There has been an increase in the production of queer narratives through various forms of digital storytelling, including online games, virtual reality experiences, interactive fiction, and digital comics. These works often challenge traditional notions of linearity, authorship, and narrative closure by incorporating elements of play, interactivity, and nonlinearity that encourage readers to explore different perspectives and interpretations.
Many interactive stories allow users to make choices that affect the course of the narrative, subverting the idea of a single, predetermined path or endpoint. This approach can be seen in works such as "Snow Angel" by Porpentine Charity Heartscape, which explores themes of trauma and mental health through a series of puzzles and encounters that offer multiple paths for the player to navigate. Similarly, "Her Story," an online game created by Sam Barlow, presents players with snippets of video footage from police interviews with women who may have witnessed a crime, allowing users to search for clues and piece together their own version of events.
Queer narratives often challenge traditional notions of authorship by experimenting with collective creation and collaboration.
The transmedia project "The Witch Who Came In From The Cold" was written collaboratively by a team of writers, artists, and programmers, each contributing their unique perspective and expertise to create a complex and multilayered storyworld.
Many queer creators are using crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter to finance their projects, which allows them to engage directly with fans and involve them in the creative process.
Queer digital storytelling also challenges the concept of narrative closure by inviting readers to question and redefine what constitutes a satisfying ending. Many works in this genre eschew conventional resolutions in favor of open-endedness or ambiguity, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own experiences and interpretations.
"A Mortal Heart" by Caroline S. Hwang is a visual novel about the relationship between two characters struggling with grief and loss. While there is no definitive conclusion to the story, it offers a range of possible outcomes that allow readers to explore different ways of coping with trauma. In sum, queer digital storytelling continues to push boundaries and subvert traditional forms of storytelling by exploring new modes of expression, collective creation, and nonlinear narratives. By doing so, these works offer fresh perspectives on identity, community, and intimacy while challenging our assumptions about the nature of story itself.
How do queer narratives in digital storytelling challenge traditional notions of linearity, authorship, and narrative closure?
Queer narratives in digital storytelling challenge traditional notions of linearity, authorship, and narrative closure by breaking away from heteronormative structures and allowing for more fluid explorations of identity and relationships. Instead of relying on simple cause and effect sequences, these stories often incorporate multiple layers of meaning and interpretations, blurring the lines between protagonists and antagonists and defying easy categorization.