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by Chris Klug, Josiah Lebowitz
Interactive Storytelling for Video Games
Cover
Halftitle
Title
Copyright
Contents
Special Thanks
Chapter 1: Game Stories, Interactivity, and What Players Want
The Importance of Stories
Stories in Video Games
Interactive Stories vs. Traditional Stories: The Great Debate
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 2: A Brief History of Storytelling in Games
The Beginnings of Game Stories
Text Adventures and Interactive Fiction
RPGs, Adventure Games, and the Growing Importance of Stories
The Cinematic Evolution of Game Stories
Game Stories Today
The Limits of Storytelling in Games
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 3: The Hero’s Journey and the Structure of Game Stories
Types of Stories Best Suited for Games
The “Best” Story Types
Using Nonideal Stories
The Hero’s Journey
What Is the Hero’s Journey?
Structure of the Hero’s Journey
Modifying the Structure
Common Themes and Clichés in Game Storytelling
Common Clichés and Themes
Why Clichés Are Used
When to Use and When to Avoid Story Clichés
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 4: The Story and the Characters
Story Flow and Progression
The Importance of Proper Flow and Pacing
Don’t Neglect the Little Things
Keeping the Player Engaged
General Pacing Do’s and Don’ts
Character Development
Common Character Archetypes
Advantages of Using Archetypes
Disadvantages of Using Archetypes
Making Characters Believable
Character Actions and Decisions
How Much to Tell and Not Tell Players
The Importance of Backstory
How to Tell the Backstory
Deciding What to Tell
Sometimes a Mystery Is Best
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 5: Making Stories Emotional
Connecting with the Characters
The Fine Line Between Drama and Melodrama
Making the Player Cry
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 6: Defining Interactive and Player-Driven Storytelling
What Makes a Story Interactive?
What Makes a Story Player-Driven?
Interactive Storytelling as a Spectrum
Fully Traditional Stories
Interactive Traditional Stories
Multiple-Ending Stories
Branching Path Stories
Open-Ended Stories
Fully Player-Driven Stories
How Stories Are Classified
Games Without Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 7: Fully Traditional and Interactive Traditional Stories
Fully Traditional Stories
Fully Traditional Stories, Video Games, and Why They Don’t Mix
Interactive Traditional Stories
Creating Interactive Traditional Stories
The Strengths of Interactive Traditional Stories
The Weaknesses of Interactive Traditional Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 8: Multiple-Ending Stories
Creating Multiple-Ending Stories
What Types of Endings Should a Game Have?
Choosing Where to End the Game
How Many Endings Does a Game Need?
Determining Which Ending the Player Sees
Multiple-Ending Stories and Sequels
The Strengths of Multiple-Ending Stories
The Weaknesses of Multiple-Ending Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 9: Branching Path Stories
Creating Branching Path Stories
Types of Branches
Deciding Where to Place Branches
How Many Branches Should a Story Have?
Japanese Visual Novel Games
The Strengths of Branching Path Stories
The Weaknesses of Branching Path Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 10: Open-Ended Stories
Creating Open-Ended Stories
The Main Plot
The Branches
The Distractions
The Strengths of Open-Ended Stories
The Weaknesses of Open-Ended Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 11: Fully Player-Driven Stories
Creating Fully Player-Driven Stories
Creating a Setting
Creating Rules of Interaction
The Problem with Fully Player-Driven Stories in Video Games
Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs)
The Strengths of Fully Player-Driven Stories
The Weaknesses of Fully Player-Driven Stories
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 12: The Argument for the Supremacy of Player-Driven Storytelling
The Evolution of the Art Form
Giving the Writer Greater Freedom
Strengthening the Player–Character Bond
Giving the Players What They Want
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 13: The Argument Against the Supremacy of Player-Driven Storytelling
The Fine Art of Storytelling
Time, Money, and Player Interest
The Added Time and Expense of Creating Player-Driven Stories
Adding Interaction at the Expense of Other Elements
Who Is Going to See It All?
Keeping the Story Interesting
Story Structure and the “Ideal” Chain of Events
The Problem with How We Think
Trying to Correct a Mistake
Loss of Impact
The Illusion of Control
Giving the Players What They Want
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 14: What Players Really Want: The Most Important Issue
Do Players Know What They Really Want?
The Survey
How Important Are Game Stories to Players?
What Players Say They Want
Story Preferences by the Numbers
What Players Really Want
Further Analysis
Do Stories Sell Games?
Summary
Things to Consider
Chapter 15: The Future of Storytelling in Games
Stories Then and Now
The Key Arguments
What Players Want
Looking Toward the Future
The Most Popular Types of Storytelling
A Future for Everyone
Things to Consider
Glossary
Appendix A: Game Writing Groups and Other Useful Resources
Appendix B: Survey Data
Bibliography and References
Index
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