ABSTRACT
Computer and video games are both hailed and admonished for their influence on the ideological constructs of players, but our understandings of the ways narrative functions through these game experiences are still evolving. Literature plays a central role in developing narrative imagination, but the (w)/reading taking place for many people in modern society may very well be the application of new media literacy/electracy onto cultural artifacts or texts, including interactive digital games. The primary difference between traditional literature and computer games as literature is player/reader agency. Descriptions of narrative algorithms in games are distinct from ludology. Players describe interactive media experiences and their use of games as well as their reactions to narrative elements during game play in specific ways. Narrative diversity influences programming potentials for player input and character choice. Ergodic ontogeny, resultant self-identification and ideological leanings, is supported by various disciplines that explore the influence of technology on the self.
