Xiran Chen

This project is a study of narrative serious games focusing on death, loss and the construction of meaning. Death and loss are not only accompanied by grief, but also involve how people remember the deceased, understand their relationships with one another, and rethink the significance of these experiences in their lives. Digital games allow players to actively engage with the story through exploration and interaction, thereby offering a different way to engage with and reflect on the theme of death.

The research is based on Meaning Reconstruction Theory and related studies on the construction of meaning in bereavement, translating these theories into specific narrative and interactive designs such as character stories, telephone conversations, information investigations, and changes to memorials and environments. In the game, a storm destroys the cemetery’s archives and gravestones; players must investigate fragmented records, locate contacts, make telephone calls and organise information to gradually uncover the lives, relationships and memories of various deceased individuals, and help restore their records.

Through game prototypes and player testing, this project further explores how, whilst experiencing these stories, players develop an understanding of the deceased and their relationships, make associations with their own memories, and rethink concepts of loss, memory and commemoration.