Cut-scene, a Re-conceptualization of

Abstract

Cutscene is a pre-scripted sequence of event in videogame. It is triggered when the player reaches a certain part of the game. During the cutscene, the player cannot do anything aside from observing what is on the screen, or skipping the cutscene altogether. Cutscene is generally used to tell a story. In addition, there has not been much critical discussion about cutscene in the field of videogame studies. As a result, cutscene is conceived for its face value as a space-time of storytelling, removing the agency of play from the player by story-as-reward. The objective of this research paper is to re-conceptualize cutscene as a concept not limited to its being the opposite of play, and as a concept that makes possible the play aspect in videogame. The concept will be referred to as cut-scene. By studying how player plays around cut-scene in videogames, it can be seen that the non-play moment in cut-scene can maximize the play potential of the player. The study of the concept of combo in fighting game also show that cut-scene is not of narrative in the general sense only, but of attack animations of the characters also. The reason that combo has never been related to cutscene because the involved cutscenes are too short to be noticed as ones. Lastly, the study shows that the non-play elements of videogame, such as sound design, font style, interface, and so on, are what make videogame sensible and playable. Cut-scene, then, is not only a feature in videogame, but related to the unavoidable experience of non-play in videogame.