An Analysis of Time Loop Device of Game ‘12 minutes’ - Focusing on Repeatability and Player Experience

Abstract

The time loop is a device that allows characters to experience repeated cycles of time, and it is characterized by the process of identifying and solving problems through repeated failures in periodic time. In this paper, game elements and storytelling were examined, focusing on the game '12 Minutes', to find out how repetition through the time loop device affects the development of the game and the player's experience. In addition to the interaction perceived as a time loop in the game, it was analyzed how the function of the player character and the player, the game's goal and turning point change in it. As a result, the following facts were found out. First, in a time looping game, repetitive interactions occur between an object, characters, and a player. So the player character and the player are aware of looping, and time looping occurs in the player's dimension and also the player character's dimension. Second, the time loop in the game is a platform that creates multiple narratives, enabling various attempts to solve problems. Moreover, it is a device that players can express their desires well through the actions they take in the virtual world.