Chap. 0: Introduction
- The book focuses on story- and character-driven mainstream genres:
- action/adventure (The Legend of Zelda, Uncharted)
- first-person shooter (Halo, Doom)
- survival/horror (Resident Evil, Dead Space)
- plaformers (Super Mario Bros., Canabalt)
- fantasy RPG (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior)
- The book omits popular but less story- and character-driven modes:
- simulation (The Sims)
- real-time strategy (Starcraft II)
- sports (Madden football)
- puzzle (Bejeweled)
- The author's 11 video game writer commandments are:
- We're in the entertainment business, not the game business.
- Build your design and story to break.
- Somebody always knows something you don't.
- Dialog is the tip of the dramatic iceberg.
- You are only as good as your relationship with your team.
- Be willing to kill your babies.
- Protect your vision.
- Make your deliverables.
- Don't shine a spotlight on a turd.
- Choose collaboration over compromise.
- Making fun should be fun.
- The book is focused pragmatically on video game writing as a practical craft rather than an art.
- The book asserts that much of a game designer's job is communicating his or her concepts effectively.
- The book claims that good game writing takes practice, and thus the act of creating is as valuable as the created product.
Chap. 1: The Influences of Storytelling in a Digital Universe
- Writing and design are influenced and informed
by the medium it is delivered in
- Create a language that is unique to your medium
- Consider the entertainment needs of the masses
instead of the minority
- Evolution of Media for the Masses:
- Radio
- Comics
- Television
- Theme Parks
- Recreation of fictional stories in real life
- Role-Playing Games
- Mega-Franchise
- Original video games did not have a story but
still had narrative
- Stories were manipulated as far back as their
beginnings
- Traditional animation has timeless importance
- Video games serve as an alternate animation
- Eras of Video Game Development
- Primitive
- Basic Graphics, Addictive Gameplay
- Multimedia (Sillywood)
- Everything can be made interactive
- Sophisticated
- Visually stunning realism, Increased depth
- Advancement is incremental
- Innovation comes from looking at something in a
new way or using it unexpectedly
Chap. 2: Video Game Story Structure and Work Approach
- Difference between game writers and game designers
- Designer: in charge of creative parts of the game (mechanics)
- Writer: in charge of plot, making connections between design, and working on narratives
- Play it, Display it, Say it
- The authors bring this up a lot and stress the importance of letting the player have control of key narrative moments.
- Challenges of Content Creation in Video Games
- Play it, Display it, Say it: the authors bring this up a lot and stress the importance of letting the player have control of key narrative moments.
- Things are constantly in motion and revision
- Don’t diminish the hero: be aware at how often the hero is being nagged, or ordered, or bossed around in the game
- Constructing the Story
- “Rollercoaster”: exhilaration, slowing, building suspense, bigger exhilaration, surprise “bump,” huge suspense, final wild ride, victory lap, get off the ride
- Writer Friendly/Difficult Formats: The more control a player has in a game, the more difficult it is to create it. Friendly=Linear, Difficult= Branching
- Types of Branching Narratives:
- Limited Branching
- Open-Ended
- Funneling Narrative (chokepoints)
- Critical Paths
- Nodal Storytelling (location or object dependent)
- Story Styles
- Episodic- each level starts out exactly the same way
- Film Style- uses cinematics to mimic the dialogue scenes in the movie
- Serial- combination of episodic and film style
- Cut-Scenes as Game and Story Drivers
- Setups- preparation
- Payoffs- rewards
- Autopsy- highlights Mistakes
- Advancement- establishes next portion of game
- Character Journeys- how player has developed
- Impart Information (Mission Briefing)- explains objectives
- Establish Rules and Expectations
- Using Dialogue to Convey Information
- It’s important to give clear explanations so the player is not confused/ knows what they need to do
- Elements of Plot: Plot= Dramatic Tension (Conflict x Stakes/Times= Hero Jeopardy)
- Types of Conflict
- Man Vs. Man
- Man Vs. Nature
- Man Vs. Self
- Man Vs. Destiny (Luck)
- Man Vs. Machine
- Man Vs. System
- Man Vs. Past
- The Stakes: what players are playing for, both in the game and the story
- Life or Death
- Wealth or Poverty
- Love or Loss
- Happiness or Sadness
- Triumph or Defeat
- Security Vs. Instability
- Jeopardy: Story Tension
- Time
- Plot
- Character(s)
- World
- Tone
- Theme
- Player Expectations: Creating relatable characters and story
Chap. 3: Game Story Theory and Dialogue
- You live or die by your dialogue.
