There are many games where you are challenged to make difficult decisions and some of those put you in situations without power, where the kindest thing to do is to lie. Of course, real life isn't neat and tidy like that. Video games often place you in positions of power, saving the world, righting the wrongs and bringing justice.

What is broken in the space the game creates, and how/if it can be fixed. How other characters (and the world itself sometimes) reacts to your presence. The way that levers and buttons interact. Half caught sentences from passing characters. The narrative of video games is not usually told (like in books) or shown (like in films) but overheard. Less obviously, games can also communicate narrative through how they Simulate the world, what needs solving in Puzzles or even the Strategies players need to employ. Games can use Adventure, Action and Role-Playing to communicate elements of story to players. The best examples intertwine gameplay and storytelling, rather than interspersing short films ('Cut Scenes) between levels.

Learning from the power of books and films, these games string together interactions not for excitement or competition but for storytelling beats. Narrative video games focus on telling a story about characters, worlds and themes. In this entry we are looking at Narrative games. This is designed for people new to gaming, and aims to identify games with the least barriers. In this series, we are learning how different aspects of video games work by playing games that offer an easy introduction to this one concept.

Oxenfree game scavenger hunt