Mickey Mouse Magic with Interactivity and Immersion: A Case Study of Kingdom Hearts

Video games are increasingly an object of American cultural consumption (Strehovec 200) even as their content has been the subject of extreme cultural consternation (Hoppenstand 183). Sevent !ei"ht percent of #.S. households pla video "ames re"ularl and video "ames have "arnered a rapidl expandin" a"e ran"e amon" $mericans %ho pla ever thin" from Angry Birds to Words with Friends to Call of Duty (&ntertainment Soft%are $ssociation). 'n some %a s( the commercial and critical success of the Kingdom Hearts video "ame franchise could be attributed to the combination of the near ubi)uit of the video "ame (*achelor 2+,) and the near!universal nostal"ia for -isne (./he $udience in the 0ilderness12 .-isne land and 0alt -isne 0orld1). 'n part( -isne 3s success emer"es from the traditional $merican values of pioneerism and small!to%n pastoralism. 4et nostal"ia lar"el blurs the realit of the frontier and the small!to%n life. 5ost $mericans have never lived in these places6their experience of them is mediated b -isne (/he $udience in the 0ilderness2 7ohnson). $nd et( -isne itself( as a staple of childhood( similarl becomes an object of nostal"ia that can then be capitali8ed b a %ide audience that includes not just children( but teens and adults throu"h Kingdom Hearts (7ohnson2 9ins: ). Kingdom Hearts came about as a result of a joint project bet%een S)uaresoft( no% S)uare!&nix( and -isne 'nteractive $rts. /he t%o or"ani8ations share a buildin" in

2 7apan. /he idea for the "ame ori"inated %hen S)uaresoft producer Shinji Hashimoto met %ith a -isne executive in an elevator (;anta at). /he project too: more than 100 emplo ees from both S)uare and -isne (<=in"dom Hearts >ompan ?ine<). /he si"nificance of the collaboration bet%een these t%o companies6and the combination of their respective intellectual properties6cannot be overstated. *oth -isne and @inal @antas have historicall achieved enormous "lobal success in their respective realms6 -isne %ith children3s movies and amusement par:s and Final Fantasy %ith children and adolescent video "ame pla ers. /his venture represented a fora for S)uare into mainstream( "lobal childhood culture and for -isne into the %orld of video "ames. /he t%o distinct texts create a series of familiar spaces in %hich "amers have less barrier to immersive pla ( in that the reco"ni8e the characters and the stories( but have never had the opportunit to experience them. Kingdom Hearts is a classic stor ( rich %ith intertextualit . /he pla er enters the %orld of Sora( a teena"e bo . $lon" the %a ( he encounters $lice of Alice in Wonderland( /ar8an( the heroes of the Final Fantasy role!pla in" "ame series and even 5ic:e 5ouse. /he rich narrative intertextualit of the role!pla in" "ame Kingdom Hearts helps brin" to"ether t%o theories often at odds in video "ame studiesA immersion and interactivit . 0hile the nature of the "ame ma:es it more immersive( man of the factors that ma:e the "ame more immersive also enhance its interactivit . /his paper examinea the narrative structure of this "ame to determine %hat ma:es Kingdom Hearts uni)ue in terms of ho% the theories of interactivit ( immersion and intertextualit appl . /his case stud also conducts a visual anal sis of the openin" se)uence of the "ame in order to parse out the interrelations and non!relations of

3 interactivit and immersion. *ut first( it %ould be useful to set the "ame in the context of its "enre and set this research in the context of prior video "ame literature. @e% "ames on the mar:et operate %ith the de"ree of intertextualit as Kingdom Hearts( fe% "ames on the mar:et achieve its financial and commercial success( and no other "ame connects the po%erhouse that is Disney %ith a mainstream role!pla in" "ame compan . @or these reasons( Kingdom Hearts ma:es an ideal subject for anal sis.

Kingdom Hearts is a role!pla in" "ame or B9;( as the "enre is commonl :no%n. 'n the di"ital medium( a role!pla in" "ame usuall involves the use of one or more pla able avatars %ho travel throu"h a hi"hl !developed fictional %orld. 'n terms of narrative "enre( a majorit of role!pla in" "ames are fantas and science fiction stories. Stor lines are t picall linear( there are often bonuses for pla ers %ho ma:e decisions the characters %ould li:el ma:e in the narrative and conse)uences for those %ho do not. /he avatar3s effectiveness in performin" certain actions is often based on in!"ame statistics and influenced b findin" certain items( achievin" certain "oals( or "ainin" battle experience in the "ame (<B9; @anA /he -efinition of a Bole!9la in" ;ameC<). Bole!pla in" "ames rel heavil on narrative and thus lend themselves to%ard immersive pla (?ancaster ++). /he also emphasi8e (1) fantas or science!fiction "enres and (2) statistics that pla an important role on a character3s abilities (/resca2 *abovic). Kingdom Hearts is an achievement more than 20 ears into the life of the console!based role pla in" "ames. 0hat started in 1D82 %ith Dragonstomper for the $tari 2E00 "amin" console no% includes thousands of titles (@ielder). Consumption and Popular Culture

