Cardboard semiotics: reconfigurable symbols as a means for narrative prototyping in game design

  • Authors:

  • Rudy McDaniel;Erik Henry Vick;Stephen Jacobs;Peter Telep

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Central Florida;Rochester Institute of Technology;Rochester Institute of Technology;University of Central Florida

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2009 ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Video Games
  • Year:
  • 2009

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Abstract

In this paper, we propose the technique of cardboard semiotics. We explain the importance of symbolic analysis as a tool for building narrative prototypes in videogames. Borrowing from the participatory design work in the early 1990s, we suggest a means for adapting and extending this work based on the implicit participation of gamers' immediate-level stories (i.e., the gameplay with narrative implications). Our paper first introduces the concept of semiotics and explains how cardboard semiotics can function as an applied technique within the domain of videogame design and development. Next, we propose a theoretical basis for our work using a simple three act narrative structure and explore some basic concepts from narrative game design. Finally, we conclude with some simple examples of how cardboard semiotics might function in a design environment.