In a study of the application of storytelling to adoptive family bonding, sensemaking, and cultural adjustment, I selected 12 world folktales for adoptive families to use as oral storytelling activities. I designed and facilitated a workshop for 7 adoptive families focusing on how to select, to learn, and to tell stories as well as how to play story-based games with their children. Each adult told 1 of the 12 folktales, played 1 or 2 of 37 games (12 traditional games, 25 storybased games), and shared reactions and interactions of family members. Using the term “story talk” to describe conversational byplay following the storytelling experiences, family members’ responses to interview questions were coded to interpret levels of sensemaking, attachment, and cultural adjustment through the storytelling process. The parents also described the levels at which their chosen folktale helped adoptees to understand cultural and personal identity within the modern-day adoption process.

Spoilers are in everyday life often seen as something to be strictly avoided. Nonetheless, earlier studies researching short stories found that spoilers can enhance the enjoyment of a story, rather than destroying it. At the same time, there are studies that have reached opposite results, but the placement and style of the spoiler may affect how it is received. When it comes to games there are no, or only a few, studies on the subject. When unspoiled, players generally choose non-aggressive options, but they are also strongly influenced by what role the character they play has in the narrative. The spoiler can upset this. By knowing what may happen players act differently, as well as thinking about the story in other ways than unspoiled players do. / <p>Artefakten gjordes tillsammans med Siri Åhman som skrev arbetet <em>Wait I'm Him Now - Identification and Choice in Games with More Than One Protagonist. </em>Åhman ändrade dock mycket i artefaktens uppbyggnad för att få den att passa hennes frågeställning bättre.</p>

The Japanese role-playing games attract players worldwide. Though, this is not necessarily due to a fascination with Japanese culture. While considering recent research on video games in Japanese Studies, especially the monograph by Rachael Hutchinson, this thesis puts an emphasis on Game Studies, as represented by Espen Aarseth. Accordingly, it asks whether the attraction of Japanese video games is primarily due to their game ‘play’, or their stories and narrated themes. In Game Studies this issue is known as the controversy between ‘ludologists’ and ‘narratologists’. Taking Atelier Shallie (2014–2020) as its main example, this study studies the different experiences provided by the ludic (gameplay) and the scripted parts (cutscenes). Ultimately it arrives at the conclusion that the combined theory of Ludonarratology has the greatest potential to account for all narrative factors in a video game such as Atelier Shallie. This includes possibilities for future interdisciplinary research. / この論文では、Espen Aarseth（エスペン・アーセス）に代表されるように、ゲーム研究に重点を置いています。 したがって、日本のビデオゲームの魅力は、主にゲームの「遊び」によるものなのか、それとも物語やナレーション付きのテーマによるものなのかを調べていきます。 ゲーム研究では、この問題は「ludologists」、所謂ゲームを研究する者、と「narratologists」、所謂ストーリを研究する者、の間の論争として知られています。例としてシャリーのアトリエ（2014〜2020年）を取り上げ、この論文はゲームプレイとストーリによって提供されるさまざまな体験を研究していきます。 最終的には、Ludonarratologyという結合理論がシャリーのアトリエを始めとする様々なのビデオゲームのすべてのナラティブを分析し説明を可能とする重要なツールであることだという結論に達します。これには、将来の学際的研究の可能性も含まれます。 / De Japanska rollspelen, också kända som JRPG (Japanese Role-playing Games), tilltalar konsumenter över hela världen. Dock så begrundar det sig inte nödvändigtvis på ett övergripande intresse för Japansk kultur. Med inspiration av ny forskning inom Japanologi som på senare tid har studerat sagor och berättelser inom datorspel, med synnerlig åtanke på monografin av Rachael Hutchinson, så fokuserar den här studien på Spelstudier (i.e. Game Studies), på så vis som Espen Aarseth förespråkar det. Således ställs frågan över hur narrativ inom Japanska datorspel uttrycks i de berättelser som berättas av spelmediet, och hur själva spelandet, alltså “gameplay”, förhåller sig. I spelstudier så kännetecknas debatten för dessa två synsätt av disciplinerna ‘ludologi’, som främst studerar spelande, och ‘narratologi’, som studerar författade berättelser inom spel. Med Atelier Shallie (2014–2020) som exempel så utforskar den här studien de olika erfarenheterna som ludik, alltså spelande och interaktivitet, samt de författade delarna, alltså textrutor och filmsnuttar (i.e. cutscenes), kan bidra med på tu man hand, och tillsammans. Slutsatsen är att den kombinerade teorin som kallas för Ludonarratologi möjliggör noggrannare studier av narrativ och berättande i datorspel.

This thesis explores the diverse and intricate ways the psychological horror game genre can characterise a narrative by blurring the boundaries of reality and imagination in favour of storytelling. By utilising the Freudian uncanny, four video game fictions are dissected and analysed to perceive whether horror needs a narrative to be engaging and pleasurable. A discussion will also be made if video game fictions should be considered in the literary field or its own, and how it compares to written fiction in terms of interactivity, engagement, and immersion.