Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music

Major

Music

Major Professor

Robert Sivy

Committee Members

Nathan Fleshner, Barbara Murphy

Abstract

Interactive narrative media demands a reevaluation of music’s narrative function, particularly in shaping player perception, moral alignment, and thematic continuity. This study investigates the musical score of As Dusk Falls (Interior/Night 2022), a choice-based interactive fiction (CBIF) that challenges traditional boundaries between linear scoring and branching narratives. Drawing from semiotics ontology, ludomusicology, and cognitive science, the research demonstrates how recurring motifs in As Dusk Falls are not fixed signifiers but fluid constructs that evolve with the player’s decisions. Central to this investigation is the conceptualization of music as an ontological system that structures and reflects the game’s mutable narrative space. Motifs operate as semiotic anchors, maintaining thematic coherence while dynamically engaging with player agency. The study explores the physiological and cognitive dimensions of musical engagement, including the role of the mirror neuron system and Husserlian protention to account for music’s immersive and anticipatory functions. By treating music as both a compositional and narratological structure, this research offers a theoretical model for understanding how scores in CBIFs function not only as accompaniment to but as dynamic agents of narrative meaning, influencing how players interpret experience and ultimately co-create the story and/or musical score.

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