Communication Commons^™

The Enthymematic Model Of Meaning-Making In Video Games: Towards Narratively Designed Transmedia Texts, Kevin Human

All Theses

After introducing the ludological and narratological sides of modern video game theory, we explain Ian Bogost's concept of procedural rhetoric. We go on to argue that procedural rhetoric in practice is a form of what Stephen Dinehart and others have called narrative design. Furthermore, we argue that narrative design principles fall into the Aristotelian, enthymematic form of knowledge creation. We then cite examples of effective narrative design in video games and show how they fit the enthymematic model. We conclude with a discussion of how the epistemic principles of narrative design are applicable to a transmedia design context and how …