Bradley Markle

Bradley Markle

Digital Narratology & Media Studies

I am a literary scholar and educator specializing in digital media, postmodernism, and narrative theory. My work explores how interactive spaces construct meaning, disrupt traditional narrative layers, and utilize metaleptic architecture to negotiate player agency.

Selected Publications

Interactivity and Interruption: Metalepsis as a Pivotal Narrative Device in Gaming

Doctoral Dissertation | Indiana University of Pennsylvania | ProQuest Publication No. 32445515 (2026)

An investigation into the mechanics of boundary-crossing narrative architecture within modern electronic media systems, analyzing how mechanical disruption functions as an intentional critical device to negotiate player agency.

Embodying the Story: Haptic Narrative in Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

First Person Scholar (2021)

Examines the concept of haptic narrative and its deployment as a pivotal plot device. The analysis argues that the game’s central thesis and emotional resonance are structurally dependent on physical interaction, demonstrating how meaning is articulated directly through the player's hands.

Modern American Drama: Playwriting in the 1960s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations

Edited by Mike Sell | Bloomsbury Academic | ISBN: 9781350153622 (2021)

Contributed editorial and research support as a Graduate Assistant, focusing on text collation, document organization, and indexing for this critical volume on mid-century American theatrical movements.

Conference Presentations

“Metalepsis through Player Agency: Coding, File Alterations, and Achievements in Video Game Narratives”

Southwest Popular/American Culture Association (SWPACA) National Conference | Albuquerque, NM (2025)

“That's the Sound of Inevitability: Using ChatGPT and other LLMs to Create Cross-Curricular Writing Assignments”

Co-Presenter | Drexel Conference on Teaching and Learning | Philadelphia, PA (2023)

“Mario's PTSD: Trauma and Rebirth in Popular Media”

College English Association (CEA) Conference: Vision and Revision | New Orleans, LA (2019)

“Telling Video Game Stories Through the Body: Theoretical Framework of Haptic Narrative”

Speaker & Session Chair: “Gamestudies: Bodies and Controllers” | Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) National Conference | Indianapolis, IN (2018)

“Old School Cool: Developing Educational Software for the Modern Instructor”

Play Colloquium | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2017)

“Radical Trust: How Swarm Computing Can Effect Change in the Humanities”

Speaker & Moderator: “Literary Histories and Comics: Connecting the Now to the Then” | English Graduate Organization Conference | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2017)

Kalliope, Folio Chap Book, and KLIO Digital Literary Magazine

Penn State University | Faculty Advisor

Oversee the production, editorial pipelines, and digital/print curation for three distinct campus literary magazines, mentoring student editorial boards in design, publishing workflow, and contemporary creative curation.

Digital Storytelling Project

Co-Developer & Workshop Lead | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2018–2019)

Co-developed and led interactive Twine workshops for local middle and high school students. Designed curriculum to bridge STEM disciplines and literary arts through basic logic coding, branching choice design, and digital narrative architecture.

Digital Humanities Center Support

Technical Support & Programming Consultant | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2018)

Provided development and instructional support for graduate courses covering digital curation, interactive narrative, and digital rhetoric. Assisted researchers and students with the installation, pipeline setup, and deployment of technical DH research applications.

The Play Colloquium

Organizer & Panelist | Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2017)

Co-organized academic panels, tech demos, and creative exhibitions exploring the intersection of modern electronic media, play mechanics, and structural storytelling frameworks.

Academic Profile

Academic appointments, teaching philosophy, and institutional service records.

Media Analysis & Video Essays

Media analysis projects exploring structural storytelling across interactive platforms.