, 0hile video "ames are often examined from a mass media perspective ($nderson2 *o"ost2 7uul2 Beha:)( considerin" the consumption of Kingdom Hearts from a popular culture perspective allo%s for a robust anal sis of the theories of immersion( and interactivit in considerin" the relationship most inte"ral to those theories6the relationship bet%een the pla er and the "ame3s persona for the pla er. Popular culture is what happens to the materials of mass culture when they get into the hands of consumers (Convergence Culture 136). And at their core, both immersion and interactivity are concerned with the consumption of a media product. /hrou"h the consumption of video "ames humans develop their identit and reif social realities (*o%man). $s a process itself( role!pla encoura"es interactivit and immersion in that the pla er ta:es a role from %ithin the narrative architecture of the "ame (*o%man2 .;ame -esi"n as Farrative $rchitecture1). /he values( behavior and dominant order of a societ are implicit in the embodied architecture of a "ame( %hich reinforces the normative standards of the societ throu"h di"ital re%ards and punishment (;aile 81). 4et( as ;aile found( in the face of culturall dominatin" values on their "ames( even children pla ed an active role in subvertin" the messa"es "iven to them via their a"enc in "amepla (;aile D2!D3). 'n academic stud ( %or:s li:e Kingdom Hearts are often i"nored as a result of their status as a popular culture medium and their appeal to children (5c5orran ++E). 'n a similar %or:( 5c5orran traces the intertextualit of the 1DE8 movie Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang to Don Qui ote and the %or:s of >harles -ic:ens. Such intertextual %or:s provide insi"ht into the process throu"h %hich people ma:e meanin" out of ne% texts throu"h the lens of existin" texts (5c5orran ++G). $nd as ?arson ar"ues( intertextualit

G is a strate" of stor tellin" (?arson 10G0).

/he video "ame is not solel a medium for %astin" idle time6it is rich stor tellin" platform. (*o"ost). Hideo "ames allo% the pla er to have an .embodied experience1 in %hich meanin"s are discovered throu"hout the "ame in the encounterin" of different si"ns6 %ords( actions( and objects (;ee). /his is similar to that had %hen a person interacts %ith a boo: or movie( but the narrative %or:s in a .presentalo"ical1 manner in %hich stor events are created in the present (-ubbelman 1ED). /he stor line of a video "ame is made up of four thin"sA "ame desi"ner choices( the %a the pla er causes those choices to pla out as result of the order heIshe finds thin"s( the actions the pla er3s avatar carries out and the pla er3s .ima"inative projection about the characters( plot and %orld of the stor 1 (;ee 82). ?earnin" challen"es( reinforces andIor hones cultural models and this learnin" happens throu"h immersion and interactivit (;ee). /hese t%o sides of a theoretical arc run throu"h video "ame studies and can be summari8ed as ho% pla ers affect their avatar and ho% avatars affect the pla er. $vatars are the .fi"ures that appear on screen in place of( indeed as direct e tensions of( the spectatorA sites of continuous identification1 (Beha: 103). /he pla er not onl participates in the "ame throu"h the avatar but is a spectator of the "ame as %ell. /he pla er experiences the avatar3s %orld( and %atches it as a sort of interactive movie. /echnolo" increasin"l ma:es it possible for pla er!avatar relations to be more prevalent and closer. *ut Beha: %ould also sa the relationship %ill al%a s feel

E incompleteA partiall as a result of the dominative po%er the pla er has over the avatar. /he pla er can :ill his avatar at %ill and he can reincarnate the avatar as %ell. /his interactive control over the avatar has numerous effects on the pla er. /here is an inherent dualit in %hat as :no%n as ."ame time1 J that is( time in %hich the pla er is himIherself and also the avatar in their "ame %orld (7uul). /his combines %hat 7uul called .pla time1 J actual real %orld time the pla er experiences J and .event time(1 %hich is the time ta:en in the "ame %orld. 'n other %ords( %hen pla in" a video "ame( the pla er simultaneousl experiences t%o distinct passa"es of timeA that %hich happens in realit and that %hich happens in their "ame. &vent time is rarel as simple as a formula (i.e. 20 minutes of pla time K 20 hours of event time). 'n the modern da "ames( fre)uentl event time is interrupted %ith cut scenes that feature enhanced "raphics and are often presented as %idescreen6 complete %ith blac: bars at the bottom of full screen television sets. /he cut scenes are presented in such a %a to emphasi8e the appearance of a cinematic moment and indicate to the pla er that event time is not "oin" to remain static (7uul). 5an role!pla in" "ames are littered %ith these cut scenes( so indeed event time hardl moves except durin" cut scenes %here months can pass in a matter of seconds. Immersion and Interte tuality 'n order to examine Kingdom Hearts! it is crucial to flesh out the definitions of immersion and interacti"ity. @our properties ma:e the video "ame a medium for literar creation. Spatial and enc clopedic content are %hat ma:e a "ame immersive2 procedural and participator content are %hat ma:e a "ame interactive (5urra ). 'mmersion is .the experience throu"h %hich a fictional %orld ac)uires the

+ presence of an autonomous lan"ua"e!independent realit populated %ith live human bein"s1 (B an 1,). 'mmersion is %hen content "oes from simulation to become stimulation (Strehovec) and( as "ame content develops increasin" representational po%er( immersion presents a sort of alternate( ideali8ed realit (Schroeder 1G0). /his realit has its o%n lan"ua"e( customs that are autonomous from the real %orld. /hus immersion in a textual %orld is different from immersion in the real %orld (B an).

