KJCKorea
Journal Central

This study aims to conceptualize the notion of freedom in the CRPG genre and analyze how player subjectivity is constructed through the emergent process of gameplay exploration from the perspective of game narratology. By distinguishing between the concepts of freedom and non-linearity, this study seeks to refine the classification of the complexity of feedback provided to players according to the genre and structural composition of a game. While many studies, due to the expanding and increasingly complex structures of contemporary games, emphasize the illusion of freedom through player-centric approaches, the CRPG genre differentiates itself by providing in-depth feedback on player choices through its narrative-driven structural characteristics. This study focuses on the concept of freedom not as a parallel sequence of experiences in a game but as a sense of agency derived from deep feedback. To this end, it redefines the RPG genre as one centered on inquiry rather than mere exploration and examines Disco Elysium and Baldur’s Gate Ⅲ as concrete case studies. First, Disco Elysium encourages players to actively recognize both the elements they can and cannot choose for their avatar character, thereby deepening the investigative dimension of gameplay. The exploratory depth of CRPGs allows players to experience freedom not through choices themselves but through the recognition of what is unchoosable. Furthermore, Baldur’s Gate Ⅲ translates the structural logic of Disco Elysium into the form of a large-scale AAA game. In doing so, it offers a reflective understanding of the broader RPG genre while critically reassessing the superficial approach to freedom pursued by contemporary major franchise games. The process of meaning-making through player choices and their complex consequences in game genres leads to deep feedback on player subjectivity. Additionally, interactions with in-game objects and NPCs facilitate the transformation and expansion of subjectivity. The CRPG genre, rather than equating freedom with unlimited choice, is designed to enable players to experience a more profound sense of agency through the complexity of interactions and the consequent expansion of subjectivity. Ultimately, this allows players to partially materialize the concept of freedom.

The period around 2020 marked a time when Korean martial arts fiction faced a decline in the web fiction market due to the rise of the fantasy genre, but it then experienced a resurgence. During this time, martial arts genre not only returned through web fictions and webtoons but also through virtual streaming. The virtual streamer Nam-gung Hyuk(남궁혁), who emerged in the early 2020s, serves as a pioneering example worthy of analysis. This paper aims to explore Nam-gung Hyuk's strategies as he navigates the martial arts genre and to investigate its theoretical significance. First, is characterized as "the third son of the Nam-gung family and an MZ martial artist." He strategically embodies this characterization through three aspects: appearance, knowledge, and action. This directly correlates with voice, martial arts genre schema, and engaging in activities befitting martial arts genre through gaming. Second, aimed to lower the barriers to entry for martial arts genre and to cultivate readers through methods such as “martial arts genre explanation(무협가리)”. In a landscape where young female readers form the majority, refrained from using overly complex martial arts genre terminology and sought to explain martial arts genre through “introductory sessions(유입설명회)” or "martial arts genre explanations." Third, Nam-gung Hyuk's long-term activities have led to the (re)generation of a reader base that consists of "regular readers" of martial arts. Specific broadcasting formats serve as evidence of his success in this regard, and a lecture he conducted at Cheong-gang University that same year demonstrated that his knowledge and strategic performance could gain validation from the previous generation. In theoretical terms, contributed to opening the martial arts genre to women and provided a sense of chivalry(侠) that potentially enabled new forms of subjectivity for individuals situated within capitalism. This discussion, centered on the emergence of Nam-gung Hyuk in the 2020s, can contribute to broadening the scope of martial arts research, which has predominantly focused on novels and films.

This study analyzes the characteristics of virtual content by focusing on virtual characters and collective narratives, with a case study of the Korean virtual YouTuber group <ISEGYEIDOL>. Chapter 2 examines virtual YouTuber content as a collective narrative formed through the participation of multiple creators. Content is produced across various platforms, and the narratives developed on each platform construct a fictional play world mediated by virtual characters. Chapter 3 analyzes the characters of <ISEGYEIDOL> as non-realistic character images and iconic signs that utilize cartoon-like aesthetics. The study finds that <ISEGYEIDOL> exists as a fictional entity that visualizes the characteristics of "female idols" and "female YouTubers." Through this case study, the paper suggests that the representation of virtual characters functions as a fictional sign that reflects the perceptions of the general public.