Quagmire

From Gary Waters / Getty Images "Time changes all things; there is no reason why language should escape this universal law" - Ferdinand de Saussure Before I set up a theoretical framework using a pattern language it is important to get some definitions right. Let's have a look at language first, which I will dive into in this post. Then at patterns second and finally at the combination of the two. It shouldn't be too hard for most of us to come up with a definition of a language... Right? It is a system with rules (grammar) that is used to convey information through words (vocabulary). However, this definition is not wholly conclusive nor inclusive for that matter. What about sign language? It seems the definition of a language needs to be broadened in order to include this form as well. So, sign language is the same as a spoken language except that you use signs instead of words and there we are: we have a fully inclusive definition of language... Right? Not really,...

Michael Douglas as Nicholas van Orton in The Game by David Fincher “I don't care about the money. I'm pulling back the curtain. I want to meet the wizard.” -   Nicholas van Orton Jesse Schell at the Game Development Conference (GDC) After I saw Jesse Schell's lecture at GDC on The Nature of Order in Game Narrative I was intrigued. Intrigued because Schell gives the viewer a guideline of what kind of patterns they can use in the creation for their game when it comes to narrative. I believe that these patterns can also be used to analyze narrative in video games and in so doing as an analyst or tester you can "pull back the curtain". Unlike Nicholas van Orton though, I am not a millionaire and I do care about the money. There is business to be made and I will tell you why. I believe narrative is an often overlooked part of video games for creators and critics alike and that it, just like any other feature of software, can be subjected to thorough analysis and measu...