Misha: Guilt as a core narrative design element in a Visual Novel

Sammanfattning

This study investigates how guilt can be expressed as a core narrative design element within constrained gameplay environments, focusing on the visual novel form. Using a research-through-design approach, a playable prototype (Misha) was developed and iteratively refined through playtesting. Data was collected through observation and semi-structured interviews and analysed using inductive thematic analysis to examine how players interpret the expression of guilt within the game’s narrative. Misha specifically explores a type of guilt that emerges when individuals reflect on how their behaviour has harmed another. The findings identify three key narrative design mechanisms. The first mechanism, attachment before loss, establishes emotional investment through repeated acts of care and domestic routine, positioning the player within a caretaker role before a disruptive event that gives rise to guilt occurs. The second, recognisable but constrained responsibility, allows an ordinary action to become morally significant only after its consequence is revealed. The third, persistent post-event disruption of ordinary interaction, reuses familiar routines as blocked or repetitive actions, allowing guilt to be expressed as a sustained lived state rather than a singular tragic event. The study is limited by a small sample size and reliance on player interpretation. Future research could explore how perceived preventability influences guilt attribution, test the framework across different emotional themes, examine its applicability in other constrained formats, and refine distinctions between guilt, grief and trauma.