Dexpositions

Dexpositions is a neologism used in media studies to describe a mode of exposition in which information about a story world, system, or process is conveyed through demonstrative action rather than direct narration or dialogue. The term is most often discussed in relation to interactive media, immersive theatre, and experimental film, where meaning emerges from what characters do, how objects are used, or how a player or viewer physically engages with the environment.

Origins and terminology

Dexpositions blends the Latin dexter, meaning skillful or right-handed, with exposition to signal a form of information delivery rooted in performance rather than speech. It is not an established category with formal criteria; rather, it appears in scholarly and critical writings as a descriptive label for a recurring practice in contemporary media where knowledge is learned through action, gesture, and immersion.

Mechanisms and examples

In video games, dexpositions appear as tutorials embedded within gameplay, where players learn mechanics by performing tasks that reveal the game world’s rules and history. Environmental storytelling can also function as dexposition when objects, settings, or sequences implicitly teach backstory or system logic through their arrangement or use. In theatre or film, dexposition can occur when a scene demonstrates a social rule or historical context through performance, props, and choreography rather than spoken explanation.

Reception and critique

Supporters argue dexpositions enhance immersion and reduce exposition fatigue by showing rather than telling. Critics caution that it can obscure essential information for players or viewers who miss subtleties, and that it may disadvantage those with limited familiarity with the medium or its controls.

See also

Exposition, show-don’t-tell, environmental storytelling, tutorial design, interactive narrative.