1
– Building A Game World
[Your Game Name Here]
[Student Name]
[Student ID]
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Character Design
In this section you need to provide details for each of your 5 characters within your narrative. You should include a number of archetypes and both a Hero and Villain of the story. Each character should be between 200 – 400 words long in their description.
Character 1 – [Name Here]
This is your hero character. Make sure to fill out each of the following sections.
[Portrait Here]
Name: [Character Name]
Age: [Character Age]
Gender Identity: [Include identity if relevant]
Archetype: [Character Archetype(s)]
Appearance:
[Appearance information here]
Background:
[Background information]
Goals:
[Character’s goals]
Flaws:
[Character’s flaws]
Character 2 – [Name Here]
This is one of your important characters. Make sure to fill out each of the following sections.
[Portrait Here]
Name: [Character Name]
Age: [Character Age]
Gender Identity: [Include identity if relevant]
Archetype: [Character Archetype(s)]
Appearance:
[Appearance information here]
Background:
[Background information]
Goals:
[Character’s goals]
Flaws:
[Character’s flaws]
Character 3 – [Name Here]
This is one of your important characters. Make sure to fill out each of the following sections.
[Portrait Here]
Name: [Character Name]
Age: [Character Age]
Gender Identity: [Include identity if relevant]
Archetype: [Character Archetype(s)]
Appearance:
[Appearance information here]
Background:
[Background information]
Goals:
[Character’s goals]
Flaws:
[Character’s flaws]
Character 4 – [Name Here]
This is one of your important characters. Make sure to fill out each of the following sections.
[Portrait Here]
Name: [Character Name]
Age: [Character Age]
Gender Identity: [Include identity if relevant]
Archetype: [Character Archetype(s)]
Appearance:
[Appearance information here]
Background:
[Background information]
Goals:
[Character’s goals]
Flaws:
[Character’s flaws]
Character 5 – [Name Here]
This is one of your important characters. Make sure to fill out each of the following sections.
[Portrait Here]
Name: [Character Name]
Age: [Character Age]
Gender Identity: [Include identity if relevant]
Archetype: [Character Archetype(s)]
Appearance:
[Appearance information here]
Background:
[Background information]
Goals:
[Character’s goals]
Flaws:
[Character’s flaws]
Narrative Design
In this section you need to provide information about your game’s narrative including genre, setting, 3 act structure and hero’s journey. Your second act should be the larger of your acts within the narrative as this is where the majority of the game takes place. This section should be between 1000 – 2000 words.
Narrative Genre:
What narrative genre is your game? High fantasy, sci-fi, horror, etc.
Setting:
In this section you need to provide information about your narrative’s setting. Where is the story taking place? Who are the major forces in the world? The information here should be brief and related directly to your narrative.
[Write Here]
Act 1:
The first act of your narrative. This is the setup to your main story / quest. The starting point of the character and something that drives them to action. Below are sub-headings for each of the Hero’s Journey components following Vogler’s process. You can make changes to these or use a different Hero’s Journey structure but this needs to be justified in the critical analysis.
The Ordinary World:
[Write Here]
Call to Adventure:
[Write Here]
Refusal of the Call:
[Write Here]
Meeting the Mentor:
[Write Here]
Cross the First Threshold:
[Write Here]
Act 2:
This act is the majority of your gameplay. This should be the longest of the 3 acts and explain the hero’s full journey towards their goal.
Tests, Allies and Enemies:
[Write Here]
Approach to the Innermost Cave:
[Write Here]
The Ordeal:
[Write Here]
Reward:
[Write Here]
Act 3:
The end of your narrative. The hero’s return to their original world (if exists) with a potential final challenge.
The Road Back:
[Write Here]
Resurrection:
[Write Here]
Return with the Elixer (The return home):
[Write Here]
Critical Analysis
In this section you need to go over the theory you have put into practice within your design. This includes what archetypes you have used and how they are used. What tropes are used and how they are used. How your story conforms to the 3-Act Structure. How you have avoided using Stereotypes. How your story conforms to the Narrative Genre. Each part should be between 200 – 400 words long.
Character Archetypes:
For this section discuss each character archetype used and how your characters fit them.
[Write Here]
Narrative Tropes:
List out all narrative tropes used. Briefly describe how you have used them.
