moves beyond mere design, and the effect is, as we shall look into in Section 4, constituted by the 'Shouters' of games, proxies of guidance and misguidance.…”

Section: What Causes Ludo-narrative Dissonances?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Game of Twisted Shouting

Grabarczyk

Walther

2022

EJCGC

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This article takes a deeper look at the notion of ludo-narrative dissonance (henceforth LND), a popular term that refers to the perceived clash between the ludic and the narrative aspects of games. We wish to argue that a better understanding of the nature of LND and the reasons it appears in games enables us to look at this phenomenon from a new perspective that was not, as of yet, considered in game studies literature or the popular discourse. The typical approach to LND presents it as a problem or a design flaw that needs to be avoided by the developers. In contrast to this, we suggest that LND can be seen as a source of inspiration for the creators as it inherently invites the developers and the players to reflect on the game structure. We start with a closer look at the notion of LND and present three ways it can be interpreted. In section two we analyze the reasons LND can appear in games (regardless of the developers’ intentions). Section three goes through some of the existing methods of dealing with LND. Here we argue that embracing LND as a result of some of the necessary tensions of game design can result in the creative victory of the developers. We finish the paper, in the fourth section, with a longer case study of Manhunt which we see as a good exemplification of the reinvigorating power of LND.

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“…Finally, Backe (2018) explores Machine Games' Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus through Bakhtin's notions of the carnivalesque and grotesque along with Haraway's cyborg. The game recapitulates the anti-fascist aesthetics of preceding Wolfenstein games, but in shifting its setting to an alternate reality mid-century United States, intensifies the politics of resistance with intersectional dynamics including themes of race, ability and gender.…”

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confidence: 99%