Some have ar"ued that immersion cuts out the real %orld( %hich seems unli:el . &ven in the most intense sta"e( %hen the traveler is absorbed in the text3s %orld( the pla er ma for"et his concerns( but the pla er doesn3t for"et he is pla in" "ame (B an). /he final sta"e in immersion( leavin" the actual countr ( is :e in that respect. @or an immersive experience to be "ood one( the pla er has to come up for air.

/he term interacti"ity( li:e immersion( is used in so man different contexts that it is %orth definin" as %ell. 'nteractivit as .the codified renderin" of responsive behaviors. /his is %hat is most often meant %hen %e sa that computers are interacti"e# (5urra +,). 'nteraction brea:s do%n into technolo"ical and ps cholo"ical phenomena. 'nteraction re)uires realism( mobilit and modifiabilit (B an). 0hen translated to narrative lan"ua"e these three elements indicate pla er choice. /he ver choices that propel the narrative for%ard( ma:in" the narrative more immersive( at the same time ma:e it more interactive. 'n the increasin"l common role!pla in" "ames that re)uire choices to move the narrative for%ard( the pendulum is pulled in both directions at once.

8 7en:ins similarl ar"ued that immersion and interactivit cannot be separated. He noted that the ver structure of the video "ame medium encoura"es %orld buildin" and thus( bac:stor or embedded narrative. /he %a a video "ame is pla ed ma:es it inherentl different from other stor tellin" media (<;ame -esi"n as Farrative $rchitecture<). Some literar "enres re)uire a considerable amount of %orld buildin"J science fiction( fantas ( horror( %ar( adventure J and those are "enres %hich are often not ta:en seriousl in the literar communit because character development suffers as a result of %orld buildin". Ho%ever( those ver "enres ma:e them a perfect fit for the video "ame medium( because much of the narrative can be experienced b the pla er in hisIher o%n %a ( but there must be an environment for stor tellin" (Con"ergence Culture). /o be populated %ith .live human bein"s(1 a fiction %orld %ould provide not onl )ualit social interaction from the avatars( but invite the pla er to respond in :ind (B an). /his marria"e( %hich 5urra called .c berdrama(1 is defined as .the enactment of a stor in the particular fictional space of the computer1 (5urra ,). She cited the rise of role pla in" "ames( especiall in online forums( as an example of c berdrama3s appeal. @or 5urra .immersion implies learnin" to s%im( to do the thin"s that the ne% environment ma:es possible1 and she refers to immersion as a .participator 1 activit (5urra DD).

B an said that the closer a pla er "ets to immersion( the further a pla er "ets from interactivit and visa versa. 4et these definitions impl that immersion and interactivit can marr ( but a stron" narrative has to brin" them to"ether (B an2 5urra 2 Con"ergence Culture). *oth theories are constantl in pla to some extent2 the ri"ht "ame can privile"e both.

Kingdom Hearts as narrative /he narrative of Kingdom Hearts helped marr immersion and interactivit . 'n the "ame theor pendulum( studies of immersion tend to examine the effects of the avatar and the "ame narrative on the pla er %hile studies of interaction tend to stud the effects of the pla er on the avatar and the "ame narrative. Ho%ever( the abilit of both to occur depends on man of the same elements. /he narrative of Kingdom Hearts mana"es to "o in both directions2 ma:in" the "ame at once more immersive and more interactive. 't maintains a rich intertextualit ( %hich re%ards pla ers for :no%led"e of related texts that one must brin" to the "ame. /he use of -isne and Final Fantasy characters throu"hout the "ame creates an experiential nostal"ia in that pla ers have fe%er barriers to entr in the immersive experience. 9lacin" themselves in the avatars shoes is not a challen"e because the have done it before in countless -isne movies and in previous Final Fantasy "ames.

/he reason Kingdom Hearts ma:es a "ood text for examination is in the numbers and in the plot. &ver ear the video "ame business ma:es more mone than Holl %ood

(;ee). Since its release in 2002( Kingdom Hearts and its se)uel have shipped more than 10 million copies %orld%ide (<=in"dom Hearts Series Ships over 10 5illion 0orld%ide<). $t the 2003( ;!, $%ards( Kingdom Hearts %on for the cate"or .*est Stor 1 (S)uare!&nix 1). $nd besides critical success( Kingdom Hearts %as an instant fan favorite. Ln the %ebsite $amers%latform! 5iles 5ichaels placed Kingdom Hearts in the /op 10 list of most influential role!pla in" "ames.

