Analyzing the transhuman environment narrative at stake

• Bruno C. da Silva IFCE http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4479-6042
• Lucas M. Freitas IFCE http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2016-178X
• José G. R. Maia UFC http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2607-2729
• Windson V. de Carvalho UFC http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8627-0823

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/sbgames_estendido.2022.225844

Abstract

Considering the hype surrounding the Cyberpunk 2077 game, the theme of transhumanity has reappeared in the news. This article aimed to analyze the theme of transhumanism in games. The relationship of the theme with the representative aspects of the design was verified. For this, we created a table of questions, as a proof of concept, with elements of the theory of narration by the environment, which allowed us to verify the quality and in the future a direct comparison between other digital games. The way these elements are ideologically described, reflected, and inserted helps to solidify the environmental narrative in the game environment. Cyberpunk 2077 introduced and adapted the ideology of transhumanity in its scenery. Some items have greater immersion than the others evaluated.

Keywords: Game Design, Game Studies, environmental storytelling, transhumanism

References

Antognoli, D. and Fisher, J. (2021). The purposes and meanings of video game bathrooms. In 2021 IEEE Conference on Games (CoG), pages 1–8.

Cruz, S., Torres, A., Carvalho, W., and Quintino, G. (2019). Providing sense of embodiment with mobile virtual reality devices: a case study using the lamp-head’s laboratoryänimation. In Anais do XXI Simpósio de Realidade Virtual e Aumentada, pages 119–127, Porto Alegre, RS, Brasil. SBC.

Franco, A. O. R., Maia, J. G. R., Neto, J. A. M., and Gomes, F. A. C. (2015). An interactive storytelling model for non-player characters on electronic rpgs. In 2015 14th SBGames, pages 52–60.

Freitas, L. M. and da Silva, B. C. (2020). A narrativa por meio do ambiente. Proceedings of the XIX SBGames, pages 1264–1267.

Harvey Smith, M. W. (2021). What happened here? environmental storytelling, https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1012647/What-Happened-Here-Environmental., Outubro de 2022.

Huxley, J. (1957). New bottles for new wine. Chatto & Windus.

Macrae, E. (2021a). Designing game environments that are rich with story. https://encurtador.com.br/ipwIK.

Macrae, E. (2021b). What you like versus what works in narrative design. https://encurtador.com.br/giltK.

Petry, A. d. S., Bitencourt, A., Clua, L. R. M., Battaiola, A. L., Petry, L. C., and Vargas, A. (2013). Parâmetros, estratégias e técnicas de análise de jogo: o caso a mansão de quelícera. XII Simpósio Brasileiro de jogos e Entretenimento Digital, pages 141–151.

Renouard, G. and Perragin, C. (2018). O mito do transumanismo, https://diplomatique.org.br/o-mito-do-transumanismo, Outubro de 2022.

Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of play: Game design fundamentals. MIT.

Vilaça, M. M. and Dias, M. C. M. (2014). Transumanismo e o futuro (pós-)humano. Physis: Revista de Saúde Coletiva [online], 24(2), https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-73312014000200002.