To begin with, Yun-Su Lee and Myoung-Jun Kim’s essay in 2020 collected important metafictional game from 1997 to 2018. The research is mainly about the directive features of metagames and how they affect the narrative method. In the paper, a mainly used directional method is summarized into different forms.

For example, in up to 12 metagames, there are methods like using platform and genre to affect narrative (eg. One Shot, Doki Doki Literature Club), and also deforming components of the game program (eg. Doki Doki Literature Club). The view that each game uses various directional methods to influence the narrative and gameplay is really helpful. During Trapped development, we can refer to each element and find which methods can be used in our game. Also, the analysis can help us to find out which elements have not yet been discovered. Unfortunately, the paper is written in Korean so I can only refer to each paragraph by translation software.

The Stanley Parable plays an important role in metafictional game-related essays. And Antranig Arek Sarian said in the paper about the specific game design elements and the metaphor behind them. In his theory, The Stanley Parable used common items from 2 doors to a museum to convey ideas. The paper summarized almost every choice that the player can make and analyze the meaning of each choice.

For example, the first impressive scene is the player will face 2 doors. If the player decides to perform as Stanley, the non-exist main character, they would go through the left door as the narrator said. But the right door seems like a “wrong choice” according to the narrator, it contains more endings than entering the left door. In a certain way, the game developer encourages the player to define the binary choice system of what is right or wrong. Also, the paper discusses the position of the narrator in the past medium of literature. In Adventures in Algebra, the narrator set a question to test readers, and the answer can only be revealed once the reader turns to certain pages. The answers are vague and have interactivity with the narrator’s speaking. In The Stanley Parable, the narrator interacts with the player differently. It seems like the narrator is telling the story of Stanley, but to players, it feels like the narrator is asking the player to do the exact thing as he said. When the story becomes order, what will the player choose to do? That is the core question during the gameplay.

Furthermore, Bradley J. Fest in 2016 talked more about The Stanley Parable. In the view of the author, postmodernism help develop the core conflict of the game. And the game also pushes the theory forward to form a new theory. Besides, the author also addresses that the game has made players and critics focus on how irony can be expressed in video games. The game and narrator constantly mocking players for what they did during gameplay. Some scenes themselves have an ironic metaphor like the famous baby saving level which requires nonstop clicking for 5 hours.

Same as There is no game: Wrong dimension (2020, Draw me a pixel), which also has a certain level mocking free to play clicking game. Each element of the modern game industry is deformed into levels to express irony. The paper further discusses postmodern metafiction and how the Stanley Parable became its legacy. In our development of Trapped, we will refer to this game and paper about how they convey irony by video game mechanics.

The last literature is not exactly a paper about video games. But it can also bring certain thinking about strategy making in games. Nicholas S. Kovach, Alan S. Gibson, and Gary B. Lamont wrote in 2015 about the game theory. The research focuses on how player acquire strategy when they are not aware. Metafictional games are about breaking the rules of regular games and discuss video game themselves. In the puzzle-solving part, like There is no game: Wrong dimension (2020, Draw me a pixel), players often get confused about how they could interact with the game within a game. In the first level, the player should get water from the raindrop. But the only raindrop is inside the radio background image.

The solution is different from regular games so the player should learn how the solving logic should be. During the process, the hint system is really helpful. First, it will show which object the player is supposed to interact with. Then there are up to 3 hints can be provided, and time interval is 10 second which grant player time to think. Normally players will not need all 3 hints to find the solution, but it brings a difficulty curve into an impressive metagame. The game theory is about getting information and decision making which also highly required in metagames.

References

[1]Lee, Y.S. and Kim, M.J., 2020. Narrative and Directive Features of Metafiction Games. Journal of Digital Contents Society, 21(9), pp.1607-1616.

[2]Sarian, A.A., 2020. Paradox and Pedagogy in The Stanley Parable. Games and Culture, 15(2), pp.179-197.

[3]Fest, B.J., 2016. Metaproceduralism: the Stanley Parable and the legacies of postmodern metafiction. Wide Screen, 6(1).

[4]Kovach, N.S., Gibson, A.S. and Lamont, G.B., 2015. Hypergame theory: a model for conflict, misperception, and deception. Game Theory, 2015.