For this assignment, I chose the game Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the playstation2 edition. It is a game based on the first three Pirates of the Caribbian movies where the player goes through different levels (or adventures) and plays different character roles depending on where they are in the tale. The game has an overarching story (arc), and the players’ goal is to reach the end of that. The game also has many cutscenes, which add to its arcs.
Yet, the game also has many loops in its architecture. This is evident in the multiple instances of ship battles, treasure hunts, and betrayals, and so these loops -repeated in a medium frequency- allow for non-linear storytelling. Also, there are many quests where players are first trained on a particular skill, and then once they are good enough, they proceed on the arc using that skill. The story also has many smaller narratives (arcs) like finding out who plotted a coup or going on side quests.
I think the game has a good balance in regard to its patterns, which fosters wisdom and skills, yet allows for a narrative and closure.
