An analysis of verbs within video game structures based on a video game verb theory and The Secret of Monkey Island

Abstract

The aims of this thesis are as followes: to provide a review of the idea presented by three game designers – Chris Crawford, Raph Koster and Anna Anthropy – according to which, verbs should be used to describe the interactions and inner rule structures of video games; present these ideas as a unified theory of verbs within game structures; provide a method for analysing these verbs through syntactic theory presented by Bas Aarts and Van Valin and LaPolla; apply the combined theory of verbs in game structures and the methodology and concepts from syntax to analyse the verbs in the structure of the 1990 point and click adventure game The Secret of Monkey Island and its 2009 Enhanced edition.