Media and Communication Research

Media and Communication Research

Death as a Communicative Act in the Structure of Computer Games: An Analysis of Narrative, Agency, and Consequence in Interactive Narratives

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Ali Razizadeh
Assistant Professor, Department of Media Arts, Faculty of Religion and Media, IRIB University, Qom, Iran
10.22034/mcr.2025.508219.1074
Abstract
In computer games, death is not merely a mechanical or narrative event but possesses a multilayered functionality within the structure of narration, agency, and moral consequences. Problematizing the question of how death in computer games acquires meaning at the levels of narration, choice, and consequence design, this article analyzes the representation of death as a diegetic, structural, and signifying act.
The primary objective of the research is to explore the manner in which death is encoded in different game contexts and to explain its relationship with player agency and the choice-consequence structure in interactive narratives. Using a qualitative approach and the method of critical semiotics, the article analyzes a set of notable computer games as media texts. The findings indicate that death in these games not only has narrative functions such as a turning point, ending, or complication but also carries moral and semantic weight that is activated through the design of player choices and narrative consequences. In many games, death serves as a tool to emphasize player responsibility and to represent concepts such as guilt, sacrifice, or failure. Furthermore, genre diversity leads to differences in the patterns of death representation; for instance, in action-narrative games, death carries emotional weight, while in roguelikes, it embodies a cyclical structure and the meaning of recreation. This research aims to, by focusing on the game itself as a narrative-media text, provide a theoretical approach to death in games and facilitate a reconsideration of the semantic potentials of computer games.
Keywords
Computer Game Studies
Death
Interactive Narrations
Agency
Choice-Consequence Process
الام، کر. (1403 هـ.ش). نشانه‌شناسی تئاتر و درام. ترجمه: فرزان سجودی. چ 10. تهران: قطره.
خیامی، عبدالکریم؛ زهرا سلیمیان؛ و سیدمرتضی اسماعیلی‌طبا. (1402 هـ.ش). «بازی‌های ویدیویی: فرصت یا تهدید». پژوهش‌های رسانه و ارتباطات. دوره 1. ش 2. ص 215-248.
شریفی‌فرد، سیدعلی؛ و دیگران. (1402 هـ.ش). «بررسی و تحلیل بازی‌های دیجیتال ایرانی و خارجی؛ ایده‌پردازی جهت طراحی، بومی‌سازی و ارتقای کیفیت بازی‌های ایرانی». مطالعات رسانه‌های نوین. دوره 9. ش 34. ص 317-279.
طاهری، صدرالدین؛ و احمد مصطفوی. (1399 هت.ش). «گونه‌شناسی بن‌مایه‌های دیداری و شنیداری در رسانۀ بازی دیجیتال». فصلنامه علمی رسانه. دوره 31. ش 1. ص 123-146.
فیلد، سید. (1400 هـ.ش). چگونه فیلمنامه بنویسیم. ترجمه: عباس اکبری. ویراست سوم مؤلف. تهران: نیلوفر.
گودرزی، فرشاد؛ رضا کاوند؛ و اسماعیل شریفی. (1402 هـ.ش). «بازی‌های رایانه‌ای و کاربست‌های ترویج اسلام‌هراسی؛ بررسی نشانه‌شناختی». پژوهش‌های رسانه و ارتباطات. دوره 1. ش 1. ص 209-242.
Barthes, R. (1977). Image, Music, Text. Translated by S. Heath. Hill and Wang.
BioWare. (2010). Mass Effect 2 [Video game]. Electronic Arts.
Bogost, I. (2007). Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videogames. The MIT Press.
Capcom. (1996). Resident Evil [Video game]. Capcom.
CD Projekt Red. (2015). The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt [Video game]. CD Projekt.
Cogburn, J., & Silcox, M. (2008). Philosophy through Video Games. Routledge.
Dontnod Entertainment. (2015). Life is Strange [Video game]. Square Enix.
EA Redwood Shores. (2008). Dead Space [Video game]. Electronic Arts.
Eco, U. (1979). The Role of the Reader: Explorations in the Semiotics of Texts. Indiana University Press.
Elam, K. (2023). The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama. Translated by Farzān Suǧūdī, Qatre. Ghatreh. [in Persian]
Field, S. (2021). Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting. Translated by A. Akbari. Niloofar. [in Persian]
FromSoftware. (2011). Dark Souls [Video game]. Namco Bandai Games.
Goudarzi, F., Kavan, R. & Sharifi, E. (2023). Computer Games and Applications Promoting Islamophobia; A Semiotic Study. Media and Communication Research, 1(1), 209-242. doi:10.22034/mcr.2023.181956 [in Persian]
Habermas, J. (1984). The Theory of Communicative Action: Reason and the Rationalization of Society. Translated by T. McCarthy. Beacon Press.
Infinity Ward. (2019). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare [Video game]. Activision.
Juul, J. (2013). The Art of Failure: An Essay on the Pain of Playing Video Games. The MIT Press.
Khayami, A., Salimian, Z. & EsmailiTaba, M. (2024). Video Games: Opportunity or Threat. Media and Communication Research, 1(2), 215-248. doi:10.22034/mcr.2024.412204.1042 [in Persian]
Mojang Studios. (2011). Minecraft [Video game]. Mojang.
Murray, J. H. (2017). Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. Updated Edition. The MIT Press.
Naughty Dog. (2020). The Last of Us Pat II [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.
Nintendo EPD. (2017). The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Video game]. Nintendo.
Quantic Dream. (2009). Heavy Rain [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.
Rockstar Games. (2018). Red Dead Redemption 2 [Video game]. Rockstar Games.
Ryan, M.-L. (2015). Narrative as Virtual Reality 2: Revisiting Immersion and Interactivity in Literature and Electronic Media. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. The MIT Press.
Schulzke, M. (2014). Simulating Philosophy: Interpreting Video Games as Executable Thought Experiments. Philosophy & Technology, 27(2), 251–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-013-0102-2
Sharifi Fard, S. A., Ahmadpanah, M., Ghotbi, S. A. Y Ghebleverdi, H. (2023). Review and Anlysis of Iranian and Foreign Digital games; Ideation for Designing, Localizing and Promotion the Quality of Iranian Games. New Media Studies, 9(34), 317-279. doi:10.22054/nms.2022.65004.1319 [in Persian]
Supergiant Games. (2018). Hades [Video game]. Supergiant Games.
Taheri, S. & Mostafavi, A. (2020). Typology of Audio-Visual Themes on Digital Game Media. Rasaneh, 31(1), 123-146. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.10227180.1399.31.1.6.0 [in Persian]
Thatgamecompany. (2012). Journey [Video game]. Sony Computer Entertainment.
Yager Development. (2012). Spec Ops: The Line [Video game]. 2K Games.