Chapter 7A – Storytelling and Narrative Storytelling: -a feature of daily experience that we do without thinking -consume stories continuously Game designers add stories to: -enhance entertainment value -keep player interested -sell game Why put stories in games? -stories add to the entertainment that the game offers -gives competition context -provide greater emotional satisfaction -stories attract a wider audience -people need stories to motivate them -help keep player interested -short, quick games don ’ t need stories (ie. Tetris, Bejewled) -stories offer novelty -longer games need variety or it will become repetitive -help sell the game -gameplay is hard to market but storytelling is There is no right way to include a story. This depends on the designer (ie. The experience that they wish to deliver and what kind of player they want to serve.) The type of game built will determine the story. Examples: -Space Invaders only needs a one lined story -Grand Theft Auto 4, Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex offer novel type stories. Can ’ t exist without it
Storytelling should not overshadow gameplay. Otherwise it will break design rule 1. DESIGN RULE 1: Gameplay comes first Factors that affect how much of a story a game should include: -length -longer the game, more it benefits from story -characters -focus on individual people that the player can identify with -degree of realism -simulators don ’ t include stories because the premise doesn ’ t need one (ex. FIFA) -abstract games do (ex. Ms PacMan) -emotional richness -pleasure in success -frustration at failure -deeper emotions come when player attached to character in the well written story (ex. Final Fantasy 7, Red Dead Redemption) Key Concepts A minimally acceptable story must be credible, coherent and dramatically meaningful. -Credible -people can believe the story -offer characters that the audience can sympathize with -if character not believable, then the story is flawed -different audiences tolerate varying levels of credibility
-Coherent -events in a story must not be irrelevant but must harmonize -Dramatically Meaningful -events have to involve something that the listener cares about -all events must contribute to the players involvement “ A good story must be a credible and coherent account of dramatically meaningful events. ” Interactive Stories -take place now; the player is in the middle of the events. -player ’ s interact with them by contributing actions to it -story still interactive if player ’ s actions can ’ t change plot Three kinds of events: 1) Player Events - Actions performed by the player - If the players actions can affect the plot of the story, called dramatic events 2) In-Game Events - Events initiated by core mechanics - Response to player ’ s actions (ex. A trap) or independent of player ’ s actions (ex. Guard checking a door) 3) Narrative Events - Events whose control the player cannot change although the player may be able to change whether they occur or not - Narrates an action to the player, no interaction Agency -power to change the direction of the plot A common misconception is that some designer ’ s believe that if a player has no agency, then the story is not interactive.
The more that a player ’ s actions are credible, coherent and dramatically meaningful, the better the story will be. Narrative -story events that are narrated by the game to the player -consists of noninteractive, presentational part of the story Roles of narrative: -present events over which player has no control -can introduce the level -create background for richness and depth of the story -reward to the player Blocks of narrative material (brief episodes of noninteractive content) can be: -opening -ending -briefing -cutscenes DESIGN RULE 2: Noninteractive sequences must be interruptable. Different types of narrative may be: -prerendered movie -cutscene -scrolling text -voice over commentary -long monologue Individual lines of dialogue are not narrative; long noninteractive dialogue between NPC ’ s is A game must find a balance between narrative and gameplay.
The raison d ’ etre of computer gaming is interactivity (give player something to do). Player cannot decide the world he ’ s in. He must have the freedom to act. DESIGN RULE 3: Do not seize control of the avatar. Dramatic Tension -sense that something important is at stake coupled with a desire to know what happens next -essence of storytelling -cliffhangers ensure audience sticks around -at climax, tension begins to fall Gameplay Tension -sense that something important is at stake coupled with a desire to know what happens next -comes from player ’ s desire to overcome a challenge and his uncertainty about whether he will success or fail -multiplayer has it False Analogy -dramatic tension deals with the character -gameplay tension doesn ’ t require character (ex. Hit a target) -differences arise from feeling to persist in randomness and repetition -in dramatic, if the events are random, then the player won ’ t bother -in dramatic, events shouldn ’ t repeat themselves -gameplay tension can tolerate both DESIGN RULE 4: Randomness and repetition destroy dramatic tension. Storytelling Engine -oversees the player ’ s progress through the games story
-works with the core mechanics To design a game that includes a story, you must interweave gameplay with narrative events (events should feel related). The storytelling engine is option if the game doesn ’ t have a story. At times, core mechanics may determine that interaction should stop and storytelling engine should present narrative through a “ trigger ” and vice versa. The storytelling engine is constantly getting triggers from the core mechanics and is barely ever idle. (example of a game trigger: cross an invisible line to queue an event) Linear Stories -stories that the player cannot change Linear stories in games are interaction as the player ’ s actions are contributors to the story. Pros of linear stories: -require less content -storytelling engine is simpler -less prone to bugs -capable of greater emotional power Cons of linear stories: -deny player agency Examples: Call of Duty, Borderlands Nonlinear Stories -allow player to influence future events and change the direction of the story -two common structures are branching and foldback -third is emergent narrative (still being researched)
Branching Stories -allows player to have different experience each time they play -designer decides on different plotlines The story telling engine keeps track of the plotline. Branch Points are used to see where the plot subdivides. When a branch point is hit, core mechanics send a trigger to the storytelling engine to tell which possible branches happen next. The game events will determine which branch the story will take. Player events that influence the direction are: -efforts to overcome a challenge (success or failure) -decisions that story asks player to make (kill this guy or that guy instead or both) Immediate influence -an event causes plot to branch right away -player makes irrevocable decision (ex. Road to take) and story reflects the choice Deferred influence -player makes decision early in game that cumulatively affects the branch point A trivial decision should have trivial consequences (ex. Pick a bow or a shotgun) DESIGN RULE 5: Be clear about consequences Disadvantages of Branching Story: -extremely expensive to implement -every critical event has to branch to its own unique section
-player must repeatedly play to see all content To make a branching story, plan the structure in the concept stage. Examples: Fallout 3, Heavy Rain Foldback Stories -compromise between branching and linear stories -plot branches a number of times but eventually folds back to a single inevitable event Most foldback stories have one ending, but sometimes have multiple. Foldback is the standard structure to allow the player agency but it eliminates a lot of the cons involved in a branching story like cost and complexity. Inevitable events should be critical and change things forever. (Example: a nuke changes the land or kills some NPCs)
Examples: Mass Effect, Infamous Emergent Narrative
-storytelling produced entirely by the player ’ s actions and ignores events - doesn’t contain narrative blocks created by a writer Problems with emergent narrative: -requires core mechanics to create credible, coherent, and dramatically meaningful stories -core mechanics must limit repetition and randomness -offers nothing for conventionally trained writers to do Emergent is still a field of research so very few, if not none have it … yet
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