[Write Here]
Stereotypes and Cliches:
Discuss any potential stereotypes you have avoided using. You should NOT have any in your narrative. Discuss any cliches you avoided or justify their use if appropriate.
[Write Here]
Show Don’t Tell:
Discuss how you would use the Show Don’t Tell rule in your narrative. This can be treated as a “if this were in a game this is how I would do it”
[Write Here]
Genre Conventions:
Discuss how your narrative conforms to your chosen genre’s conventions.
[Write Here]
1
ASSIGNMENT
1
[15%]
Character and Narrative Design
SUBMISSION DUE: Monday Week 5, 11:55PM
Weekly Topics Covered: 1 –
4
Word Limit
The minimum word limit for this assignment is
3
000 words. Failing to meet the
minimum word limit will result in a maximum grade of N for this assessment.
The maximum word limit for this assignment is 6000 words. Any words exceeding the
maximum word limit will not be assessed.
Learning Outcomes
Completion of this assignment demonstrates understanding of the following learning
outcomes:
● Construct a game narrative that expresses effective structure and mapping of
plotlines and characters into interactive structures
● Formulate a theoretical game design to a specific brief, implementing effective
game narrative and balancing
Academic Integrity
Work created for this assessment must be your own and cannot be work previously
submitted for any other course. When constructing your work you cannot copy a design
from an existing Intellectual Property – this includes games, television/movies, or
other visual media.
All work will be processed through a similarity detection system automatically.
Brief
For this assignment you must design characters and narrative for a new game. This will
involve building the world, its associated mythology & introducing the main characters
of the game.
You have freedom to choose the game style and genre of your preference. However,
your world and character designs must conform to the principles of good game design,
including those related to storytelling and character development. You must also
demonstrate appropriate consideration of video game conventions related to genre
and the like. It is up to you to ensure that your chosen game design meets the
requirements outlined in the assessment criteria.
1
Task
As part of your narrative document you are required to complete the following tasks:
Character Design:
You must design at least five complex characters each containing:
● An original portrait conceptualising how the character looks. This must be
created by you not sourced from online.
Note: You will not be assessed on your artistic ability, but rather your ability to visually
represent your character. This can either be hand drawn or produced using computer
software (e.g. GIMP, Photoshop etc.).
● A brief description of the character’s basic details including their name, age and
gender identity.
● A detailed description of the character’s appearance.
● A detailed description of the character’s background.
● A detailed description of the character’s goals and flaws.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 –
2
000 words (200 – 400 words per
character)
Narrative Design:
You must write a compelling narrative containing:
● A brief description of the narrative’s genre.
● A detailed description of the narrative’s setting.
● Each of the five characters as outlined above.
● The 3-act structure.
● The hero’s journey.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 – 2000 words
Critical Analysis:
You must write a critical analysis of the core game design concepts used in your
character designs and narrative as outlined above including:
● A detailed discussion of character archetypes used.
● A detailed discussion of narrative tropes used.
● A detailed discussion of any stereotypes and clichés present.
● A detailed discussion of the use of the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule.
● A detailed discussion of the genre conventions used.
Recommended word count for section: 1000 – 2000 words (200-400 words per
discussion point)
2
Assessment Criteria
Your assignment will be marked on the following criteria listed below. This is graded
based on the quality of the submitted work as well as inclusion in the document.
Character Design (5 Marks)
● Does each character include an original portrait and basic details including their
name, age and gender (if specified)?
● Does each character include an appropriate description of their appearance?
● Does each character include an appropriate background?
● Does each character include appropriate goals?
● Does each character appropriately portray a character archetype and genre
conventions?
Narrative Design (5 Marks)
● Is an appropriate narrative genre clearly specified?
● Does the narrative include each of the five characters?
● Does the narrative include an appropriate description of its setting?
● Does the narrative follow the 3-act structure and hero’s journey?
● Does the narrative appropriately portray narrative tropes and genre
conventions?
Critical Analysis (5 Marks)
● Is there an appropriate discussion about the character archetypes used?
● Is there an appropriate discussion about the narrative tropes used?
● Is there an appropriate discussion about any stereotypes or clichés present?
● Is there an appropriate discussion about the use of the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule?
● Is there an appropriate discussion about the genre conventions used?
Penalty (Up To -5 Marks)
● Were any stereotypes present?
