Video game structural layers for narrative design and articulation

Video Games are composites of interlocking structures that collectively create meaning for the player to investigate and act upon. The most apparent form of meaning for the player is the narrative story or context. However, the narrative in a video game is structured and contextualized itself by the inherent form of the video game. This range of meaning making tools in the medium is both daunting and exciting. To understand the application of narrative better, designers, critics and academics need to be able to distinguish and understand the high-level structural layers that affect and support it. This paper offers a focused review of the relevant literature, explanations of key terms and diagrams and an illustration demonstrating the relationships of these structural layers.