10 @or a "ame to have sold so man copies( "ained such enthusiastic fan support and to have %on so man a%ards( this is more than an avera"e "ame. /he stor follo%s Sora( a 1,! ear!old bo in a remote location called the -estin 'slands. He lives there %ith t%o friendsA Bi:u and =airi (Kingdom Hearts 'nstruction *oo:let). #sin" a :e ( Sora is able to destro creatures called .Heartless1 %ho are destro in" the different -isne and Final Fantasy %orlds( slo%l brin"in" %orlds( %hich should be separate( in close contact. 'n /raverse /o%n( the first %orld Sora encounters( Sora meets ?eon and 4uffie. ?eon is a thinl dis"uised S)uall( the main character of Final Fantasy &'''( and 4uffie %as the mischievous( fan!favorite ninja from Final Fantasy &''. 4et this is the same to%n %here Sora also meets -onald -uc: and ;oof of -isne lore. 'n the %orlds that follo%( places that should be distinct end up bein" home to a host of different characters from both -isne and Final Fantasy %orlds. /he characters are put in situations the mi"ht not have been in their ori"inal stories( but nevertheless the act in %a s the characters %ould. /hrou"hout the "ame( Sora uses his .=e blade1 to .loc:1 different %orlds. 't at once :eeps the %orld from bein" destro ed b the Heartless and unloc:s other %orlds( %hich are accessible via a .;ummi Ship(1 %hich travels bet%een %orlds. /he ;ummi Ship is :ept in "ood %or:in" conditions b >hip and -ale6-isne characters %ho appear as the starship en"ineers in the "ame. Sora3s travel to different .%orlds1 is in man %a s reminiscent of -isne theme par: experience6an experience that can be identified %ith b people across the "lobe6and it builds on the -isne nostal"ia %ritten into the text (Salamone M Salamone 8G). Sora discovers that behind all of the evil is a man named $nsem( %ho is plannin"

11 to overta:e the last %orld( =in"dom Hearts( and the onl %a to unloc: it is b usin" the seven princesses. /his includes all the classic -isne princessesA *elle( >inderella( 7asmine. but it also includes his friend =airi. 'n the end( Sora( -onald and ;oof defeat $nsem but find =in"dom Hearts overrun b the Heartless. /he :in"65ic:e 5ouse6 arrives. He and Bi:u loc: =in"dom Hearts closed from the inside %hile Sora loc:s it from the outside (=in"dom Hearts). 'n the last scene of the "ame( the Sora decides to find a %a to rescue 5ic:e and Bi:u. He returns to -isne >astle %ith -onald and ;oof to find a letter %aitin" for them from =in" 5ic:e . /he endin" clearl foreshado%s the se)uel( Kingdom Hearts '' (=in"dom Hearts). Kingdom Hearts as immersive /here are man scenes %orth of textual anal sis( but for the purposes of this research the first episode of the "ame %ill serve as a :e observation. /his section ta:es place in a dream that is disconnected from the time of the rest of the "ame. /he openin" ma:es an ideal subject for examination in that the openin" of a video "ame( as in man narratives( serves as the .hoo:1 desi"ned to pull the pla er into an immersive experience. $t the same time( it is desi"ned to "ive the pla er a sense of %hat is to come in terms of stor and "amepla . /he dream se)uence has numerous )ualities that add to the immersive experience. 'n order to map it( 5c5ahan3s elements of immersive presence serve as a "uide. /hose dimensions are social input( realism( avatar( sense bloc:in"( social response( and transportation. @irst( the dream itself be"ins %ith a cut!sceneA the hallmar: of linear stor structure and a :e part of immersion. /his is %here the computer is tr in" to accomplish the fourth dimension( sense bloc:in"( b immersin" the senses both %ith audio and video.

12 'n the dream( Sora is at his home of -estin 'slands and at various times tries to reach out to friends =airi and Bi:u onl to find himself pulled a%a b inexplicable forces. /he dream se)uence is interspersed %ith narration. /he auditor narration of Sora( performed b voice actor Hale 7oel Lsment( ponders %hether this dream is real. /he cut scene has a letterbox border( reinforcin" that this section of the "ame is a movie( over %hich the pla er has no po%er (7uul). *ut in this case( the dream serves an important function. $ccordin" to 7uul( there are narrative events %hich are difficult to address in the video "ame mediumA flashbac:s and flash!for%ards amon" them (7uul). 'n a flashbac:( the character3s actions in the flashbac: %ould have to be useless other%ise it could possibl upset present time durin" a "ame. $ flash!for%ard %ould similarl ma:e a character3s actions in the present time useless. /hese sorts of events are better served %ith a cinematic se)uence. /his part of the dream( if made as interactive as most of the stor ( %ould li:el onl serve to frustrate the pla er. 'n this scene( Sora is at the %him of po%ers be ond his control( unable to accomplish an thin". So in this case( the more immersive choice of a cut!scene is the onl choice that ma:es sense as havin" no control of a character %ould be less immersive. 'n recent ears( "ame desi"ners have become better at buildin" cut!scenes or desi"nin" artifacts( %hich point bac: to past events (7uul). * ma:in" those events part of the non!controllable( more cinematic portion of the "ame( "ame desi"ners can enli"hten pla ers on those events in a more accessible manner. Lnce the cut scene is over( the "ame be"ins to prompt the avatar to perform certain commands in order to teach the pla er the "ame. $t this point( the pla er is able to use an avatar( the third dimension of 5c5ahan3s presence (5c5ahan). /he pla er uses Sora to explore the surroundin"s. /he surroundin"s themselves are not necessaril

