Abstract

Environmental storytelling is an interesting concept for games studies scholars because it unites both narratology and ludology, offering a solution to one of the most contentious arguments in the history of the discipline; one that pitted narrative against gameplay. Despite this, the term itself is not often used in games studies scholarship, even if related themes are being explored, which indicates that this concept and term are more entrenched in game design theory than games studies. I have used Smith and Worch’s characteristics of game environments and environmental storytelling to examine how these concepts function within BioShock Infinite. I have also expanded upon these definitions in order to propose that there are three different game environments within BioShock Infinite: the avatar’s physical environment, the avatar’s social environment, and the extradiegetic environment. This theoretical work as well as using game studies sources to support my work facilitates a shift in the discussion of environmental storytelling from game design and literature into game studies.