What is this game about?
Why games need stories and, ideally, generate them, not just tell them
Hi, it’s Mike!
I’m not sure you realize this, but as humans, we are storytelling animals. We all share and create stories - of family, work, and experiences. We often refer to myths, books, folklore, and movies to explain things to us and others. We make internal narratives to help us make sense of the world.
Stories let us not just share information but create an emotional connection.
But stories and games have always had an uncomfortable relationship. Since its beginnings, game designers have tried to create unique narratives for players to follow, giving them a start, a path to follow, and a preset ending.
For some players best games are like interactive movies that gives them oportunity to be a part of the story. At the same time, many players were leaning toward games that lack narrative structure, where the game experience is a chance for them to create their own story.
Nevertheless, except for a few abstract games like Tetris, almost all games benefit from story elements such as the game world, interesting characters, and dialogue.
So, how to solve this extreme, hyperbolic dilemma - can a game designer tell a story if the player's choices are truly important?
One approach relies on the fact that people write stories to show what it means to be human. The core element of most stories is a hero's journey, which is made by choices made by the characters. The core of games, on the other hand, are the choices made by the players. Therefore, what makes the game story significant must be the choices which was made by the players.
In Pirates!, instead of creating a linear story, with a preset ending, the game is filled with just the pieces. Depending on the player’s choices, he can rescue a sister, fight against an evil Spaniard, survive a mutiny, discover hidden treasure, escape from a dungeon, and so on.
Yet, not every game can be as dynamic as Pirates. Sometimes, a hero needs an evil wizard to kill, a knight needs an enemy to fight, and a plumber needs a damsel in distress to rescue. The solution is to let the player explore the world and then make the final story in his head.
In a top-rated Indie game LIMBO, the story spins around a little boy's search for his missing sister. But, although the game is linear, the lack of traditional narrative brings up lots of questions. Why is he looking for his sister in a dark, mysterious forest? Why a big spider is hunting him? Who are the other kids trying to attack him? All those questions means the story must be written by the player in his head during the gameplay.
Games that focus only on the designer's plot ignore that the vital piece of a game is the player himself. Games must leave space for the player, not just within the rules and the mechanics and the systems, but within the story.