● Were any clichés present that were not discussed and appropriately justified in
the critical analysis?
3
4
Critical Analysis
of Narrative
& Characters
WEEK
4
2
Learning objectives
Remainder on Stereotypes
● Portrayal of women in games
Genre Conventions
● Narrative Genres
● Tropes in Genres
3
Stereotypes & Portrayal of
Women in Games
4
Digital Australia Report
● Digital Australia Report is done by the IGEA
● Tracks demographics of video game players
● Highlights from the
20
20 report
○
6
8
% of Australians play games
○ Men report playing games for
15
years on average. Women
10
years
○ Women currently make up 4
7
% of all video game players
○ Average age of gamers is
34
(up from
24
in 2010)
● Keep these in mind as we go forward
Portrayal of Women in Games
● This is going to be a fun topic…
● This is a very broad overview of the issue as a whole
● We want you to be aware of the issues and avoid them
● Ties heavily back to stereotypes from last week
● So is there really a problem with the portrayal of women in games?
● YES!
6
Portrayal of Women in Games
There are actually two issues here
● The treatment of women in the industry
● The depiction of women in video games
We will be focussing on the depiction of women in games
●
The Damsel in Distress Trope
● Objectification of Women
7
Portrayal of Women in Games
These issues run across all media. It stems from history and culture
● Historically women have been treated as lesser than men
● Women gained the right to vote in 1
9
02 (Federally)
● The idea of the atomic family and the stay at home wife
● Even today there are pay gaps between men and women
● Different standards for men and women. Especially in appearance
● Even stereotypes about the type of games women play
● https://screenrant.com/e3-twitter-sexist-women-girl-gamer-games-parade/
8
https://screenrant.com/e3-twitter-sexist-women-girl-gamer-games-parade/
The Bechdel Test
● Mostly used for movies, but can also be used for games
● A test to see if women play an active role in a work of fiction
To pass the test the work must pass the following criteria:
● The movie has at least two women talking
● Who talk to each other
● About something other than a man
9
The Damsel in Distress Trope
● Sadly a very common trope
● “A character, usually female, is put into immediate danger”
○ Typically kidnapped or something similar
○ Could also be ill, lost or stranded behind enemy lines
● Can be from any point in the
game
● Can be the pure form of damsel (only purpose in game)
○ Can also be the “Action Girl” or a protagonist
○ Can also be a male (Distressed Dude Trope & Not Common)
10
The Damsel in Distress Trope
Objectification
The other common issue is the objectification of women
● Women shown as overly sexualised
● Can be treated as a sex object in game
● Or totally unrelated to the game and done merely as “fan service”
Very pervasive throughout games
● You have likely all played a game with this
12
Koei Tecmo
● Are TERRIBLE when it comes to this issue
● Dead or Alive is one of their biggest series
○ Spin off games Xtreme Beach Volleyball
○ Entire premise is scantily clad women playing Volleyball among
other activities
○ Some in the series banned in Australia or not released
● Also created Dynasty Warriors, Ninja Gaiden, Metroid Other M & Hyrule
Warriors
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Koei Tecmo
● Zelda not a damsel here (Trope is used but Zelda as Sheik already
helping you)
● New characters added by Koei Tecmo sexualized
14
Konami
● Metal Gear Solid 5 has a character that is bad for this
● Quiet is a supporting
character
○ One of few characters able to go out on missions with the main
character
○ Only human character to do so (Horse, Dog, Robot & Quiet)
○ “She breathes through her skin so can’t wear much clothing”
○ She has a fully clothed costume that you have to beat the game to
unlock
15
The Good Female Protagonists
● Whilst there is the bad it is important to recognize the good
● Samus Aran (Metroid)
● Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
● Ellie (The Last of Us)
● Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite Burial at Sea Part 2)
● Chell (Portal)
● Jade (Beyond Good & Evil)
● Clementine (Walking Dead Season 2)
16
The Good Female Protagonists
17
Genre Conventions
Genre
● Every game, movie and book has a genre
● A genre refers to a collection, or category, of common design
elements
● A genre can be used to group together similar media
● If two games belong to the same genre, they likely share similar design
elements
19
Genre
● There are two main types of genres used by games:
Narrative Genre
● Categorize the character and narrative design elements
● Shared with books and movies too
Gameplay Genre
● Categorize based on game mechanics and level design elements
● Unique to games
20
Genre
Some common narrative genres include:
● Fantasy
● Science Fiction (Sci-Fi)
● Action
● Horror
● Comedy
● Drama
● Etc.
