Narrative Potentials of Game Sceneries
An analysis of the games “Far: Lone Sails” and “Far: Changing Tides”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5752/P.2237-9967.2026v15e36874Keywords:
Communication, Game Studies, Game Analysis, Game SceneriesAbstract
This research aims to analyze how digital game sceneries can fulfill the role of narrative tools, using Fernández-Vara's (2015) building block analysis methodology. Focusing on the games Far: Lone Sails (2018) and Far: Changing Tides (2022), the relationships between scenario, narrative, and communication were investigated from a game studies perspective. The results indicate that sceneries are central to narrative construction in both games, replacing elements such as dialogues and cutscenes by conveying conflicts, objectives, and narrative structure through visual and interactive elements.
Downloads
References
AARSETH, Espen. A narrative theory of games. In: FDG '12, 7., 2012, Raleigh. Proceedings [...] Raleigh: FDG, 2012. p. 129-133.
ABATH, Daniel; CARVALHO, Nadja. O social no singleplayer: marcas do cotidiano no espaço de games de ação. João Pessoa: Editora UFPB, 2013.
ATKINS, Barry. More Than a Game: The computer game as fictional form. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003.
BRACIKOWSKA, Natalia Anna. Environmental Storytelling: the liminal space between embedded and emergent narrative. Currents: A Journal of Young English Philology Thought and Review, Torun, v. 6, n. 1, p. 163-180, 2020. Disponível em: <https://www.currents.umk.pl/issue6.html>. Acesso em 10 nov. 2025.
DOMSCH, Sebastian. Space and Narrative in Computer Games. In: AARSETH, Espen; GÜNZEL, Stephan. Ludotopia: Spaces, Places and Territories in Computer Games. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2019. p. 103-123.
DOVEY, Jon; KENNEDY, Helen. Game Cultures: Computer games as new media. New York: Open University Press, 2006.
FERNÁNDEZ-VARA, Clara. Game Spaces Speak Volumes: Indexical Storytelling. In: DIGRA 2011: Think Design Play, 6, 2011. Proceedings [...]. Utrecht: DiGRA, 2011. v. 6. Disponível em: < https://dl.digra.org/index.php/dl/article/view/512>. Acesso em 10 nov. 2025.
FERNÁNDEZ-VARA, Clara. Introduction to Game Analysis. New York: Routledge, 2015.
HUIZINGA, Joahn. Homo Ludens. 9. ed. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 2019.
JENKINS, Henry. Game design as narrative architecture. In: WARDRIP-FRUIN, Noah; HARRIGAN, Pat (org.). First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2004. p. 118-130.
MURRAY, Janet. Hamlet on the Holodeck: The future of narrative in cyberspace. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1997.
SALEN, Katie; ZIMMERMAN, Eric. Regras do Jogo: Fundamentos do Design de Jogos. São Paulo: Blucher, 2012.
WARK, McKenzie. Gamer Theory. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2007.
WOLF, Mark. The Medium of the Video Game. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2001.
Ludografia
Far: Lone Sails. Zurique: Okomotive AG, 2018. 1 jogo eletrônico.
Far: Changing Tides. Zurique: Okomotive AG, 2022. 1 jogo eletrônico.
Journey. San Mateo: Sony Computer Entertainment, 2012. 1 jogo eletrônico.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Giovanni Pasquali Piovesan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The copyright of articles published in Dispositiva belongs to the author(s) of the text, based on the rules of Editora PUC Minas. The journal has the right to first publication of the article, registered under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 sharing license. The license allows the text to be shared and adapted, always with attribution, without additional restrictions. Authors are requested to sign a declaration stating the authorship, originality, and novelty of the text during submission, according to the terms below:
- By submitting to Dispositiva, authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, with the work being published under a Creative Commons license in the form of attribution, non-commercial use, and sharing under the same license (CC BY 4.0).
- When submitting to Dispositiva, authors are authorized to enter into additional contracts separately for the non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (e.g., publishing in an institutional repository or as a book chapter), with acknowledgment of authorship and mention of the initial publication in this journal.
.png)





Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
Podcast Dispositivo
Blog Correio da Dispositiva
Google Scholar
Academia.edu
