Possible Worlds in Video Games: From Classic Narrative to Meaningful Actions

In current digital games, classic fictional worlds are transformed into ludofictional worlds, spaces rich in characters and emotions that are especially affected by the intervention of a player. In this book, we propose a model, inspired by the Semantics of Fiction and Possible Worlds, which is oriented to the analysis of video games as integrated systems.

Video games are one of the most important cultural and leisure industries in the world. Far from being mere children’s toys, current digital games resemble film and literature in their ability to evoke complex and immersive fictional worlds. In this sense, video games have evolved into cultural objects capable of eliciting rich and vast fictional worlds through ludic experiences. In this regard, contemporary video games should be read more like playable worlds than as interactive stories.

Thus, fictional worlds of the traditional media are transformed into ludofictional worlds, spaces rich in characters and emotions that are especially affected by the intervention of a player. We propose a theoretical-practical model called Theory of Ludofictional Worlds, inspired by the Semantics of Fiction and Possible Worlds, and which is oriented to the analysis of video games as integrated systems.