The (un)Lucky Carder: Inscryption, Submission, and Metafictional Games
Submission Type
Paper
Start Date/Time (EDT)
18-7-2024 3:30 PM
End Date/Time (EDT)
18-7-2024 4:30 PM
Location
Hypertexts & Fictions
Abstract
Game narratives can take many forms, and there are a growing number of games that examine the relationship between players and game stories which have been described as metafictional games by journalists and fans. In this presentation I examine Inscryption, a metafictional game that blends card game and puzzle elements, by building upon LeBlanc’s taxonomy of fun, which describes the different kinds of pleasure that players feel when they interact with games, as well as Costikyan’s discussion of that taxonomy. I claim that Inscryption is a metafictional game that engages with the notion of submission, or "games as pastime,” in which fun can be derived from submitting to a game’s rules and systems. Inscryption’s card game requires submitting to battles against difficult enemies and bosses, while the puzzle portions of the game require submitting to escape room and map exploration challenges that unlock more of the game’s world and backstory.
While the card and puzzle gameplay elements described above appear to be central to Inscryption, this gameplay loop is only a small part of the game's larger metafictional narrative about submission. Many of the game’s metafictional elements are expressed through content that is depicted as taking place “outside” of the core gameplay loop: between each of the game’s acts, the player can watch a series of increasingly disturbing video logs that are presented by a content creator known as The Lucky Carder. I suggest that these metafictional video log narratives address the relationship between players and games and question whether submitting to a game’s rules might be harmful. I also claim that Inscryption illustrates Costikyan’s notion that submission is an inherent part of all games. Overall, I argue that Inscryption functions as a metafictional experience that explores how concepts like submission operate at both a narrative and gameplay level.
Recommended Citation
Howard, Kenton T., "The (un)Lucky Carder: Inscryption, Submission, and Metafictional Games" (2024). ELO (un)linked 2024. 2.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/elo2024/hypertextsandfictions/schedule/2
The (un)Lucky Carder: Inscryption, Submission, and Metafictional Games
Hypertexts & Fictions
Game narratives can take many forms, and there are a growing number of games that examine the relationship between players and game stories which have been described as metafictional games by journalists and fans. In this presentation I examine Inscryption, a metafictional game that blends card game and puzzle elements, by building upon LeBlanc’s taxonomy of fun, which describes the different kinds of pleasure that players feel when they interact with games, as well as Costikyan’s discussion of that taxonomy. I claim that Inscryption is a metafictional game that engages with the notion of submission, or "games as pastime,” in which fun can be derived from submitting to a game’s rules and systems. Inscryption’s card game requires submitting to battles against difficult enemies and bosses, while the puzzle portions of the game require submitting to escape room and map exploration challenges that unlock more of the game’s world and backstory.
While the card and puzzle gameplay elements described above appear to be central to Inscryption, this gameplay loop is only a small part of the game's larger metafictional narrative about submission. Many of the game’s metafictional elements are expressed through content that is depicted as taking place “outside” of the core gameplay loop: between each of the game’s acts, the player can watch a series of increasingly disturbing video logs that are presented by a content creator known as The Lucky Carder. I suggest that these metafictional video log narratives address the relationship between players and games and question whether submitting to a game’s rules might be harmful. I also claim that Inscryption illustrates Costikyan’s notion that submission is an inherent part of all games. Overall, I argue that Inscryption functions as a metafictional experience that explores how concepts like submission operate at both a narrative and gameplay level.
Bio
Dr. Kenton Taylor Howard is a Lecturer in the Games and Interactive Media program at the University of Central Florida. His first academic book, The World of Fallout, was recently published through Routledge. He recently moderated a roundtable at the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts and gave a workshop alongside Dr. Daniel Cox at the Digital Games Research Association conference.