Ludonarrative Archetypes In Fighting Games: A Study Of Select Street Fighter V Characters

Abstract
Storytelling is, as observed in the human acts of cave-paintings, singing, dancing, writing, oral narratives, and diverse textual and otherwise narratives, one of the key aspects of human existence. Since the dawn of recorded – or retroactively observed – human civilization, storytelling has evolved with each new technological breakthrough, even if said technology is the mere discovery of paint or stylus.
In the twenty-first century, with the proliferation of digital media and associated technology, narratives too have changed. However, the more it changes, the more storytelling appears to abide by the stereotypes, archetypes, and tropes that have become ingrained into the human psyche. Every new method of storytelling establishes its own preferred methods wherein the familiar archetypes, plots, progressions can be depicted in a way most relatable to the audience.
This paper seeks to observe select video games – particularly such that are bereft of more traditional verbal or textual narrative devices – in order to study the ways in which modern interactive media manipulates its rules in an effort to convey narratological (or ludological) tales which remain rooted in our collective cultural and literary heritage.

Keywords: Ludology, Narratology, Video Games, Interactive Media.

https://doi.org/10.37948/ensemble-2021-0301-a018