Endings and Alignments: Interactive Narrative and the Quantified Self

This thesis analyses video game narratives that track player choices before providing players with personalised outcomes. It draws a connection between these games and other features of our culture, such as personality tests, online astrology star charts and step trackers. While these systems can reinforce a culture of self-conformity to external metrics, they can also function as a playful form of digital tea leaves. Through a series of case studies, this thesis looks at the various ways that these games can potentially generate forms of community, encourage self-reflection, and challenge or reinforce elements of our surveillance culture.