Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts in Game Design
Department
Game Design
First Advisor
Jeremiah Ratican
Second Advisor
Melissa Elmes
Third Advisor
James Hutson
Abstract
This thesis examines how vampires are represented in video games by analyzing narrative structures, game mechanics, and cultural meaning. Using the existing games of Vampyr, V Rising, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines, The Sims 4: Vampires, Skyrim: Dawnguard, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Bloodlines 2, the study identifies which design strategies successfully create an engaging and believable vampire experience for the player, as well as determining which development decisions could hurt the experience for players. Using formalism, symbolism, feminist methodology, and player reception theory, this thesis argues that vampire games function best when players confront moral dilemmas, experience consequences for feeding or refusing to feed, and meaningfully embody both the power and burden of vampirism through mechanics and narrative. Findings show that successful vampire games integrate narrative and mechanics to reflect cultural anxieties, themes of identity, ethical conflict, and the fantasy of power. The project concludes by offering a design framework for future developers, emphasizing moral choice, system consequences, and a focus on lore and worldbuilding that emphasize moral choices as core elements of functional vampire game design.
Recommended Citation
Minervino, Ricardo Longo, "The Vampire in Video Games: Narrative Structures, Game Mechanics, and Cultural Significance" (2025). Theses. 1669.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1669
Creative Commons License
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