THE CHARLOTTE CRISIS: EXPLORING INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING AND QUEER STUDIES THROUGH A NARRATIVE ROLE-PLAYING GAME

Abstract

While there is increasing research that investigates queer representation and queer mechanics in video games, little delves into queer video games in Singapore, much less specifically the depiction of transgender/gender diverse experiences. Over the course of 12 weeks, my team designed The Charlotte Crisis, a choice-based role-playing interactive fiction that explores being gender diverse in Singapore through the main character, a crossdresser. In this thesis paper, I will detail the design choices I made as the game artist and writer, including the theories I utilise and changes based on playtesting feedback. This paper will also address the reflections gleaned through the process of this project, and its impact on queer theory and game studies, including Freytag’s Pyramid, interactive architectures, and the masking effect. Finally, it also addresses the limitations of this study due to time constraints, and possible direction it can take in the future.