and derive from procedural systems inherent to games , rather than players . To this extent , video games condition players into making decisions optimal to a desired outcome . Systems such as the totems in Until Dawn , warning of potential dangers , necessitate that players discover the solution for their chosen narratives and consequently exist to be solved . Until Dawn as a film expects everyone ( with the exception of the final girl ) to die , but as a game it challenges the player to make choices ensuring the characters ’ survival . Occupying this almost hybridized space as an interactive slasher film , in which the narrative relies heavily on interactions with a multitude of horror genre tropes , Until Dawn reconsiders how it is that the introduction of choice and consequence unique to video games as a narrative and gameplay device affects how generic tropes can be manipulated , challenged , and even perpetuated . More importantly , it exemplifies the potential of gaming as a discursive form to not only comment on players , but also on the cinematic legacy of traditionally passive media .
Works Cited
Ameri , Amir H ., The Architecture of the Illusive Distance ( London : Routledge , 2016 )
Bennett , Gillian and Paul Smith , eds ., Contemporary Legend : A Reader ( New York , NY : Garland , 1996 )
Berenstein , Rhona J ., Attack of the Leading Ladies : Gender , Sexuality , and Spectatorship in Classic
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