13 realistic J 5c5ahan3s second dimension J but the are realistic in the context of the "ame3s narrative (5c5ahan). /his scene is after all a dream( but even here( Sora3s .:e blade1 ma:es a sound %hen it s%in"s throu"h the air. 0hen he hits crates or barrels( the "ame produces a realistic sound and he can even destro them. His feet clap %hen he %al:s across the floor. $ll of this evidence points to the avatar3s abilit to affect the ph sical environment( %hich adds to the realism of the di"ital environment. $s the pla er be"ins to use the avatar to perform the computer3s commands( the pla er is re%arded %ith further narration( and items that %ill be available for use after the dream is finished. $ll re%ards "ained throu"h choices serve to perpetuate immersionA further narration presses the narrative for%ard and items allo% the pla er to have ne% choices some time in the future6%hether to use the item and ho% to use the item. /he soft%are is tr in" to allo% the pla er to accomplish 5c5ahan3s fifth de"reeA respondin" to the computer li:e it is a social bein" (5c5ahan). 'f the pla er has the avatar respond to the ;od!li:e computer narration li:e the pla er %ould in the real %orld upon hearin" a voice from no%here( then the soft%are has accomplished the "oal of socialit .

0hen the pla er travels from one place to another( the narrative ta:es him there. $s Sora travels throu"h this part of the dream( he is %al:in" on cathedral!es)ue stained! "lass %indo%s( %hich depict the stories of -isne lore. 0hen he is travelin" from one to the other( at various times the floor brea:s( dissolves or creates a ne% path to another floor. So transportation is supported b the narrative so the avatar can travel in the seamless manner 5c5ahan describes (5c5ahan). /he one dimension of immersive presence lac:in" in this section of Kingdom Hearts is that of social input. Kingdom

1, Hearts %ill never achieve this dimension to the same extent as someone pla in" World of Warcraft( %here the are chattin"( via avatars( %ith another real person. 'n World of Warcraft! man of the characters met in the di"ital %orld are not controlled b computer but b another pla er throu"h the internet. Ln the %hole( Kingdom Hearts does mana"e to provide realistic textual conversation( %hich is rela ed via conversation bubbles. *ut in this scene( even the textual social interaction is lac:in". So( all in all( Kingdom Hearts addresses five of the six dimensions of presence.

Kingdom Hearts as interactive $t this point( %e %ill examine ho% Kingdom Hearts mana"es to achieve interactivit despite its clear immersive tendencies. 'f an immersion text is one in %hich the avatar affects the pla er b invitin" him into the narrative( an interactive text is one in %hich the pla er affects the avatar and the avatar3s narrative b the choices made. /hese choices ran"e from choices of e)uipment( the order of %orlds Sora visits %hat side)uests are attempted( and %hat response is "iven in certain scenarios. 'n order to map the elements of interaction( this paper %ill use B an3s elements of interactive presence.

7en:ins conceptuali8es interactivit as procedural %hen he discusses "ame desi"n as architecture (7en:ins 12D). 0ithout the rules( %ithout the structure of the "ame that interactivit provides( the narrative %ould not %or:. 'f the pla er cannot trust that %hen he presses a controller button that the avatar %ill respond to his command( the structure of the "ame brea:s do%n. 'n a similar manner( B an conceptuali8es interactivit as participator . She defines interactivit as a theor %here the pla ers3 .%orld reacts to

1G their input1 (B an EE). $nd she notes that an increase in interactivit also e)uates to an increase in presence. /he more effect the pla er can have on the avatar and on the narrative( the more the feel .present1 in the narrative. Lf course( in the real %orld( most actions ta:en have ver real conse)uences so pla ers expect similar occurrences in the "ame. B an3s dimensions of interactivit are realism( mobilit and modifiabilit (B an). 'nteractive realism differs sli"htl from that of immersive realism. 'mmersive realism depended on the environment( %hether thin"s ma:e sounds %hen the pla er hit them and %hether "ame elements fit the %orld3s social construct. 0hether Kingdom Hearts achieved interactive realism partiall depends on the television resolution of the pla er( and thus( varies from case to case (5c;loin( @arrar M =rcmar( EG2 Hou( Fam( 9en" M ?ee E1+). /his realism creates ine)uit amon" the audience in that those %ith a hi"her socio!economic status6 %ho can afford more expensive audioIvisual e)uipment 6are "ranted a more immersive experience. *ut on a broader scale( the soft%are provides a lar"e amount of realism in their renderin"s of the characters. Sora3s "ender( a"e and relative si8e are all fairl eas to understand in the resolution provided b the "ame( althou"h %hether the television transmits that resolution is another matter. >omparativel ( the "raphics durin" cinematic scenes are similar to those seen in (hre)( and in!"ame "raphics are little %orse. 5obilit depends on the abilit to explore surroundin"s in a realistic manner. $ pla er is not able to move his bod and see his avatar move his bod in response. Ho%ever( the pla er does have an abilit to feel close proximit to objects throu"h the technolo" . Kingdom Hearts has a first!person component( %hich addresses this. $s the pla er is travelin" throu"h the dream( the pla er is instructed on ho% to loo: in a first!