- A good story starts with:
- an interesting world
- a great plot with twists and turns
- compelling characters that are affected by and create the conflict and stakes
- an immersive style that depends on game experience and story
- great challenges that come up in game-play which you encounter and overcome
- The greatest characters in the world will be flat if they don’t have something interesting to talk about.
- Shorthand back-story wherever possible: don’t explicitly tell the back-story but show it in game-play
- Engaging the player to fill in the blanks: many games rely on players to disconnect themselves from the arbitrary action of the game and use their imagination to sort of write the story themselves. Also the idea of probing comes up in this section: fighting and refighting a boss to learn the methods in which to beat him.
- Don’t wear out profanity: Find other ways around it. It can be distracting and take away from the storyline (dumb it down).
- Use the present tense: You want the player to live in the moment.
Chap. 4: Video Game Construction Techniques and Strategies
First things first: Set up your world and keep it lean. “The ultimate punishment is game-over death
and the ultimate reward is winning the game.” (pg. 50)
The Pallet
- Two media with which to tell the story: audio and video.
- Audio – Voice: onscreen, offscreen, voiceover
- Audio – EFX: Organic sound effects and inorganic
- Audio – Music: Organic and soundtrack
- Video – Cinematics: pre-rendered and in-game
- Video – Text: Printed or Iconic
- Video – Graphics:
Types of Exposition: Plot, Character, Gameplay
Game Scene Dramatic
Level Template: A way to construct the overall dramatic structure of each
level (pg. 54).
The World In Video
Games: “World dictates gameplay and gameplay dictates world. “ (pg. 60)
Implying Stakes and
Value Systems through World: World also encompasses what matters, what is
of value, and what the stakes are in the game you are playing.
How Content is
Perceived Relative to the Game World: World Creates Context. (pg. 61). Keep
in mind cultural differences when developing your game.
The Same But
Different – It’s In The Presentation: The Less realistic, the less
offensive people find it. The more realistic the world, the more likely that
people may find things offensive.
Finding Your World By
Knowing Your Characters: The world determines its inhabitants, world view,
setting.
World Questions: One
of the core strengths of video games is that they provide an immersion into
other realities – into other worlds – in a way that can be more engaging,
compelling and addictive than other mediums. (pg. 62)
Other Construction
Techniques: Chain Reaction of Events, Key Scene or Mythic Moment, A scene
Within A Scene, Build From your Hero or Villain
Chap. 5: Building Characters
- Character types
- player character
- non-player characters (ally, neutral, enemy, level bosses)
- player-directed characters
- Interaction of all characters is important to the overall effectiveness of the game
- Must be drama in the game (betrayal)
- Character rewards and punishments
- Value system of the game must align with the narrative
- Keeps us playing
- Characters defined by the choices they make
- Main character must fit the game template
- Character template (the more detail the better)
- Creating character organizations (i.e. goals, power, etc.)
- State and structure of non-player characters
- Unaware
- Alert
- Active (hunt, attack, protect, flee, warn, berserk)
- Asleep
- Dead
- Encourages developing characters to the point that they take on a life of their own
Chap. 6: Building Characters
- Developing the Concept:
- Hook
- Story
- Characters
- Locations
- Franchise
- Scope and Scale:
- How big the game is supposed to be in terms of levels, cinematic times, Voice Overs, Maps, etc.
- The First Five Minutes of the Game:
- Making sure the game compels the gamer by tight gameplay, and entertainment value. Otherwise the gamer will quickly lose interest in the game.
- Scripts:
- Cinematic Script- normal script document
- In Game Dialogue script- comes in a Excel spreadsheet form
- Onomatopoeia Script- Endless variation phrases like, “Ouch! That hurts.”
- Build ‘Em To Break:
- Make sure every aspect of your game development has a back-up plan.
- Character Needs Objectives:
- Objectives within objectives some mandatory some optional to give your character purpose.
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