Narrative Complexity in Videogames

This thesis considers narrative complexity within the videogame medium. Narrative complexity refers to stories that are difficult to follow or hard to understand. I explore the connection between narrative complexity and gameness and argue that due to it functioning like a cognitive game for the narratee, complexity is connected to the videogame medium in ways it is not to film and television. I also focus on the impact narrative complexity has on player engagement and highlight the intensified scrutiny and fandoms that videogames can elicit through challenging storytelling devices. This research therefore highlights a new way of considering videogame narrative that foregrounds challenges to player comprehension, the gamelike nature of complexity and the intensified engagement that it can facilitate.