가능세계이론을 통해 본 디지털 게임의 장르 구분 시론

초록

This study sought to explore new possibilities for digital game genre classification through Possible Worlds Theory. The Textual Actual World (TAW) of a digital game is a world presented to the player by the creator; however, this world does not belong solely to the creator. The TAW acquires meaning only when the player performs within the world constructed by the creator. Therefore, while the digital game’s TAW is evidently implemented by the creator, the ontological stability of this implemented world varies depending on the player’s performance, allowing the TAW to be reconstructed. In other words, the ontological stability of the TAW differs according to the degree of freedom the player possesses to generate worlds within the boundaries set by the creator. The TAW exhibits high stability when a world of restricted possibility unfolds. In linear game narratives, where endings are fixed, players can only explore limited possibilities. A representative example of a TAW with high branching possibility is the story mode of RPGs. Conversely, the lowest stability is found in games with high emergent possibility, such as sandbox games or MMORPGs. In these cases, the creator provides only minimal rules or constraints, leaving the construction of the TAW entirely to the players. Digital games exhibit contrasting aspects of narrativity and ludology depending on the modal constraints of possible worlds; this distinction can serve as a criterion for genre classification. When the ontological stability of the TAW—fully controlled by the sender (creator)—is high, modal constraints apply only to the Knowledge-world and Obligation-world, While the Intention-world and Wish-world are ignored. Since the character, serving as both a narrative figure and the player’s avatar, must follow a fixed narrative, the gameplay is subordinate to the story. Ironically, the narrativity created by the player is negligible, and ludology is emphasized, akin to solving a quiz or fitting puzzle pieces together. Most digital games that require following a set story emphasize ludology under these modal constraints. However, in the opposite case—where the ontological stability of the TAW presented by the sender (author) is low—player intervention increases. Here, the modal constraints on the epistemic, intentional, and boulomaic worlds (excluding the deontic world) are weakened, resulting in an increase in the game’s narrativity.

키워드