Interactive Storytelling for Video Games (2011) .. by Josiah Lebowitz & Chris Klug
Contents
Special Thanks … xi
Chapter 1 Game Stories, Interactivity, and What Players Want … 1
The Importance of Stories … 1
Stories in Video Games … 5
Interactive Stories vs. Traditional Stories: The Great Debate … 8
Summary … 11
Things to Consider … 12
Chapter 2 A Brief History of Storytelling in Games … 13
The Beginnings of Game Stories … 13
Text Adventures and Interactive Fiction … 16
RPGs, Adventure Games, and the Growing Importance of Stories … 18
The Cinematic Evolution of Game Stories … 23
Game Stories Today … 26
The Limits of Storytelling in Games … 34
Summary … 37
Things to Consider … 38
Chapter 3 The Hero’s Journey and the Structure of Game Stories … 39
Types of Stories Best Suited for Games … 40
The “Best” Story Types … 43
Using Nonideal Stories … 45
The Hero’s Journey … 46
What Is the Hero’s Journey? … 46
Structure of the Hero’s Journey … 47
Modifying the Structure … 56
Common Themes and Cliche´s in Game Storytelling … 61
Common Cliche´s and Themes … 62
Why Cliche´s Are Used … 65
When to Use and When to Avoid Story Cliche´s … 66
Summary … 68
Things to Consider … 69
Chapter 4 The Story and the Characters … 71
Story Flow and Progression … 71
The Importance of Proper Flow and Pacing … 71
Don’t Neglect the Little Things … 74
Keeping the Player Engaged … 76
General Pacing Do’s and Don’ts … 78
Character Development … 81
Common Character Archetypes … 81
Advantages of Using Archetypes … 84
Disadvantages of Using Archetypes … 85
Making Characters Believable … 88
Character Actions and Decisions … 89
How Much to Tell and Not Tell Players … 94
The Importance of Backstory … 95
How to Tell the Backstory … 96
Deciding What to Tell … 98
Sometimes a Mystery Is Best … 101
Summary … 105
Things to Consider … 106
Chapter 5 Making Stories Emotional … 107
Connecting with the Characters … 107
The Fine Line Between Drama and Melodrama … 110
Making the Player Cry … 111
Summary … 115
Things to Consider … 116
Chapter 6 Defining Interactive and Player-Driven Storytelling … 117
What Makes a Story Interactive? … 117
What Makes a Story Player-Driven? … 119
Interactive Storytelling as a Spectrum … 119
Fully Traditional Stories … 120
Interactive Traditional Stories … 121
Multiple-Ending Stories … 121
Branching Path Stories … 121
Open-Ended Stories … 121
Fully Player-Driven Stories … 122
How Stories Are Classified … 122
Games Without Stories … 123
Summary … 123
Things to Consider … 124
Chapter 7 Fully Traditional and Interactive Traditional Stories … 125
Fully Traditional Stories … 125
Fully Traditional Stories, Video Games, and Why They Don’t Mix … 127
Interactive Traditional Stories … 130
Creating Interactive Traditional Stories … 134
The Strengths of Interactive Traditional Stories … 140
The Weaknesses of Interactive Traditional Stories … 144
Summary … 147
Things to Consider … 148
Chapter 8 Multiple-Ending Stories … 149
Creating Multiple-Ending Stories … 151
What Types of Endings Should
a Game Have? … 151
Choosing Where to End the Game … 155
How Many Endings Does a Game Need? … 159
Determining Which Ending the Player Sees … 163
Multiple-Ending Stories and Sequels … 166
The Strengths of Multiple-Ending Stories … 171
The Weaknesses of Multiple-Ending Stories … 175
Summary … 178
Things to Consider … 180
Chapter 9 Branching Path Stories … 181
Creating Branching Path Stories … 184
Types of Branches … 185
Deciding Where to Place Branches … 190
How Many Branches Should a Story Have? … 192
Japanese Visual Novel Games … 192
The Strengths of Branching Path Stories … 197
The Weaknesses of Branching Path Stories … 200
Summary … 203
Things to Consider … 204
Chapter 10 Open-Ended Stories … 205
Creating Open-Ended Stories … 209
The Main Plot … 211
The Branches … 212
The Distractions … 212
The Strengths of Open-Ended Stories … 217
The Weaknesses of Open-Ended Stories … 220
Summary … 224
Things to Consider … 225
Chapter 11 Fully Player-Driven Stories … 227
Creating Fully Player-Driven Stories … 231
Creating a Setting … 231
Creating Rules of Interaction … 232
The Problem with Fully Player-Driven Stories in Video Games … 234
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs) … 237
The Strengths of Fully Player-Driven Stories … 242
The Weaknesses of Fully Player-Driven Stories … 243
Summary … 244
Things to Consider … 245
Chapter 12 The Argument for the Supremacy of Player-Driven Storytelling … 247
The Evolution of the Art Form … 248
Giving the Writer Greater Freedom … 249
Strengthening the Player–Character Bond … 250
Giving the Players What They Want … 250
Summary … 253
Things to Consider … 254
Chapter 13 The Argument Against the Supremacy of Player-Driven Storytelling … 255
The Fine Art of Storytelling … 256
Time, Money, and Player Interest … 257
The Added Time and Expense of Creating Player-Driven Stories … 257
Adding Interaction at the Expense of Other Elements … 257
Who Is Going to See It All? … 258
Keeping the Story Interesting … 259
Story Structure and the “Ideal” Chain of Events … 259
The Problem with How We Think … 261
Trying to Correct a Mistake … 262
Loss of Impact … 264
The Illusion of Control … 265
Giving the Players What They Want … 266
Summary … 266
Things to Consider … 268
Chapter 14 What Players Really Want: The Most Important Issue … 269
Do Players Know What They Really Want? … 271
The Survey … 272
How Important Are Game Stories to Players? … 272
What Players Say They Want … 273
Story Preferences by the Numbers … 274
What Players Really Want … 275
Further Analysis … 277
Do Stories Sell Games? … 278
Summary … 283
Things to Consider … 284
Chapter 15 The Future of Storytelling in Games … 285
Stories Then and Now … 285
The Key Arguments … 286
What Players Want … 286
Looking Toward the Future … 286
The Most Popular Types of Storytelling … 287
A Future for Everyone … 290
Things to Consider … 292
Glossary … 293
Appendix A: Game Writing Groups and Other Useful Resources … 295
Appendix B: Survey Data … 297
Bibliography and References … 309
Index … 315