1E person manner throu"h Sora3s e es. 'ndeed( vie%in" in this %a is at times the onl %a to find certain items. /his also accomplishes %hat Beha: described as the juncture of spectatorship and participation (Beha: 103). * usin" first!person mode( achieved b pressin" the .Select1 button on the controller( the pla er can achieve that (Kingdom Hearts 'nstruction *oo:let). 0hen this button is pressed( rather than loo:in" over the avatar3s shoulder( the pla er is loo:in" throu"h the avatar3s e es at the surroundin"s. /he third component of interactivit ( modifiabilit ( is :e to man "ames. $ number of thin"s can be modified in video "amesA avatar appearance( avatar personalit Icharacteristics( avatar action( environment and plot (B an2 5eado%s2 5urra ). Kingdom Hearts does not allo% the pla er to "enerate his o%n avatar as in World of Warcraft or *he (ims. So avatar appearance cannot be altered b the pla er to his choosin". 9la ers experience "reater interactivit %hen the are "iven the option of creatin" their o%n avatar (7in +E1). Ho%ever( there are different computer!preset appearances that Sora ta:es on %hen attendin" other %orlds. @or instance( %hen Sora and his part travel to the Hallo%een /o%n of *he +ightmare Before Christmas( Sora and his part all ta:e on a "houlish appearance as a result. /he same occurs in $tlantica of *he ,ittle -ermaid. 'n Kingdom Hearts! the pla er is "iven a Sora %ho must represent all pla ers. Sora is "iven the appearance of a &uro!>aucasian even thou"h the audience for Kingdom Hearts is thorou"hl international. Ln the one hand( Sora is narrativel presented as a character %ithout racial identit . 4et on the other hand( one could ar"ue that it supports S8e!@ai Shiu3s concept of the video "ame as a place %here the dominatin" status of %hites is at once re!evaluated andIor reified (S8e!@ai Shiu 122!123). $s %ith mechanical realism( this creates an ine)uit in the interactive experience.

1+ 'ndeed( the character development of Sora throu"hout the "ame is ver limited so his personalit is also ver static. $t the be"innin" of the "ame( Sora has one "reat "oalA to see other %orlds2 and one "reat loveA his friends (=in"dom Hearts). $nd so the majorit of narrative( character development happens to the characters around Sora( not Sora himself. @or instance( Sora3s friend Bi:u starts out the "ame as an all ( later becomes jealous and %or:s a"ainst Sora and then eventuall repents. /hat bein" said( Sora3s characteristics6in this case( his statistics that determine ho% %ell he performs in battle6can be altered from the be"innin" of the "ame (=in"dom Hearts). 'n the dream episode mentioned earlier( Sora is ta:en to a place %here he faces a choice of %hat po%er %ill be his stren"th and %hat po%er %ill be his %ea:ness. His choices are a s%ord for attac: po%er( a shield for defensive po%er and %i8ard3s staff for ma"ic po%er. $s mentioned earlier in this paper( a role!pla in" "ame relies heavil on statistics to determine ho% the avatar does in the actions he or she performs and this is the case %ith Kingdom Hearts (*abovic). -ependin" on %hether Sora chooses the s%ord( the shield or the rod( Sora can ta:e more hits( deal more dama"e or heal himself more efficientl %ith the ma"ic spells he learns later in the "ame. Kingdom Hearts ma not let the pla er choose the avatar( but the pla er can choose the %a his avatar performs. /his is just one of man choices made in the "ame( and indeed one of the man made in the dream se)uence. 4et these choices are not separate from the stor narrative( as %hen a pla er is creatin" an avatar in *he (ims( but rather these choices are an inte"ral part of the narrative. 'f the avatar does not have statistics that allo% him to perform %ell( the avatar %ill die and the narrative %ill end. 'ndeed( ma:in" choices and interactin" %ith the "amin" console is the onl %a to activel propel the narrative for%ard (=in"dom Hearts

