Story mode : a narrative framework analysis of downloadable content in video games

Video games are the newest and fastest-growing visual mediums today. Their creation has led to new concepts of storytelling and put the audience at the heart of the action by allowing them to have control of their character’s actions. The development of downloadable content, colloquially known as DLC, can further the narrative and character arcs of each main title game. Recent years have shown, however, that game developers have forgone innovation in their DLC in favor of surface-level additions to games, much to gamers frustration. In this paper, I break down the various types of DLC used in the video game industry and highlight the importance of my selfdefined Lore-Progressive DLC. Through the analysis of the games The Last of Us (2013), BioShock 2 (2010) and Fallot 4 (2015) – as well as their respective DLC’s Left Behind (2014), Minerva’s Den (2010) and Far Harbor (2016) – I use narrative framework analysis to explain how DLC can be used to enhance a main title’s narrative and game world.