Tales drive video games. It provides the participant a goal, path, and one thing to do within the sport. Each sport, regardless of how easy, has a narrative. Even video games like Counter-Strike: World Offensive or Sweet Crush Saga has one. Some video games current it subtly whereas others are extra apparent about it.
Telling Tales
As many tales as there are, there as nearly as some ways to inform them. Historically, tales had been handed down by means of recitation. One era tells their tales to the subsequent, and so forth and so forth. This created issues, because the ‘Cross the Message’ celebration sport can attest. The tales received corrupted over time and adjusted consequently.
So individuals began writing them down. It’s much less corruptible, however the materials the story is written on can degrade, so if it isn’t taken care of, it may nonetheless be misplaced. Relying in your interpretation, painters and footage also can inform a narrative.
The development of know-how let it transfer on to digital encoding, although that also has its issues. It additionally permits individuals to discover a complete new avenue of storytelling, which is thru video video games. It lets the ‘listener’ work together with the story’s characters or typically has them affect outcomes.
There have been books that do that, the Select Your Personal Journey books. Tabletop gaming like Dungeons and Dragons additionally permits gamers to do that, however gamers need to do the imagining. With video video games, they don’t need to think about something.
With the flexibleness of video video games, extra storytelling strategies may be explored, and listed below are the most typical ones.
Direct Exposition
That is essentially the most fundamental technique of storytelling in video video games. A narrator, the inner monologue of the participant character, or character dialogue delivers the story to the participant. Any story-focused sport makes use of this technique.
It’s been round for the reason that inception of video video games, although it may very well be as a result of video games had been primarily text-based within the early years. When graphics grew to become extra widespread, different kinds of strategies grew to become an concept.
Direct exposition may be delivered by means of textual content, dialogue, or each, relying on the sport’s style and the developer’s goal and intent. You’ll see this technique within the majority of video games. Normally, the story is nestled inside the ‘important quest’ in RPGs. In linear video games, following the prompting of the narration is sufficient. This typically ends in one thing like an ‘interactive film’ just like the Uncharted collection.
A greater illustration of this storytelling is something made by Telltale Video games and Detroit Grow to be Human. It provides one other layer as a result of the participant can affect how occasions end up. Their actions or inactions end in completely different outcomes for the story. Different comparable video games are Till Daybreak and, extra just lately, The Quarry.
RPGs additionally use this technique, however normally, they’re much less about actions and extra about making selections. Until the sport provides the participant a transparent option to do nothing, they at all times need to resolve to do one thing or one other.
Environmental Storytelling
That is the subtler method of delivering a narrative. Some examples of this are Gone Dwelling and What Stays of Edith Finch. Within the former, you management a woman who returns residence solely to search out her household gone. She (otherwise you by means of her) should go round the home to search out clues about what occurred to them.
With the participant character principally alone within the sport, there’s nobody to speak to, and there’s no inside monologue to learn or take heed to. The entire sport is you choosing up objects to examine and piecing collectively the occasions that left the home deserted.
There’s some exposition in letters or notes left behind, however that doesn’t give as a lot element as the sport immediately exhibiting or explaining what occurred does. This ends in gamers having a common interpretation of the occasions. Nonetheless, some context may be missed in the event you don’t discover particular objects.
What Stays of Edith Finch is far of the identical, although it has some expositional elements as a result of framing of the sport. Edith narrates her journey by means of the ancestral Finch home. As talked about above, particulars may be missed in the event you don’t examine or take a look at explicit objects. Nonetheless, even when she isn’t narrating, wanting round may give clues to the Finch members of the family’ personalities.
The strategy isn’t generally carried out alone like within the first instance above. WRoEF’s model is extra widespread, the place there’s exposition, however further particulars are added in the event you go searching. Open-world video games also can do that by leaving objects or arranging them to recommend how issues occurred.
A non-specific instance is stumbling throughout a cabin. You go in, and it’s deserted and uncared for. Going upstairs to the principle bed room reveals a corpse. Now, relying on how the corpse is organized, you possibly can infer the way it died. If the devs lefts syringes close by, then it’s an overdose. Blood splatters suggest the sufferer was murdered. It’s these little particulars that give tales a little bit extra depth.
Some video games inform tales by means of merchandise descriptions. It’s nonetheless part of environmental storytelling as a result of the place you discover the merchandise may be important. Darkish Souls is chock filled with this, and so is the Silent Hill franchise. Most video games use this technique, which is obvious if you’re keen to go searching and take within the sights.
A extra superior technique for merchandise description is description evolution. The participant’s actions within the sport can change how the merchandise behaves or appears to be like. In flip, how the participant character or narration observes it additionally adapts. It’s one thing you’d probably miss in the event you don’t cease and take a look at your stock occasionally.
Tales Informed By means of Exterior Media
Normally, that is carried out for bonus materials, reminiscent of quick tales that act as an epilogue to the sport’s storyline. Nonetheless, some video games use exterior media to ship the sport’s story. A type of is Overwatch. Blizzard makes use of trailers, movies, comics, and different media to current the background of the setting and the principle characters’ tales.
It is smart, although, as a result of the gameplay doesn’t have house for direct exposition. You could find some items of environmental storytelling, however these give too little element to inform an entire story. The sport may be loved with out understanding why the characters struggle or what they’re preventing for, however you will get a deeper sense of appreciation in the event you do.
Valve’s Workforce Fortress 2 employs an analogous technique to inform the sport’s story. Comics, movies, and hidden hyperlinks within the replace pages of the web site all contribute to this. These two video games have nearly the identical gameplay, too. CSGO employs the identical technique.
A Extra Highly effective Approach of Storytelling
All these strategies give video games the flexibility to ship highly effective messages meaningfully. Although some individuals nonetheless suppose they make individuals extra violent, many sport builders wish to convey a significant message.
It’s extra evident in unbiased builders. Large-name publishers care extra concerning the enterprise side, making the sport a glorified advert for microtransactions. Any message the developer needs to convey turns into overshadowed by the fixed notices to ‘purchase, purchase, purchase.’
In distinction, indie devs have extra freedom of expression to concentrate on getting their message throughout. Have a look at Undertale or, extra just lately, Omori. I do know they’re on completely different ends of the spectrum (relying on which route), however these video games use storytelling strategies to ship their messages very nicely.
Many gamers are likely to skip the plot for the motion, and that’s legitimate. Nonetheless, understanding the story will improve the appreciation of the sport. I don’t imply it is best to obsessively examine each nook and cranny for plot tidbits. Simply be extra observant of doable tales the setting might inform you. Hearken to the NPCs and skim a little bit between the traces. You may discover the sport to be even higher then!
Hope this helps in growing your appreciation and delight of video video games!
