The textual adventure game as a form of ergodic literature

Abstract

In this article we present the textual adventure game as a form of digital ergodic literature, outlining a series of definitions for it and analyzing, from the perspective of the study of literature, the structure of texts in different types of games. We present the adventure text games of programmers W. Crowter and D. Woods, as an innovative form of hypermedia capable of providing subjective experiences, as do traditional narrative structures called literature. The studies of E. Aarseth, K. Veale, O. Laas, etc., analyze the structural patterns of adventure text games and present them stratified (in 4 levels) or systematized (core and shells), emphasizing the literary character of this ergodic form. The games analyzed in this article, DOOM, Quake, ARGs, harmoniously combine playfulness and literature. Is outlined the idea that the study of the adventure text game is possible according to the grids applied to literary texts, to which an adaptation is necessary according to its ergodic character.