21
Genre
Some common gameplay genres include:
● Role Playing Game (RPG)
● First Person Shooter (FPS)
● Platformer
● Survival
● Horror
● Action
● Adventure
22
Genre
It is common to combine multiple narrative and/or gameplay genres
● Fantasy Role Playing Game
● Action First Person Shooter
● Puzzle Platformer
● Survival Horror
23
Genre
● Choosing a genre is great because it provides us with some common
design elements to include
● It also means that players will have certain expectations about our
game
● These design elements are referred to as ‘genre conventions’
24
Genre
● If you have multiple genres, you gain the benefit of more conventions
● However, the expectations from your players also grows
○ This can restrict your freedom as a game designer
● More Genres = More Conventions
25
Tropes Revisited
Tropes Revisited
● Genres have ‘common design elements’
● Doesn’t this sound like tropes?
● They can be the same thing!
● Narrative Tropes can are a type of Narrative Genre Convention
● Certain narrative tropes appear more frequently in certain genres
● Let’s discuss some common narrative genre conventions now
27
Fantasy Genre
What do you typically associate with the
Fantasy genre?
● Where / when are fantasy games
commonly
set?
● What kinds of characters do fantasy
games
commonly contain?
● What types of conflict commonly occur in
fantasy games?
28
Fantasy Genre
What do you typically associate with the Fantasy genre?
● Fantasy games are usually set in a fictional world, with a heavy focus
on magical or supernatural elements
● Characters in Fantasy games usually rely on magic or supernatural
abilities to overcome conflict
● Conflict in Fantasy games usually involves the more literal concept of
‘good’ vs ‘evil’
29
Sci-Fi Genre
What do you typically associate with the
Sci-Fi genre?
● Where/when are science fiction (sci-fi)
games
commonly set?
● What kinds of characters do science
fiction (sci-fi) games commonly contain?
● What types of conflict commonly occur in
science fiction (sci-fi) games?
30
Sci-Fi Genre
What do you typically associate with the Sci-Fi genre?
● Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games are usually set in an alternate future,
with a heavy focus on scientific and technological advancement
● Characters in Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games usually rely on knowledge
or technology to overcome conflict
● Conflict in Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) games usually involves a search for
knowledge or technology
31
Action Genre
What do you typically associate with the
Action genre?
● Where/when are action games commonly
set?
● What kinds of characters do action games
commonly contain?
● What types of conflict usually occur in
action games?
32
Action Genre
What do you typically associate with the Action genre?
● Action games are usually set in a setting surrounded by fast-paced
and very physical activity, such as a war
● Characters in Action games usually rely on their physical abilities in
order to overcome conflict
● Conflict in Action games is almost always violent in nature, with
characters often being placed in physical danger
33
Horror Genre
What do you typically associate with the
Horror genre?
● Where/when are horror games commonly
set?
● What kinds of characters do horror games
commonly contain?
● What types of conflict usually occur in
horror games?
34
Horror Genre
What do you typically associate with the Horror genre?
● Horror games are usually set in an isolated setting, cut off from outside
communication or assistance
● Characters in Horror games usually must face their primal fears in
order to overcome conflict
● Conflict in Horror games is scary, usually relying on primal fears to
scare a wide audience
35
Comedy Genre
What do you typically associate with the
Comedy genre?
● Where/when are comedy games
commonly set?
● What kinds of characters do comedy
games commonly contain?
● What types of conflict usually occur in
comedy games?
36
Comedy Genre
What do you typically associate with the Horror genre?
