Level .04 - Storytelling

Introduction to Storytelling

Next week, we will talk about analytical frameworks that help designers create games. We will mainly talk about the MDA framework, but we will also mention FDD and the Elemental Tetrad. Although storytelling is not directly mentioned in MDA, it is a natural part of FDD and Elemental Tetrad.

So what is so significant about storytelling that it was added directly into these analytical frameworks? After all, many games have no background story, e.g., Pong, Tetris, PacMan, Space Invaders, Battle Ship (although one could question this), yet they became legends. And on the other hand, some games are intertwined with the story or are primarily based on it (various adventure games and RPGs) and are not even worth mentioning.

From this point of view, the story is not that essential for the game itself, but on the other hand, it makes the game more "creamy." So today, we will try to give answers to several basic questions related to storytelling:

• How does the story benefit your game? And specifically - what can it offer your players? What about you, as a game designer?
• How can the story make your game more interesting? Can the story help keep players more engaged with the game? Can it help lead to a greater emotional experience? (aesthetics)

However, one thing is sure - if we attach a story to the game, we offer the game a specific context and allow the players to think about the game outside the screen, e.g., in public transport ;)

Purpose of Storytelling

So, if we are to talk about the role of storytelling in games, it is important first to answer the question, what is the meaning or purpose of storytelling in games? Because more is needed for players to have a reason to think about games even outside the screen.

One of the purposes of storytelling in games is that storytelling helps you (as a designer) communicate with the player of your game. And also with your development team since, in the context of the story, you can talk about the game even during development.

The story is also the answer to a simple question that one may ask in connection with your game: "What is the game about?". And it is the story that can give a clear answer to this question. Likewise, within the story, we can clearly hear the game goal question's answer.

It is very important that the game can communicate with the player cleanly, clearly, and distinctly!

Inspiration

The game itself, its design, and later development are difficult to start without the story and its context. Then you have considerably limited possibilities in terms of its further expansion, and you can focus just on the game's mechanics.

However, if you define the game's theme, your possibilities for further expansion will increase rapidly. You can define various things, such as:

• the country where the game takes place (clothing, language, culture, ...)
• time period (clothing, language, culture, historical events, ...)
• real/mythological characters with whom the player can come into contact (James Bond, Robin Hood, ...)

You can sign all these things on the game, and you can install them in the game in a suitable way. You may narrow down the field of possibilities (the entire universe), but the limitation will be realistic and help you stick to the topic. For example, if you're going to make a game about secret agents during the cold war period, it will help you stick to the theme and any period events and themes associated with the area.

You can tackle the topic differently - start watching movies, reading documents, books, and comics, watching contemporary news, looking at pictures from that period, building terminology, etc. It's the same with films - the film's scenery also determines its credibility and believability.

Of course, all these ideas have a direct impact on the game and enhance its overall experience.

Emotions

Once again, let's have a small taste of the forthcoming lecture: Part of the analytical framework will also be aesthetics - a field that deals with the experience of games. Emotions are part of this experience, so it is appropriate to ask: "How should the player feel when playing my game?"

The story helps bring specific things and events into the game, which in turn helps evoke certain emotions. Empathy can also be seen when playing games; when the player experiences the game with the main character, everything that happens is very personal to him (because it actually happened to the player). The players are experiencing their game.

Surprise

An element reviving the gaming stereotype is the surprise in the game. If the game is linear and, in a certain way, predictable, it does not bring anything new to the gameplay (unless we consider new graphics or altogether new media in the later stages of the game or stronger enemies to maintain balance in the game).

Surprises are a suitable way to liven up the overall game experience. Surprises and twists in games can have the same effect as surprises and twists in movies (e.g., Saw) or books. And so, situations that are already completely clear and predictable can really (emotionally) affect the player, thanks to a suitable surprise.

Motivation

As we already mentioned, the story can very simply and clearly explain to the player the goal of the entire game and can also give meaning to the goal. The game can be about more than just reaching the max. score, e.g., about freeing the princess.

The story and its goal can also motivate the player to progress further in the game or for the designer to make the game's further development even more interesting and engaging.

Main Storyteller

So who is the main creator of the story? Is it the designer (or writer), or can the players themselves contribute to the story? We can imagine three ways to look at storytelling or how to approach them.

Writer-Driven

Writer-Driven represents an approach where everything is in the designer's hands, and the story communicates to the player. Key moments are communicated using various cut scenes.

In this case of storytelling, the player cannot make his own decisions that could affect the story and its development in any way. He plays the game, and at certain moments he learns how the story will proceed (despite the main character's decision to be a jerk).

This approach has the significant advantage of keeping the game simple. It also allows you to make crucial decisions for the player. For example, if the character in the game is a great theoretical physicist (ala Gordon Freeman) and is faced with a problem that the player can only solve thanks to his knowledge of physics, nothing of the kind is required of the player, because the game itself guides him through the problem.

Large chunks of the story can be fed using this approach. This approach also allows the main character to make mistakes, which is very important, and sometimes the player himself can feel very stupid about what his character actually did. And so, it is necessary for the player to subsequently cut the main character out of the problem he got himself into (thanks to the designer, but not the player).

Writer-Led

The second approach is partially similar to the previous one. For example, instead of a cut scene, we will use the sound of a mysterious call from the cave in the game, which can lead the player to enter it. This time, however, the player is led to move through the story thanks to his curiosity and not directly thanks to the designer.

Thanks to this approach, it is possible to leave the major decisions to the player (or so it seems), which is an advantage of this approach over the previous one.

A more complex design can be considered a disadvantage of this approach.

Player-Led

Significant to this approach is that the player creates his challenges by playing the game. For example, SimCity - build the tallest skyscraper; NFS - disable traffic in the game; fighting games - shoot/destroy all enemies in the level.

However, this approach requires considerable additional testing - the more players play or test the game, the more similar challenges can arise.

Testing of Storytelling

One of the ways to test the story and the possibilities it offers is also the way peeked from the games Dungeons and Dragons. In this case, a cave master and other players are needed, with whom they will play and thus test the durability and attractiveness of the entire story.

• You will check how the player reacts to the challenges in the game.
• Using this approach, it is also possible to see which parts players find most interesting.
• You will also learn how to lure the player back to your chosen plot (goal) if they try to deviate from the prepared plot line.

Storytelling in Other Areas

• movies (Big Fish)
• commercial (Christmas Commercial)
• presentations - 3 minutes, hackathon
• exercises from Object programming vs. other (applying game principles to a different area than the game itself ;)
• music videos (Michael Jackson, Gold)

Video