Narrative Analysis of the Mortal Kombat Game

Learning Outcomes: The goal of this assignment is to get to you practice and develop your ability to critically analyze an individual videogame using the terms and concepts we have been reviewing in the first few weeks of the course. As game analysis, in its many forms (see below for more information) is standard practice for most game studies scholarship and videogame criticism, this assignment will provide a brief example of what students can expect if they are interested in publishing within either field. Alternatively, for those with no interest in publishing, this assignment is also intended to provide you with a toolset that you can use to critically analyze any games that you might play or want to create in the future.
Summary: For this assignment, you are required to write a short essay (approximately 750-1000 words) or record a short slide/video/audio presentation (approximately 7-10 minutes) responding to ONE of the following four prompts. Each of these prompts corresponds to the topics we will be reviewing in Weeks 2-5 and are meant to represent some of the most prevalent modes of game analysis within the field of game studies across its recent history.
OPTION #1 - Ludic/Games Formalist Analysis: Select and describe a ludic (playful) element from a videogame of your choosing that you find to be especially interesting, This could be its rules, win or loss conditions, gameplay mechanics, ranking or progression systems, or the social relationships between its players. Make an argument explaining why you think that your chosen ludic (playful) element is a defining aspect of your selected videogame and why understanding it is integral to understanding your selected videogame as a whole.
OPTION #2 - Textual/Narrative Analysis: Select and describe a narrative element of your selected videogame that you find to be especially interesting. This could be any aspect of the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the writing, or the dialogue. Make an argument explaining why you think that your chosen narrative element is a defining aspect of your selected videogame and why understanding it is integral to understanding your selected videogame as a whole.
OPTION #3 - Platform Studies/Game Production Studies/Software Studies: Select and describe a digital or machinic element from a videogame of your choosing that you find to be especially interesting. This could include (but is not limited to): its interface, the hardware required to run it, glitches you might experience while playing it, the engine or software used to create it, or its artificial intelligence systems. Make an argument explaining why you think that your chosen digital or machinic element is a defining aspect of your selected videogame and why understanding it is integral to understanding your selected videogame as a whole.
OPTION #4 - Art Historical/Aesthetic/Stylistic Analysis: Select and describe an aesthetic or artistic element from a videogame (or work of videogame art) of your choosing that you find to be especially interesting. This could include (but is not limited to): its visual/animation style, its music (or other elements of creative audio engineering), its creator’s critical intentions, any references it is making to other media, or its history within previous videogame art exhibitions. Make an argument explaining why you think that your chosen aesthetic or artistic element is a defining aspect of your selected videogame and why understanding it is integral to understanding your selected videogame as a whole.