Ultimate Game Design : Building game worlds

Building Game Worlds
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U L T I M A T E G A M E D E S I G N
On the other hand, other genres, like RPG or RTS games and many other action/adventure
titles, employ story-telling elements to great effect. But I don’t really
want to create story demarcations based on genre (in other words, I’m not going to
state that certain genres have great stories in their games and other genres do not). Is
it possible to have gut-churning story elements wrapped inside an epic shooter? I’m
not going to say that it’s impossible.
I take a very pragmatic approach with story requirements and games. In my experience,
it seems beneficial that game designers should be motivated students of
story-telling techniques and story formatting. They should, at a minimum, understand
the traditional dramatic story arc and how it works in practice: call to action,
conflict, and resolution. If the story arc is unfamiliar to you, that’s okay; fortunately,
there is an abundance of great reference titles in this area.
Telling story and backstory in games is supposed to support and extend the
game-play experience, not replace the movie industry. Where story heightens a
player’s enjoyment and feelings of liberation within a game, I say use it! To this end
alone, every trick in the proverbial book should be used.
Games are, by definition and inclination, different from movies in a number of
ways. These days, as we all know, there is mutual inspiration of sorts between games
and movies. Yet game designers are not screenwriters, and screenwriters are not
game designers.
Developing rich story lines, accessible story logic, and complex characters is no
easy undertaking for screenwriters. Similarly, developing innovative, replayable,
highly addictive and lasting play mechanics is not easy for game designers. So, on the
point of telling story or backstory in game titles, game designers need to be able to
provide solid and entertaining story support for their games. They don’t need to compete
with the Coen brothers or Steven Spielberg for their next job.
CREATING DIALOG
Creating dialog for games is a tricky, multivariable task. First of all, you should never
write dialog until you have your story details locked down. How do the characters
know what to say in telling a story if they don’t yet know what story to tell? Remember
that your story arc and story details should support, not compete with, your gaming
experience. So, think about what kind of story adds dimensionality to that
gaming experience as a possible source of influence for your story details.
Let’s assume that you’ve managed to get the story details locked down. Among
many development teams, this is an accomplishment in itself, as people react to
story ideas in vastly different ways. It takes a strong personality to combine the
many ideas coming from a team, to synthesize and process them, and then to make
decisions and act on these ideas as a creative spur.