Narrativas em confluência: literatura e videogames

Abstract

The exchange of stories, themes and structural elements between different works or different media is something that dates back to antiquity and that has been following the development of culture throughout human history. The interaction of literary works with other means of expression most of all. In the closing decades of the 20th century and the early 21st century, videogames have established themselves as a new, wide-reaching and relevant art form, capable of instigating the imagination, of expanding markets and telling stories differently, due to their intrinsically interactive nature. In spite of the fundamental differences in their narrative structures and in the way they interact with their target audience (readers or players), literature and videogames have been demonstrating ever greater interaction with one another, and not only in the guise of direct adaptations. Utilizing concepts and theories of comparative literature, intermediality and narratology, this thesis compares works of literature with videogames originated from them, as well as videogames with works of literature originated from them. Different ways of intersection between the two media are examined, as well as how the various elements in the creation of a narrative are expressed and built upon in both.