18 Bevie%). /hese character choices increase modifiabilit ( thus interactivit %hile simultaneousl increasin" immersion and pressin" the narrative for%ard. /he pla er can also influence his part 3s characteristics. ?ater in the "ame( %hen -onald -uc: and ;oof join Sora3s part ( the pla er is unable to control them directl as he can Sora. Ho%ever( the pla er does have the choice of choosin" ho% the %ill act in battle( %hat actions the %ill ta:e and %hen the %ill ta:e them. 'n this sense( controllin" other part members is more strate"ic than control of Sora (Kingdom Hearts 'nstruction *oo:let). Sora can be controlled moment!to!moment b the pla er( but the actions of his allies must be strate"icall planned. 'n addition( the pla er later has the abilit to choose the e)uipment used b Sora and his part . 0hile Sora and the part never chan"e their clothes as a result of an e)uipment chan"e( their %eapons also ta:e on different appearances (Kingdom Hearts 'nstruction *oo:let). $s mentioned earlier( the onl time the part 3s appearance chan"es is %hen the travel to a different %orld %here people are dressed in a different cultural context. *ut the e)uipment does chan"e the avatar3s characteristics( %hich helps him in battle. >ontrollin" avatar action overlaps %ith the mobilit element of B an3s interactivit (B an). $vatar action is the most basic characteristic of "ame modifiabilit and it is one %here Kingdom Hearts succeeds. Kingdom Hearts uses a command menu in order to control the avatar. 'n some role!pla in" "ames( the pla er has a button to attac:( and a button to "uard. 'n Kingdom Hearts! there are easil accessible buttons for actions such as jumpin" and dod"in"( but more complex actions( li:e castin" spells or usin" items( usuall re)uire the command menu. So the pla er is literall ma:in" do8ens of choices about an avatar3s actions %hile in active combat. Such interactivit raises pla er

1D participation to a ne% level (>astronova). Hittin" the same object must cause the same effect ever time in order to :eep the "ame realistic in an immersive sense (>astronova). So realism that increases pla er participation6and thus increasin" interactivit 6also increase immersion. So pla er choice not onl propels the narrative for%ard but also is actuall necessar for the avatar3s survival. /he avatar can also affect his surroundin" environment6a :e part of modifiabilit ( and one of the characteristics of interactivit . 'n the dream episode at the be"innin" of Kingdom Hearts( Sora has to destro a crate. /hrou"hout the "ame( Sora must use his :e blade to push( pull and brea: certain objects and %hen Sora affects those objects the respond in expected %a s. /he abilit to modif the plot also adds to interactivit (B an). 5ain stor elements cannot be affected in Kingdom Hearts( but b ma:in" choices Sora %ould li:el ma:e6"ood!natured choices6the avatar is re%arded %ith items %hich help him complete the narrative. *ut ne"ative choices affect the "ame ne"ativel . @or example( durin" the "ame Sora encounters 9on"o and 9erdita of the -isne movie ./. Dalmatians. 'n the "ame( all DD dalmatian puppies have been :idnapped b the Heartless. &ver time Sora brin"s bac: a fe% puppies( he is "iven a ne% item. 'f he mana"es to "ather all the dalmatian puppies( he is "iven an up"raded ma"ic spell( %hich is ver useful durin" battle (;ame @$Ns). 'f Sora chose to not "ather an puppies( he %ould not receive an of the re%ards. Kingdom Hearts as interte tual

20 -isne ima"er and lore is laden throu"hout the dream se)uence. 0hen Sora has to ma:e the choice about %hat his stren"th and %ea:ness %ill be( the s mbol of the 5ic:e 5ouse ears is on all the threeA the s%ord( the shield and the %i8ard3s rod. &ver floor Sora %al:s on is a stained "lass colla"e of a different -isne stor A the first is (now White! the next Cinderella! and (leeping Beauty. $fter crashin" throu"h the >inderella stained "lass %indo%( Sora finds himself bac: in a treehouse in -estin 'slands %ith three of his contemporaries. $ll of them are oun"er versions of beach!oriented characters from Final Fantasy "ames. /he three each as: him about his priorities6more choices that influence the statistics mentioned earlier. 'ntertextualit adds to the immersive experience of Kingdom Hearts! especiall in terms of 5c5ahan3s social response element of presence (5c5ahan). 't is easier to respond to an avatar li:e a real person if one has alread seen the response performed in movies( boo:s( or in other "ames. /his social response builds on the nostal"ia fans of both -isne and S)uare!&nix experience %hen the see characters and stor situations %ith %hich the are familiar. ;ee describes this as situated meanin" (;ee). 't is %orth notin" that in combinin" Final Fantasy lore %ith -isne lore( a considerable number of texts come %ith -isne . -isne has re%or:ed man stories over the ears( and thus the have access to a number of texts not immediatel ascribed as -isne . @or example( Aladdin appears in Kingdom Hearts as a -isne text. *ut before it %as a -isne text( Aladdin %as the printed short stor .$laddin and his 5a"ic ?amp1 in 0ne *housand and 0ne +ights. $nd before it %as a printed short stor in 0ne *housand and 0ne +ights! it %as an oral tale (?undell). $lso( *ar1an appears in Kingdom Hearts. *ar1an! of course( %as a -isne movie( but before that( there %ere several *ar1an television pro"rams in the mid!1D00s. 'n the 1DG0s and earlier in the 1D30s( there %ere *ar1an radio pro"rams (0elshman). 'n 1D1,( the ori"inal novel %or: *ar1an of the Apes %as published. Fon! traditional -isne characters that appear %ithin the -isne lore structure include $lice from Alice in Wonderland( 7ac: S:ellin"ton of +ightmare Before Christmas and *elle

21 and *east from Beauty and the Beast.

