Narrativity: Intro

Karin Wenz, Assistant Professor of English, University of Kassel

"Cyberspace can be seen as an extension ... of our age-old capacity and need to dwell in fiction, to dwell enlightened and empowered on other, mythic planes" (Benedikt 1991: 6).

I will discuss this thesis by using the computer game Myst as example. According to Adams (1996a) the narrative is understood as a special type of sign use, which emphasizes the relationship between the narrative act and the narrative text. This opens up the possibility to have a closer look at the spatial or temporal structure of a narration as well as a look at the act of constructing or re-constructing the narrative in interpretation. This point of view allows for an interpretation of the structure of computer games without neglecting their interactive dynamics.

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