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The Playful Function of Paratext in Visual Novels: The Case of Doki Doki Literature Club!
Barnabé, Fanny
2018Mechademia Kyoto conference 2018: "Manga Nexus: Movement, Stillness, Media"
 

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Keywords :
Paratext; Video games; Visual novel; Play; Game studies; Dating sim; Horror; Paratexte; Jeu vidéo
Abstract :
[en] Doki Doki Literature Club! (Team Salvato, 2017) is a deeply ambiguous independent game: although developed by an American game designer, it uses all the conventions of Japanese visual novel; although presented as a classic dating sim and as a cute high school romance, it gradually reveals itself to be a psychological horror game; finally, although DDLC regularly asserts its status of “video game”, playing it actually consists in unfolding a linear story, and the device continuously denies player agency by preventing him or her from making meaningful choices. In doing so, this interactive work (which is at the crossroads of several media influences) questions the conditions of the playing activity and the distinctions between play and other reading practices. If we define playful actions as marked by contingency (Malaby, 2007), by the possibility of choice-making (Salen and Zimmerman, 2004), by uncertainty and risk-taking (Henriot, 1989; Bonenfant, 2013; Hurel, 2017), how can we describe play in games – like visual novels – where the interactivity is minimal and where the manipulation of the device is not a gameplay issue (unlike in other games, where the player's actions may succeed or fail)? Starting from these questions, this paper will show that, in Doki Doki Literature Club!, the contingency is actually moved out of the strict game device’s framework to be located in its paratext (i.e. in all the texts external to the device, but serving as “thresholds” framing the work; see Genette, 1997; Consalvo, 2007; Fiadotau, 2015; Švelch, 2017; Rockenberger, 2014; etc.).
Research Center/Unit :
Liège Game Lab
LEMME - Laboratoire d'Étude sur les Médias et la Médiation - ULiège
Disciplines :
Arts & humanities: Multidisciplinary, general & others
Author, co-author :
Barnabé, Fanny  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > R&D Direction : Chercheurs ULg en mobilité
Language :
English
Title :
The Playful Function of Paratext in Visual Novels: The Case of Doki Doki Literature Club!
Publication date :
26 May 2018
Event name :
Mechademia Kyoto conference 2018: "Manga Nexus: Movement, Stillness, Media"
Event organizer :
Frenchy Lunning, Edmund Hoff, Sooyung Yoo, Stevie Suan
Event place :
Kyoto, Japan
Event date :
25-27 mai 2018
Audience :
International
Funders :
Marie-Curie COFUND postdoctoral fellowship, University of Liège, co-funded by the European Union ; Bourse d’excellence WBI.World
Available on ORBi :
since 27 May 2018

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