● Comedy games are usually either set in a very relatable setting, or a
completely unrelatable setting – rarely anywhere in-between
● Characters in Comedy games usually overcome conflict in spite of their
abilities, not because of them
● Conflict in Comedy games is funny and almost never violent in nature,
with characters rarely being placed in physical danger
37
Critical Analysis
Critical Analysis
● A critical analysis can be thought of as a kind of game review
● However we review from the perspective of a game designer
○ Different than typical reviews from the perspective of a player
● The goal is to learn from a game’s design
● We can then apply the knowledge to our own game designs
● Ultimately making us better game designers
39
Critical Analysis
● It is vital to analyse games that you play
● You should also be able to critically analyse your own games
● This allows you to continue improving as a designer
● It might sound tedious at first
○ You will start doing it instinctively the better you get
40
Critical Analysis
When critically analysing a game the process can be broken into 3 steps
● Identifying
● Critiquing
● Analysing
For the assignments you only need to complete the first step
41
Critical Analysis – Identifying
● The first step is to identify various elements of the game design
● In the case of our own games this is often the easiest step
○ You are the one who designed them
○ You should have a fairly good idea of tropes and archetypes
● In case of other games this can be quite tricky
○ You will get better with practice
42
Critical Analysis – Critiquing
● Once elements are identified you move on to critique
● Consider the elements of the design that worked well
● Consider the elements that did not work well
● Consider the elements that could be improved or tweaked
43
Critical Analysis – Analysing
● The final step is the analysis of your critique
● You’ve identified elements that work and those that don’t
● Why is it that you feel that way?
● How could the designs be improved?
● This is tricky
○ You will get better with practice
● This allows you to apply the knowledge to your future designs
44
Critical Analysis
There is no such thing as a ‘bad’ game
● Critical is not the same as negative
● Don’t just say something is bad. Identify the elements that don’t work
● How could it be improved?
There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ game
● Every game can be improved
● Saying a game is perfect limits your ability to grow as a designer
45
Coming up this week
● Studio – Examining how to critically analyse a game design
● Seminar – How to critically analyse as you play a game
Homework
● Play Games!
● Work on Assignment 1
Reminders
● Assignment 1 is due Monday Week 5
46
Designing Characters
WEEK
3
2
Learning objectives
Characters within a Narrative
● Archetypes
●
The Hero’s Journey
Designing Characters
●
Creating the Hero
●
The Supporting Cast
●
Avoiding Stereotypes
3
Character Archetypes
4
Character Development
● Characters in games must always be developed with care
● There are two methods of beginning the design
○ Visual Design – The character is drawn first and then developed
○ Story Design – The story is developed first. Characters designed to
fit the narrative
● A good character and their interactions can be more interesting than
the plot itself
● It is worth spending time creating your characters
5
Archetypes
● The notion of an ‘Archetype’ is often attributed to Carl Jung (1
8
7
5 – 19
61
)
○ Swiss psychiatrist & founder of Analytical Psychology
6
An archetype is a universally understood symbol, term,
pattern of behaviour, a prototype upon which others are
copied, patterned, or emulated. According to Jung,
archetypes reoccur in myths and storytelling across
different cultures.
Archetypes
● Archetypes are not necessarily characters
● But there are well known archetypal character types.
○ The Hero
○ The Martyr
○ The Wise Old Person
○ The Trickster
○ The Mentor
○ The Guardian
7
Archetypes – The Hero
● Typically the hero archetype is reserved for the player
character
● The hero should be interesting to the player
● They should be liked by the player
● They should grow and evolve throughout the game
○ This could be emotional growth
○ Or it could be physical growth
8
Archetypes – The Hero
Archetypes – The Mentor
● Usually one of the first characters the hero meets
● Introduce the hero to the gameworld and rules
● Then may instruct the hero on how to use their abilities
● Can often play an integral role in moving the plot forward
○ Such as guiding a reluctant hero in the right direction
10
Archetypes – The Mentor
Archetypes – The Ally
● Accompanies the hero on their journey
● Usually extremely loyal to the hero
● Usually help the hero overcome an insurmountable challenge
● Act as familiarity for the hero to interact with along the journey
○ Usually a sense of ordinary
12
Archetypes – The Ally
Archetypes – The Herald
● The character that sets the events of the game in motion
● The reason for the hero setting off on their journey
● Sometimes the herald is not a character at all
○ Can be an object or an event
14
Archetypes – The Herald
Archetypes – The Trickster
● The trickster provides mischief & comic relief during tense moments
● They are known to challenge the status quo
● They are not evil characters
○ They don’t hold much regard for law and order
16
Archetypes – The Trickster
Archetypes – The Shapeshifter
● Is seen as both an ally and an enemy of the hero
○ Often swaps throughout the journey
● Their loyalty is often in doubt
● Usually must choose to either betray or join the hero at a critical
moment
18
Archetypes – The Shapeshifter
Archetypes – The Guardian
● The guardian prevents the hero from progressing until they pass a test
● They often block the hero’s passage through an entrance or border
leading to a greater challenge
