If not the very definition of the human experience, learning, and culture, stories are a crucial component. It is believed that narrative is the mechanism through which we have evolved to construct reality and make sense of the world around us, including the games we play. Narrative is said to be the mechanism through which human beings have evolved to understand their existence in terms of the structure within spoken or written accounts of connected events.
Why is it crucial?
The video game business has expanded significantly over the past few decades and appears to have exceeded the music and film industries in terms of revenue. This may be attributed by anyone to the development of technology and advancements, which over time led to computers, consoles, and video games becoming significantly more accessible and affordable. No longer is playing video games reserved for a small number of people.
Thus, video games have taken on a crucial role in many people’s life for a variety of factors other than just aesthetics and gameplay. Nowadays, the industry believes that good gameplay and compelling storytelling go hand in hand. These are necessary components for making a fun, intensely interactive game.
There are many excellent games where narrative is less crucial, such as Pac-Man and Minecraft, but if you look closely, you can still uncover the mythology and justification for why their worlds are the way they are. Nonetheless, the great majority of games rely on strong storytelling and writing to keep players engaged. Playing at Admiral Casino is another example where players get involved and are further submerged in the universe that the designers built.
There is really one key distinction between games and other kinds of narrative, despite the fact that game creators from all over the world have taken a range of different strategies to reveal their worlds, characters, and stories. You play the role of the protagonist.
Films and novels can also aid in character integration, but video games allow players complete command from the captain’s chair. The player has complete control over their actions, interactions, and ideas.
The storylines that stand out, though not all game developers pay the same amount of time or detail to them, have a special place in the hearts of fans of all ages and creeds, and they genuinely deserve to be commended for it.
STRATEGIES FOR TELLING STORIES WITH PLAYER-TAILED STORIES
By allowing players to select the exact way the tale will end, player-tailored games take the ability to put them in control of the game’s plot to a new level. The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead by Telltale Games, as well as Life Is Strange and the Mass Effect trilogy, are notable examples of games in this genre.
As the plot develops, the player’s decisions affect how the characters view and interact with them. Deciding to support one character over another could lead to betrayal from that person. A democratic leader’s downfall or the creation of an empire could be the outcome of choosing to side with one faction.
An Story Plot
To convey a compelling tale in a video game, it is not necessarily essential to carefully consider the structure and potential outcomes. Several video games make excellent use of what may be referred to as the traditional narrative structure. These video games efficiently portray the story by utilizing a range of features, including cutscenes, conversation, and text.
The Last of Us and the Bioshock trilogy are two beloved examples of this. The Bioshock trilogy creates an intricately plotted, enthralling tale that plays with the idea of time travel and parallel universes. While The Last of US presents the captivating tale of survivors Joel and Ellie who must cooperate as they travel westward across what is left of the United States in an effort to perhaps locate a cure for the contemporary fungal illness that has wiped out the entire human species.
The writers knew how crucial it was to create enduring characters, thought-provoking themes, and satisfying twists in order to take their games from decent to cult classic status, which would be talked about for decades to come.
Narration
Doing that is among the easiest methods to convey a tale. Introduce a narrator to the game so they may give the player the story. The story of a bunch of colored rectangles seeking meaning is told by the game’s narrator, Thomas Was Alone. The story is continuously told in the past tense by the narrator. In the end, this results in a very linear method of presenting the narrative to the player. People can watch the play passively as the plot develops.
The narrator frequently lets the player know what the other characters are considering and feeling even though the game is narrated from Thomas’ point of view. Because the narrator clearly informs the player what the characters feel and think, this results in a particularly direct way of telling a tale. But, when done effectively, this method may be quite successful at conveying emotion using only basic visual cues. Thomas Was Alone is an illustration of how even basic graphic shapes can be the topic of amazing stories when combined with humor.
Yet, The Stanley Parable is a game that questions the straightforward narrative storytelling found in titles like Thomas Was Alone. Contrary to traditional game storytelling, this story is nonlinear. The player is continually faced with decisions to make that will affect how the game will play out in the future. The Stanley Parable’s writing shines in this area. No matter the option the player chooses, the game’s narrator has a viewpoint to share.
When the narrator clearly states that the player chose the door to the left yet the player angrily picks the door to the right after being given a choice between two doors, the game can give the impression of defying its own logic or story. The player is made to feel confused and has a very bizarre experience while playing the game as a result of the repeated contradictions and fourth-wall violations.
Conclusion
Due to the abundance of available content, video games are a fantastic medium for storytelling. In the end, there are numerous ways to tell a story in video games. To enhance the player’s experience with the gameplay, developers will frequently combine two or more storytelling techniques. The setting, gameplay, and, yes, the story being told, will ultimately determine the best manner to tell a tale in a video game.
