Signposting, Mise-en-Scene, and Environmental Storytelling: Understanding signposting as part of the embedded narrative in environmental storytelling

Abstract

This paper studies the embedded narrative of three open world games, Tom Clancy’s The Division, Fallout 4, and Deus Ex Mankind Divided, as part of the larger concept of environmental storytelling. The focus off this paper is to study signposting as part of the embedded narratives. In this paper signposting is understood as the visual clues that play a role in player navigation, orientation, and progression through the space and narrative of videogames. Video game spaces are considered a mise-en-scene where a developer builds a scene where all elements serve a purpose in conveying something to the player. Lighting as part of signposting plays a large role in this paper. The study of lighting as part of environmental storytelling combined with the focus on the functional purposes of signposting expands the academic debate on environmental storytelling. Two methodologies are used; the primary method is a textual analysis. This is preceded by data gathering using play as a method to identify relevant examples of signposting. Textual analysis relies on inductive reasoning to form general theories based on specific examples. This coincides with the goal of this paper, which is to study specific examples of signposting, then take a step back to induce general insights on how signposting plays a role in player navigation, narrative progression, and how they convey narrative information to the player. One of the generalized results of the textual analysis is a three part categorization consisting of directional, orientational, and contextual signposting. The context of appearance in the game world plays a large role in determining this. Signs are also semiotic in nature in many cases. Semiotic signposting can be indexical, building on existing relations, or symbolical, where they build new relations based on the history of the game world. The analysis also shows that signposting in open world games has three functions: playing a role in navigation, conveying embedded narrative information, and contributing to world-building. Additionally, it appears that signposting plays a large role in fostering narrative progression, and less in telling an actual story. In this sense it often plays a supporting role for narratives in games.