Two Schools: Narratology vs. Ludology

Metagame Book Club: Game Studies. "The Two Schools: Narratology vs. Ludology" by Sherry Jones. Published July 23, 2014. Last Updated: Jan. 14, 2019.

**This page was first published on the Metagame Book Club.

Image Source: Animated gif of the game Galaga from an unknown source.
Image Source: Character Booker from the game Bioshock Infinite.

Welcome to Week 2 of Track 1: Game Studies reading club! In the previous week, we examined readings on the definitions of play, games, and the magic circle. This week, we are exploring readings about the famous Narratology vs. Ludology debate in Game Studies that centers on the meaning of games. The two schools of thought attempt to identify the essential features of games that help express a game's meaning. Narratologists argue that games are expressive due to their underlying narrative structures, and thus games can be interpreted like literary texts. On the other hand, Ludologists assert that a game's rules and mechanics alone express the game's meaning, and deny that games can be analyzed via literary methods. The interesting debate is far more complex than what this brief introduction can cover. Thus, I have assigned a few seminal texts to help us explore the debate in depth.

There are 6 main readings for this week (with some optional readings listed below the main readings). For the sake of clarity, I have organized the texts in a linear fashion, under subheadings, to be read in successive order. Enjoy!

-- Sherry Jones (Track 1: Game Studies Facilitator)


**This week's recorded live streaming video is published at the end of the page.


Main Readings

What is Narratology? What is Narrativism?

What is Ludology?

The Debates between Two Schools

Optional Readings

Recorded Live Streaming Videos (Review of This Week's Readings)

Published: July 29, 2014, 5:00-6:30pm MST.