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Storytelling

  • Utilise the fact that games can take many different branches and taking advantage of this makes a good game.

Protagonist​

  • The main character... HIM
  • They have wants, needs, motives and change throughout the story.
  • You normally play as them.
  • The more story focused a game is, the more defined the protagonist will be.
  • Games with no story focus doesn't really have a protagonist... just the player.
  • An enticing protagonist should want something, have some purpose, goals, motives.
  • Protagonists with goals and conflicts are normally voiced, however it should be a conscious decision whether or not you want your hero to speak or not.
  • Games with less of a story focus tend to go for a silent protagonist (skyrim, portal, etc.)
  • Sometimes you play a character who isn't the antagonist but isn't really a hero... we call this the Anti-Hero.
    • You need to ensure that your Anti-Hero is likeable, which can be harder than making a hero.
    • This is because they do bad things but you need to set the context so that we understand that they're doing it for a good reason.

Antagonist​

  • The villain of the story.
  • Establish the story's conflict and are the protagonist's driving force.
  • Aim of the story is usually to defeat the antagonist.
  • They usually give the protagonist their reasons, they set the story.

Three Act Structure​

  • Act 1: Setup
    • Sets up the world, characters, protagonist, and antagonist.
    • This act ends when the inciting incident occurs.
    • This is where the situation changes and the player's goals for the rest of the game are established.
  • Act 2: Confrontation
    • AKA rising action.
    • This is where we find the protagonist trying to solve the conflict only to find themselves in a worsening situation.
    • A plot point at the end of this act will start the 3rd act (could be a goal change for example.)
  • Act 3: Resolution
    • This is where the story and subplots are resolved.
    • Questions are answered.
    • It leaves the protagonist and other characters with a new sense of who they really are.

Storytelling methods​

Cutscenes​

  • Pre-made scenes that help further the story.
  • Characters talking, action happening, transitioning between levels, etc.
  • They allow for pre-defined cinematic content that developers want the player to see.
  • 2 types:
    • In-game
      • Game is temporarily disrupted.
      • Player loses and control.
    • Cinematic
      • Used for more direct storytelling purposes.
      • Composition, multiple cuts, it's more like a movie.
      • Sometimes they've been pre-rendered, meaning its just a video that's playing.

Dialogue​

  • Generally a choice.
  • Can allow multiple outcomes by choosing what they say.

Environmental Storytelling​

  • Use the game world to give context to the setting and story.

Game World Items​

  • Things like books and audio logs which can explain elements of the story or history of the world.
  • Useful for games with in-depth lore that cannot be explained throughout the story.

Narration​

  • Good method to explain the story to the player or guide them through the game.
  • The narrator can be an ambiguous voice, or a character in the game.
  • Portal is a good example where the antagonist is the narrator.

Choices​

  • Choice is what makes games stand out from movies and books.
  • Pros: allows the player to feel like their actions matter, provides replayability, allows for a more immersive story,
  • Cons: can be harder to design, lack of varied endings can make choices seem useless, may not be the type of experience you're going for.
  • Types of stories: Linear, multiple endings, branching story.

Non-story choices​

  • Not all choices need to affect the story.
  • RPGs are popular because of the customisations.

Morality systems​

  • Is a nice way of shaping how your character behaves.
    • Speaking in cutscenes for example.
  • It can change and shape the world around you, are you a good person or a bad person?

Quests​

  • Tasks that the player needs to complete to progress through the game.
  • They can either be given out automatically or the player must seek them out.
  • Types:
    • Main: Linear progression that guides you through the story.
    • Side: Complement the main quest line, enhance world building and provide small stories to tell.