'n the case stud 3s dream episode( there is little re%ard for :no%in" the stories of other characters. *ut in other episodes( there is. @or example( %hen Sora reaches the %orld of $"rabah( :no%in" the stor of Aladdin %ill help the pla er :no% %here to ta:e the character in order to propel the narrative for%ard. /here is onl a certain amount of narrative that can ta:e place until $laddin has to ta:e the part into the .>ave of 0onders.1 So the intertextualit adds to the immersive experience because not onl is the pla er en"a"ed in the Kingdom Hearts narrative( but in the narratives %ithin in it2 narratives of %hich man pla ers %ill alread be familiar. /he intertextualit also adds to the interactive nature of the "ame b increasin" the "ame3s .modifiabilit 16 Kingdom Hearts2 %ea: point in interactivit . 'ntertextualit raises the sta:es for modifiabilit . /he choices not onl shift the nature of ho% thin"s happen in Kingdom Hearts but in the narratives %ithin it as %ell. @or instance( Sora could cause $laddin to ma:e a choice he mi"ht not have actuall made in the ori"inal text. $nd %hile the avatar could suffer for ma:in" choices that shift the plot and re%arded for choices that stic: to the plot( the pla er has the po%er to affect more than just the Kingdom Hearts narrative( but the other narratives embedded in the "ame as %ell.

't should be noted that this sort of intertextualit has occurred in other "amesA most notabl (uper (mash Bros. Brawl( another popular( a%ard!%innin" "ame . 'n this fi"htin" "ame( the pla er can battle the secret a"ent Sna:e from -etal $ear (olid!

22 a"ainst ?ui"i from (uper -ario Bros. or ?in: from ,egend of 3elda a"ainst 9i:achu from %o)emon. /he difference bet%een (uper (mash Bros. and Kingdom Hearts is that (uper (mash Bros. Brawl does not provide an re%ards for :no%in" the stories of the different textual characters. $t times in Kingdom Hearts( pla ers can at least receive narrative re%ards if not items( enhanced spells( and the li:e for piecin" to"ether the intertextual narrative. 'ntertextualit increases the immersive and interactive value of Kingdom Hearts b %eavin" old narratives in %ith the ne%. Similarl ( =eebau"h describes a rich catalo" of fair tales that inform ,ittle 4ed 4iding Hood2s 3om5ie BBQ for the Fintendo -S. /he intertextual nature of the "ame provides narrative re%ards %hile servin" as a cipher for the problems consistent in the human conditionA the nature of innocence( the lon"evit of nostal"ia( the stin" of betra al and the human difficult in conceptuali8in" the nature of evil (=eebau"h GDD). 4et %hile the intertextual nature of ,ittle 4ed 4iding Hood2s 3om5ie BBQ %or:s to enhance the "ame and unite an audience( %hat happens in =in"dom Hearts is a bit more complex. 0hile Kingdom Hearts becomes more immersive and interactive throu"h its intertextualit ( perhaps the "reatest stren"th of the narrative6the connection to -isne nostal"ia6also becomes its central challen"e. /he immersive experience of the "ame runs into a %all %ith the depiction of a .post!racial1 Sora( %ho is predictabl a %hite >aucasian (S8e!@ai Shiu). /he interactive experience of the "ame is challen"ed b its realism %hich can differ dependin" the screen si8e and spea:ers6such elements that clearl privile"e the immersive experience of a hi"her socio!economic status (Hou( 7in"hui( et al.). /he social ine)uities incumbent in the racial and technolo"ical privile"in" runs counter to the ver central messa"e and vision of -isne 6access for all children

23 (9ins: xiii). Lne must applaud the intertextual nature of the "ame for introducin" pla ers( via .embodied experience(1 to the stories of centuries of classic texts (;ee). 4et one must also )uestion %hether mechanical realism and the lac: of avatar modifiabilit leave some pla ers out of -isne and S)uare3s classroom (5urra 2 B an). /his is not a char"e to be leveled solel %ith -isne and S)uare as much as it is indicative of the nature of ho% video "ames are consumed. /he uni)ue nature of role!pla in" "ames and( in particular( Kingdom Hearts brin" to"ether the t%o sides of the theoretical spectrum( immersion and interactivit . /his paper loo:ed at ho% each of these theories pla ed out in the first fe% minutes of the "ame. /he narrative of the "ame( especiall in relation to its intertextual nature( helped marr immersion and interactivit to create a uni)ue "ame experience. 4et the -isne nostal"ia( so central to the intertextual nature of the "ame( also presented the central challen"e to immersive and interactive pla throu"h the ine)uities produced b the depiction of the avatar and mechanical realism.

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