“And (Don’t) Stay on the Path…” – Transformation of the Fairy Tale into the Psychological Thriller in the Game The Path

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to prove that the narrative of the game The Path reverses the main properties of the fairy tale distinguished by the Russian structuralist Vladimir Propp. This results in the transformation of the game story’s genre from the fairy tale into that of the psychological thriller. The Russian scholar’s theory emphasises the role of characters of the narrative and their actions, which are significant components of the literary story, as well as the one that is told in the computer game. The study proves that the reversal of the functions and roles of dramatis personae in the game’s narrative results in the development of the elements characteristic for the psychological thriller in the game. The fact that this shift is fluent is an evidence that those two genres, although dissonant, have many common elements. The fairy tale and thriller are complementary – the latter reveals the hidden and suppressed aspects of the former.