The Board Games As A Narrative Medium
The Board Games As A Narrative Medium
The Board Games As A Narrative Medium
Patel Bornstedt
January, 29, 2024
Summary
Board games, once seen as purely ludic and abstract, have evolved into a narrative medium capable of telling complex stories. Drawing from Marie-Laure Ryan’s metaphor of media as piping bags shaping formless stories, board games can now structure narratives uniquely, balancing gameplay (ludic) and storytelling (narrative) elements. Immersion arises when players mentally inhabit both gameplay and its social “metagame,” enabling a “flow” state akin to reading. A proposed model categorizes board games as non-narrative, thematic, or narrative, based on narrative prominence. Thus, while not all board games are narrative, the medium itself has proven capable of storytelling and media transfer.
Reference
Bornstedt, P. (2024, January 29). The board game as a narrative medium. Analog Game Studies. https://analoggamestudies.org/2024/01/the-board-game-as-a-narrative-medium/