Field Notes (5): Visual Novels
Visual Novels
Field Notes: Highlights digital tools, articles, books, and resources for historiographical video game design and production.
Visual novels developed from early Japanese adventure games and erotic bishōjo games of the 1980s. They combine textual narratives with static or animated illustrations and varying degrees of interactivity. Characterized by minimal gameplay, these works place a strong emphasis on prose and cover various genres and themes. They often feature branching storylines with multiple endings based on player choices. Typically distributed digitally, visual novels are accessible on various platforms such as PCs, consoles, and mobile devices (Stegner, 2021).
Interactive Storytelling
Visual novels’ branching paths and multiple endings encourage players to engage deeply with themes and dilemmas, making this interactive approach effective in educational settings. When developed to complement traditional teaching methods, they can offer an immersive and participatory learning experience, allowing students to explore historical events, cultural contexts, and ethical issues in a nuanced manner. The interactivity of visual novels fosters critical thinking and empathy by placing students in decision-making roles where they must consider the consequences of their actions.
Epoch: History Games Initiative
Projects like ‘Epoch: History Games Initiative’ (HGI) at the University of Texas at Austin show how visual novels can be used in educational settings. Directed by Adam Clulow, the HGI aims to generate a pipeline of historically based video games for high schools, community colleges, and universities, integrating educational content with engaging interactive narratives.
By creating historically accurate and freely available visual novels for classroom use, this initiative demonstrates the genre's potential as tools for history education, providing a dynamic complement to textbooks and lectures. The interactive nature of visual novels allows for personalized learning experiences where students can explore multiple perspectives and outcomes (Addone et al., 2020).
Recent HGI publications include:
Ako: A Test of Loyalty: Set in Japan in 1701, this visual novel requires players to choose between family and honor, delving into the story of the 47 ronin, one of the most famous and controversial episodes in Japanese history. The game is developed by Alex Aragon, Ashley Gelato, Michael Rader, and Izellah Wang.
The Pazzi Conspiracy: This game puts players as servants in the Medici family palace in 1478. Players engage with key figures in Florence and learn about the Medici's patronage network, which was used to maintain political power. Haley Price developed the game.
Reacting to Revolutionary Russia: Designed to educate students about Russian literary and revolutionary figures in 1877, this game provides an immersive educational experience concerning a pivotal historical period.
Concluding Thoughts
Visual novels are a useful medium for engaging with historical narratives, merging the strengths of literature and digital interactivity and offering new avenues for exploring and understanding the past. Advances in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), like the recently launched Whenere project, are likely to radically impact how people interact with the past, imaginary and other.
References
Addone, A., De Donato, R., Palmieri, G., Pellegrino, M. A., Petta, A., Scarano, V., & Serra, L. (2020). Visual Storytelling by Novelette. Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Visualization. URL: Visual Storytelling by Novelette
Stegner, B. (2021, August 6). What Is a Visual Novel Video Game? MUO. URL: What Is a Visual Novel Video Game?
Kretzschmar, M., & Raffel, S. (2023). The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels. URL: The History and Allure of Interactive Visual Novels
Postscript: JapanLab at UT Austin
Adam Clulow, alongside Kirsten Cather and Mark Ravina, also co-created JapanLab at the University of Texas at Austin. JapanLab aims to develop a new template for Japanese Studies by integrating Digital Humanities across all aspects of the curriculum, further enriching the educational experience through innovative methods.
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