This article presents an ontological theory of the narrative work in order to identify the storygame (videogame with high narrativity) as a postclassical narrative phenomenon. The theory is demand-based, meaning that it perceives narrative works through the demands they set for their progression, progression demands. In the postulated ontological theory the article identifies the storygame primarily as an extrademanding narrative work: a narrative work whose progression entails input that is either strategic (constrained by indeterminacy) or time-critical (constrained by time limits). Observing that not all artifacts currently considered ‘storygames’ set strategic or time-critical progression demands leads to the suggestion that some narrative works labeled as such might be better studied, in a very classical sense, as narrative literature.