20
Archetypes – The Guardian
Archetypes – The Shadow
● The shadow, or villain, provides conflict and challenge for the hero
● They have opposing goals to the hero
● They usually mirror the hero in some way
○ Such as having a similar upbringing
○ Highlights the significance of certain moral choices made
22
Archetypes – The Shadow
The Hero’s Journey
24
The Monomyth & The Hero’s Journey
● In 19
49
, Joseph Campbell published ‘The hero with a thousand faces’
● This postulated that all myths, stories and fables contain a similar
archetypes that are common to all human cultures
● The monomyth charts the progress of the hero through the story
● This journey progression is known as The Hero’s Journey
● Campbell’s original Hero’s Journey had 17 stages
25
Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey
Act 1 – The Departure
● The Call to Adventure
● Refusal of the Call
● Supernatural Aid
● The Crossing of the First Threshold
● Belly of the Whale
26
Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey
Act 2 – Initiation
● The Road of Trials
● The Meeting with the Goddess
● Woman as the Temptress
● Atonement with the Father
● Apotheosis
● The Ultimate Boon
27
Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey
Act 3 – Return
● Refusal of the Return
● The Magic Flight
● Rescue from Without
● The Crossing of the Return Threshold
● Master of the Two Worlds
● Freedom to Live
28
Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey
● In 1993 screenwriter Chris Vogler published a modern summary of
Campbell’s work
○ A Practical Guide to the Hero’s Journey
● We will be using Vogler’s Hero’s Journey in this unit
● It is a good pattern to follow
● But you should not follow it blindly
● Creatively using these archetypes makes for a better story
29
Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey
Vogler suggests that monomyth stories follow this pattern:
1. The ordinary world
2. The call to adventure
3. The refusal of the call
4. The meeting with the mentor
5. The crossing of the first threshold
6. Tests, allies and enemies
30
Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey
Vogler suggests that monomyth stories follow this pattern:
7. The approach to the innermost cave
8. The ordeal
9. The reward
10. The road back
11. The resurrection
12. The return with the reward
31
Vogler’s The Hero’s Journey
32
The 3-Act Structure & The
Hero’s Journey
33
The 3-Act Structure & The Hero’s Journey
● A common format for stories is the 3-act structure
● With Vogler’s Hero’s Journey the acts are broken up into
Act 1:
● The call to adventure
● The refusal of the call
● The meeting with the mentor
● The crossing of the first threshold
34
The 3-Act Structure & The Hero’s Journey
Act 2:
● The crossing of the first threshold
● Tests, allies and enemies
● The approach to the innermost cave
● The ordeal
● The reward
● The road back
35
The 3-Act Structure & The Hero’s Journey
Act 3:
● The road back
● The resurrection
● The return with the reward
36
The 3-Act Structure & The Hero’s Journey
● Some steps are ignored in
games
● Usually this is most of Act 1
● And some parts of Act 3
● Some deem these superfluous or unnecessary in game design
constraints
37
In Practice
Act 1:
● Introduces the hero
● Introduces the world
● Introduces the beginning of the story crisis
○ Will discuss character development in a later video
● Often foreshadowing of events in Act 2 or Act 3 occurs here
38
In Practice
Act 2:
● Set entirely in the non-ordinary world
● Test, allies and enemies makes up the bulk of the gameplay
○ Act 1 usually quick or first level
○ This then makes up everything leading to the final boss
● Act 2 is usually the longest act in every format (games, books, movies)
39
In Practice
Act 3:
● Shows the character returning to the normal world
○ Often left out in games
● The resurrection is where all outstanding plot threads are resolved
● Can also contain a plot twist. A final crisis before the end
● This act allows a comparison showing how far the characters have
evolved through the story
40
In Practice
● George Lucas followed Campbell’s theory of the monomyth heavily in
the original Star Wars movies
● This is well documented http://moongadget.com/origins/myth.html
41
“Lucas had already written two drafts of Star Wars when he
rediscovered Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand
Faces in 19
75
(having read it years before in college). This
blueprint for “The Hero’s Journey” gave Lucas the focus he
needed to draw his sprawling imaginary universe into a single
story…. the Wachowskis’ film (The Matrix) is carefully built on
the same blueprint…”
http://moongadget.com/origins/myth.html
The Hero’s Journey
● Matthew Winkler has put together a great short video and lesson based
on the Hero’s Journey
● Check out the video and think about all the movies that use this
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhk4N9A0oCA
42
Creating the Hero
43
The Hero / Avatar
● Typically, the player will be controlling the Hero archetype
● As such, you absolutely must get this character right
● The character complexity depends on the game you are designing
● A complete character will need more thought put into how the player
can get ‘into’ the role
44
The Hero / Avatar
● Consider a game like Half-Life
● The main character Gordon Freeman has a
personality that is evoked by:
○ The picture on the front of the box
○ The way other characters respond and talk
to him
○ What he is expected to do in the game
45
Hero Creation
● There are many theories behind what makes a good hero
● We can distill this into 3 golden rules
○ The hero needs to interest/intrigue the player
○ The hero needs to get the player to like them
○ The hero needs to change and grow with experience
46
Hero Creation
● When designing a game hero, you need to consider:
○ What are their motivations?
