Crumpisms

Application of Propp's Morphology of Folklore...

To GAMES! MWAHAHAHA!

ahem.

Anyway.

Vladimir Propp's Morphology of folklore originally traced elements common to all Russian Fariy Tales. Propp argued that a cohesive fairy tale could be compiled from these elements, which he called functions. Any of these functions could be compiled into any order to create a Proppian Fairy Tale.

Propp also tried to establish the rules by which these functions, or morphemes as Murray calls them, are combined. He found that the morphemes came in related pairs. From Murray, we see some examples, such as the establishment of a misfortune/lack and its liquidation, the pursuit of the hero and his rescue, the introduction of a false hero and his exposure. The order of the elements in a story also seem to be constant, even if a particular version of a story might lack some of the elements. For instance, the hero's test always occurs after he leaves home, but before he acquires the magical agent.

Propp's analysis allows storytellers to weave complicated story sequences without becoming confused. Modern storytellers can use the same analysis and combinations to create multiform narratives or story based Role Playing Games.

One example is the Super Mario Brothers games. These games are all based on the kidnap function of Propp's morphology. We all know that Princess Toadstool (or peach, as she is later called) has been kidnapped by Bowser and must be rescued by Mario and Luigi. Mario and Luigi then go through trials and battles to find her and rescue her. While this is a great example of the use of Propp's Morphology in a game, the agency in this game isn't high, because it has a fixed ending. Either the player rescues Princess Toadstool, or he dies. That's it. There isn't much you can to change the outcome.

In text based, multiform story games, such as the much beloved ZORK, the Propp morphology is applied in what happens to the character. This exemplifies the rules of how the story progresses, more than the actual elements. In ZORK we don't know WHY we are solving puzzles and battling trolls and what ever else the poor character is put through, but we do know that it follows the rules Propp outlined. For instance, if we remember the infamous button room, there is a tool there that can be used to solve a puzzle. Here, agency is high, since there is a chance of losing the tool if you, say, pushed the blue button and flooded the room.

The best example of the application of Propp's Morphology is player based RPGs. In player based RPGs, such as D&D games or LARPing, both the application of Propp's Morphology and Functions. In these games, the DM or GM, depending on the platform, create an independent world and reason for the players to solve a problem, go on a quest, get in a battle, or just make plain fools of themselves. The product of these games is often a narrative story that, while somewhat erratic, is entertaining to both participate in and read.

By applying Propp's morphology, game writers can create complex and entertaining interactive narratives that involve the player because the player not only plays in the world, but affects it.

Posted by RachelCrump at March 22, 2004 02:05 PM