Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
transmedia pathos and how the WDTV functions through plot adaptation. he
point of this comparison is to illustrate how transmediation can be enacted
through board games, but only by tapping into what Celia Pearce describes as
“Aristotelian notions of empathy”—the feelings we have for characters. 45
Mechanics
he game mechanics of the WDGN allow for creativity in how one plays the
game through more random elements and more freedom to choose options,
in contrast to the WDTV, which focuses more on replicating story experiences
from the show. hrough the gameplay mechanics, the WDGN's individual
player actions can afect the outcome of the game. For instance, whether or not
a player chooses to ally himself or herself with another character, like in he
Lord of the Rings: he Complete Trilogy, may inluence whether or not the two
characters survive. As Chris Klug describes, one of the “tools for evoking player
emotion” in board games “is the ability of the player to directly manipulate,
understand, and experience game systems themselves.” 46 his allows players to
become invested in their own choices while not remaining tethered to the plot
of the comic. Conversely, the WDTV ofers a more closed system that limits
player interactivity through forced choice. For instance, players do not have the
opportunity to choose an ally themselves, nor do they have the choice of, say,
which locations to visit. hese non-choices induce players to experience a set
narrative, akin to watching a television episode. he freedom to make complex
decisions within the WDGN encourages an afective relationship between
players and characters, highlighting a transmediated connection with the
original text. Conversely, the WDTV features a more static, less interactive game;
players have fewer options and follow a more predetermined route through the
game. With fewer opportunities to make choices, players have less agency in the
construction of the game play, and may become more passive in their play. Elias,
Garield, and Gutschera describe the way diferent games engender diferent
player costs, including one of work. 47 More mainstream and popular games
oten require less work, while more complex games require more player agency.
In the WDTV, such dynamics encourage passivity in the players and engender a
closer relection to the original text.
Speciically, the diferences in the game boards themselves ofer a useful
heuristic by which we can learn the mechanics of the game. In the WDGN, the
game board is expansive and multi-spaced. Like with the board of he Lord of
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