Comics, games and the space in-between.Terms and Definitions Apply : A Game Design Perspective

This thesis explores the fuzzy space where comics and games meet, looking with a gamedesigner's lens on the discussion surrounding the definition of comic games. This paper aimsto do two things, one is to impart some understanding when it comes to the academicdiscussion of comic games/game comics, secondly this paper seeks to add its own voice intosaid discussion. Using the methods of formal and thematic analysis, a list of six games wereanalysed to examine how they merge their comic characteristics with gameplay mechanics.While initially looking to list comic characteristics that could be effectively implemented intoa comic-game, this thesis concludes that it is not what is implemented, but rather how. Somegames were purely video games with a comic aesthetic, and some struggled providingmeaningful player agency. This thesis posits that if the comic components interact directlywith the game mechanics, the game can easily maintain its comic identity, its ‘comicness’,without sacrificing agency or interactivity, thus achieving a meaningful combination of thetwo mediums, without either aspect becoming redundant.