Narrative, Audio, Space

Manovich's discussion of the narrative space of games and the nature of computer graphics reminded me of a game I saw recently, Everyday Shooter. Its an abstract to-down shooter game; think Asteriods on hallucinogens (with bright colors, trippy music and synesthesia to boot!). The game's minimal aesthetics and reliance on simple forms and bright colors are reminiscent of modern and contemporary art, entailing a welcome escape from photo-realism and absolute representation. Interestingly, in the game, which is fundamentally 2D, rather than space being the primary form of narrative as is the case for the games Manovich examines, the length and content of the levels is determined by the musical accompaniment. Each level is as long as the song which plays behind it.

The possibility of an audio based narrative in digital media opens up a whole new narratology undiscussed by Manovich, albeit one less ubiquitous and "new" media-y.