One of the most important facets of a game is how it presents its narrative.
A narrative is not only the basic plotline, but also the experience of going through a story.
The primary tools used are the plot and characters.
A game’s plot is the medium through which the general impression of what the game is ‘actually about’ is conveyed to the player. If the protagonist is a Special Forces soldier and the plot revolves around defeating terrorists, then this tells the player that it is a military narrative.
Plot cannot convey an entire narrative on its own, however, and is itself affected by other elements of any given game.
It’s easy to see this when you look at gameplay itself.
Even basic elements of how we play the game convey a sense of narrative, affecting the overall ‘mood’ of the story.
If a game is a straightforward FPS, the main point of interaction between the player and the surrounding environment is through the gun. This shows that the game is primarily action orientated, obstacles are overcome through combat, also affecting how the story pans out.
Imagine, however, if the gameplay was orientated around stealth. If the protagonist had to sneak past his foes rather than running in guns blazing.
The entire mood of the game would be different. Gameplay affects narrative just as much as plot. We can see this with two other aspects – the game environment and the enemies in it.
An environment tells us what sort of story is being told and, when used effectively, is a perfect medium for conveying the story itself.
The hellish otherworld in the Silent-Hill-series conveyed that this was a horror narrative, whilst the design of the city of Rapture helped tell the player about Andrew Ryan’s vision of the future.
Of course, the environment needs a story to work with otherwise games seem less than their potential. The environment in Dark-Sector oozed character and atmosphere, but the story was minimal and the whole effect fell flat.
Enemies also convey narrative. The splicers of Bioshock helped convey the tragedy of a fallen utopia, whilst the infected peasants of Resident Evil 4 helped show the effects of a sinister parasite overtaking a peaceful town.
The best games are ones that weave all these elements – plot, gameplay, environment and NPCs together to deliver a strong narrative.
If used correctly, these elements can go a long way in covering up a game’s weaknesses.
James Dyson
exeposedev 