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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emberashh" data-source="post: 9031287" data-attributes="member: 7040941">Something I think gets missed about simulations is that, when they're done well, narratives can arise emergently.In the video game world, DayZ has no imposed narrative to speak of other than what "lore" can be gleamed from the world map. But, that doesn't stop stories from being possible. And in fact, so able is DayZ at providing for this that the stories I can tell about my experiences in it are some of my favorites to recount, and much unlike any typical gaming war story, recounting an experience in DayZ is enhanced by the abstract simulation of real life, which provides a critical context to the story. For instance, if I recall that one time in Battlefield when I almost got sniped, theres not really a story there. But if I recall a night in DayZ, I can talk about how I decided to travel through the western forest in the dead of the night, only to be beset not just by sudden hunger, but a heavy thunderstorm, making my trek through the forest a matter of navigating practically pitch black darkness. But fortunately, I had recently acquired some NVGs from a shootout I had on the southern coast, so despite the elements I could see pretty well.Now hunger in DayZ isn't that devastating, but when you're freezing cold you use up more energy, so it was important that I find food asap, and lo and behold despite the weather I stumbled upon some deer, and for whatever reason i got it into my head that I was going to try and sneak up on a buck and stab it with a knife rather than just take it down with my rifle.So for the next 10 minutes or so I crawled on my belly trying to sneak up on the deer, and when I eventually got up to it I was ecstatic as I managed to not spook it. But as soon as I raised my knife, a loud familar CRACK pierced the air and the buck fell dead. Somebody had sniped the deer and I was left just standing there with a knife, in pitch black darkness, with no way to know where the shot came from or if they could even see me. But fortunately I hauled ass out of that clearing, and no other bullets seemed to follow me. However, come morning when the rain cleared, I heard a shootout ring out somewhere close in the forest, so before I logged for the night, I took my rifle and emptied a mag in that general direction. Probably didn't hit anything, but guaranteed whoever lived was as spooked as I was. You can't tell that kind of story and have it have the same oomph without the context that this was a survival shooter, and likewise, while an imposed story could be well done, an emergent story has a quality you can't really manufacture, even if parts of your story are emergent. Like, most people will love recounting the dice inducing some wack situation, but often times the context that you were playing Curse of Strahd or Kingmaker or Sailors on the Starless Sea is basically immaterial.</blockquote>

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