The Amorphology of Folkgames: Indian Videogames and Folk Narrative Traditions

Souvik Mukherjee, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta

South Asian narrative traditions are deeply entrenched in local folk cultures but also connect with folk traditions from elsewhere.. From the tales of the Panchatantra to the multiplicity of stories, genealogical and religious, told through the Rajasthani storytelling box or Kavaad, folktale traditions are a composite mix of many storytelling traditions. Then again, Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book, often thought by many to be an Indian folktale is obviously a colonial narrative written by a European but it draws on many Indian stories thus making it yet another composite. My presentation looks at Indian videogames in the way they do and do not remediate this phenomenon in Indian folk narratives. Taking as its key case studies, Raji: A Forgotten Epic, which brings together art and narrative traditions from across India and Nobody Knows for Certain, an Indian videogame about the reception of Soviet Russian books (and Russian folktales) in India, this paper intends to think about the nature of the folktale. Instead of seeking a clear-cut morphology, it aims to view folktales as a zone where multiple storytelling traditions come together breaking out of regional boundaries. Recently, Games Studies scholarship has been emphasizing ‘regional game studies’ perhaps in a move to better represent the cultural traditions that are commonly neglected in favour of Euro-American narrative cultures; what is perhaps more apt than such a parochial categorization is the thinking of games as being transregional and as products of contact zones (Pratt 1990). It will also look at examples from non-digital games such as The Myth Bridge, a live-action simulation game that brings to life and connects nine women characters from Bengali and German folklore. In doing so, it will look at how the folk cultures are ever evolving, as especially evident in newer narrative media, and how, instead of being monolithic regionally bound entities, they enable a multiplicity of ideas and perception of cultures.

Dr Souvik Mukherjee is assistant professor in Cultural Studies at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Calcutta, India. His research looks at a diversity of topics such as videogames and storytelling, videogames as colonial and postcolonial media, gaming cultures in the Indian Subcontinent and currently, Indian boardgames and their colonial avatars. Souvik is the author of three monographs on videogames as well as many articles and book chapters in national and international publications. He was named a ‘DiGRA Distinguished Scholar’ in 2019 by the Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA).