Glossary

Archetype: A general character type such as the gambler or mentor that can be adapted for use in many different kinds of stories.

Branch: A chain of events in a branching path story.

Branching path stories: Stories structured around a series of specific choices that the player can make at various decision points. Depending on the option chosen, the story will branch off in different directions.

Decision point: A place in a branching path story at which the player is asked to choose between two or more options to advance the story.

FMV: Full-motion video. A prerendered video used in a game. It can’t be interacted with, but features higher-quality graphics than the rest of the game.

FPS: First-person shooter.

Fully player-driven stories: Highly interactive stories in which the player is given an enormous amount of freedom to explore and do what he or she wants. There is often little to no main plot, with the primary focus being on the setting and the player’s actions therein.

Fully traditional stories: Stories that adhere strictly to the traditional storytelling model and can’t be changed or affected in any significant way.

Interactive storytelling: A form of storytelling in which the audience can interact with the story in some way, shape, or form, though the amount and type of interaction vary widely. All video game stories are interactive.

Interactive traditional stories: The most traditional form of player-driven storytelling. Though players have some control over the progression of the story, they can’t change the main plot in any significant way.

Major/main branch: A branch that significantly alters the overall plot or breaks away from it entirely and starts its own unique story path.

Minor branch: A branch that quickly rejoins the main story with little to no effect on the overall plot.

MMO: Massively multiplayer online game.

Moderate branch: A branch that takes awhile to rejoin the main story, but has little to no lasting effect on the overall plot.

Multiple-ending stories: Similar to interactive traditional stories, except that the player is allowed to change the ending, either through a conscious choice or based on his or her actions throughout the story.

NPC: Nonplayer character. A game character who is not under the player’s control.

Open-ended stories: Highly interactive stories with many branches and optional sections, some of which significantly affect the main plot. Progression is often based more on the player’s actions than on obvious choices.

Pen-and-paper role-playing games: A form of RPG in which one person acts as the moderator or dungeon master, creates the story, and constantly modifies it based on the actions of the players.

Player-driven storytelling: A form of interactive storytelling in which the player is allowed to make one or more decisions that affect the main plot itself. Depending on the type of player-driven storytelling used, the results of those decisions could be minor or far-reaching.

RPG: Role-playing game.

Side-quest: A fully optional task that the player can choose to undertake in order to strengthen the hero and/or learn more about the story.

Traditional storytelling: The “classic” form of storytelling. Traditional stories have a clearly set beginning, progression, and ending and remain exactly the same no matter how many times they’re read or watched.