Ludonarrative dissonance

This article is probably off-topic, but tolerated because it's relevant and/or popular on /tg/... or we just can't be bothered to delete it.

A really stupid term from video-game discourse that has very little to do with /v/, "Ludonarrative dissonance" is just a highfallutin' way of saying that a vidya game is not about what its story claims to be about. ("Ludo" is a Latin word meaning "game", btw.)

Originally misused for a perceived problem in Bioshock, where the actual intended message actually melds fairly well with its gameplay: "The Randian Superman is not who Ayn Rand thought he is",, "Player agency in video games is weird" and "Superpowers are awesome, but real world problematic". The other game series usually associated with the word, Uncharted, involves the lead character killing loads and loads of guys in self defense in gameplay and being a charming rogue in cutscenes, which might be dissonant if not for that whole "self-defense" thing.

For some actual cases of Ludonarrative dissonance, go look up our frienemies TVTropes list on the matter, "Gameplay and Story Segregation", which covers many of the more noticeable situations.

Okay, but why tho?

That being said: What's this got to do with /tg/? Well, the problem of "not actually being about what it claims to be about" can be a problem in roleplaying. D&D, in particular, is usually held to be "claims to be about playing a role in a story" but actually "killing loads and loads of monsters".

Board games occasionally lie about what they're about as well: Monopoly isn't a game about real-estate development, it's a game about boredom, paying rent, and low-key stabbing your fellow players in the back to get it to end quicker.

"Ludonarrative dissonance" is still usually not a valid accusation, but there are some actual cases, so be careful.