Video games have now entered a new stage in its method of consumptions and the amount of immersion they are able to give to the consumers (gamers). The myriad of game genres has expanded and branched into subgenres previously unseen and unheard of in the last one or two decade. The experience they are able to give to the audience is so complex beyond a simplified term of early games in the 20th century categorized as fun. Their functionality has gone beyond and akin to that of consuming works with higher artistic feat such as movies, theatres, and some even begin to touch upon the line of art. Under video game studies, a branch of cultural studies, these experiences can be detected by examining the games from their narratological perspective and ludological perspective. Under the gamification trend today, the two can no longer be segmented independently, rather, the experience both sides of the perspective are capable of giving is worth investigating to see if one dominates over the other or whether the integration is imminent in order to achieve the popularity and success garnered today. This will allow insight into the crafting of video games and will provide benefit to game designers to gain better success in their product.

Video Game, Game Design, Gamification, Narratology, Ludology, Aesthetics

• Aris Darisman, S.Sn., M.Ds.

• Andreas Jaka Pratama, B.A., M.Mus

• Iwan Setiawan, S.Sn., M.Sn.