Throughout this blog series, I have discussed various ways a developer can use the unique medium of video games to tell a story. Player choice allows the developer to create levels that reflect player styles or decisions. Through good moments of player choice, it can make them feel as though they are in control and actively contributing to the story. Atmosphere influences the mood of the player and set their expectations. But there is one other more subtle decision that is integral to telling a story through an interactive medium. That is the perspective of the player character themselves. In video games, there are many ways to experience a game. Sometimes you are a faceless entity controlling groups of units from high in the sky. In other games you are locked in a first-person perspective, experiencing events as the character does in graphic detail. These perspectives each factor into the player’s immersion, each one serving a specific purpose depending on the genre and type of game.
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Peck’s Programming a Narrative: Level Design
Last blog I explored the use of cutscenes in videogames and how they are used or in some cases overused. As I was exploring different cutscenes on the internet and replaying specific levels from my favorite videogames I eventually came across an old nostalgic game that was one of my favorite when I was younger, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. I mentioned this game in the previous blog, but in this particular dive into videogame narratives, I wish to explore an element that this game executes brilliantly: Level design. The reason I want to focus on Fall of Cybertron, in particular, is because as I was walking down memory lane, I realized that this game uses level design in such an effective manner that it made me want to write about it. So I will.
Continue readingPeck’s Programming a Narrative: Cutscenes
Videogames at their core are an interactive medium. The whole reason you probably play videogames is to experience something that you had a part in, being an active participant. But this brings up its own set of issues. What happens if the player misses something important, or characters and events are ignored completely? What happens if that control is taken away? In order to get around this pesky issue known as “free will,” game developers commonly use things called cutscenes in order to relay critical information to players, story or otherwise. These cutscenes can take various forms, but the important part is that more times than not they strip away control from the player, making the experience more akin to a movie than a videogame. Although I think that cutscenes have their place in videogames to tell a compelling story, I think that the recent abundance of them might be taking mainstream videogames in the wrong direction.
Continue readingPeck’s Programming a Narrative: The Choice is Yours!
Have you ever had that one experience while watching a movie where a character did something really really stupid? Many times, characters because of either bad writing or character motivations do everything but the right thing to do, or so according to our omnipotent perspective from across the screen. They should have gone right instead of left, stand and fought instead of running away. If only there was a way where you, the player, could make these choices. You know better than these characters. Well with the miracle of branching narratives you can. Branching narratives is a method of storytelling where the person participating can have a tangible effect on the outcome of events within a story through their choices. Storytelling like this was first seen within things such as choose your own adventure books, where you would flip to predetermined pages to determine your outcome. In videogames however, it is a lot more streamlined and ideally suited for this interactive medium. Branching storylines are so good because not only does give more agency to the player but allow for a much more expansive story throughout multiple playthroughs.
Continue readingPeck’s Programming a Narrative: The Importance of Atmosphere
Atmosphere: Much like the natural force that surrounds our planet, having a good atmosphere is essential to creating an immersive videogame experience. The traditional definition of atmosphere for more traditional media would be the pervading mood of a place, situation, or work of art. However, in videogames, it takes on a slightly different definition. In the context of interactive media, a good atmosphere is meant to make it feel as if the world the player is in is alive. When the player interacts with elements of a world it should feel like their actions have consequences, reacting to said actions in positive or negative ways. Talking to non-playable characters populating a hub should feel like a real conversation, the environment should provide obstacles and environmental storytelling, enemies thematic and reactive to various tactics the player may use. The reason molding a good atmosphere is so important is because, without it, specific story beats or entire story arcs can fall flat. What is the point of a depressing, pessimistic story about the end of the world if the environment, characters, and writing don’t reflect that? A good atmosphere can do a lot of showing to reinforce the telling, making the narrative stronger if used properly.
Continue readingPeck’s Programming a Narrative: Mission Start
In today’s world creative writers wanting to tell a story are given an overwhelming assortment of options to express themselves. Storytellers are craftsmen, and the various types of media are their tools. Through the visual medium of movies and television or the textual formatting of books and comics, people now more than ever can convey a wide assortment of ideas, abstract or otherwise. But what if there was a way to further immerse the audience, a way for them to experience a narrative in the most literal sense? Lucky for us there is: videogames.
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