○ What are their previous experiences?
○ What traits do they have?
47
Hero Creation
● The hero should evolve and change as time goes on
● Dynamic growth should occur for ALL significant characters in the story
● In some TV series the characters are fairly static from episode to
episode
○ This reduces narrative tension as you know the character will
survive and be unchanged
● Consider how this is different to Game of Thrones
48
Hero Creation
● The player will feel the most satisfaction if their avatar shows growth
● This is easiest to do in a linear narrative
● RPGs do this through change of attributes and abilities
● ‘Black and White’ did this with AI and the mutation of the appearance of
the pet
○ Either towards good or evil
49
The Supporting Cast
50
The Supporting Cast
● Games are often seen as predominantly about the hero
○ As this is who the player typically controls
● However, there is typically a set of supporting characters that help the
hero in their journey
○ The sidekick
○ Supporting allies
○ The main villain
○ Minor villains and adversaries
51
The Supporting Cast
● The role of these characters depend on the game
○ The complexity of the story
○ The Genre
○ The Game Mechanics
● Even if the player does not spend much time with them, they are still
crucial to the world building and player enjoyment
52
The Supporting Cast
● Think of Portal’s supporting cast
○ GladOS
○ Wheatley
○ The Companion Cube!
● The game would not be the same without them
53
Design Choices
● The relationship between the hero and other characters is not solely
about the story you write for them
● In many respects this is how the player will learn about them and come
to like them:
○ It is how they are portrayed
○ How the player controls them
○ How the player interacts with them
54
Design Choices
Consider the following:
● How does this change if they are controlled by you?
● What about by another player?
● How does the viewpoint change your relationship with the
character?
● How does it change based on what you are required to do with the
character?
55
Show Don’t Tell
Show Don’t Tell
● Writers are trained to follow an important principle “Show Don’t Tell”
● Essentially this means that the story needs to be advanced naturally
● Readers (and players) are intelligent, they should be allowed to infer
information
● They also have a vivid imagination
● They will fill out information richer than you could possible tell
● A good example of this is in good horror stories
57
Show Don’t Tell
Common Mistakes in games include:
● Non-Diegetic material
○ Pop-up text
○ Game manuals
○ Loading screens
● Artificial Training Levels
● Exposition in large, artificial chunks (especially in dialogue)
58
Avoiding Stereotypes
Stereotypes in Games
● Sadly, games (like films to a lesser extent) are full of stereotypes
● Stereotypes are an oversimplified image of idea of a person or thing
○ Based on age
○ Gender
○ Nationality
○ Race
● They are almost always negative and can have a significant societal
impact beyond our games
60
Stereotypes in Games
● Unfortunately, the very nature of stereotypes means that we often
unintentionally use them
● It is our responsibility as game designers to eliminate them
● Even when the stereotype itself is not negative, it can still have
implications that are negative.
● Let’s take a look at what many publishers think the stereotypical hero of
games
61
Stereotypes in Games
62
Stereotypes in Games
● “Your white, male, middle-aged character just got done shooting down
an enemy with a powerful gun. He mutters a classic one-liner, which,
combined with his brown hair and stubble, makes the audio clip sound
extra-badass. As the defeated enemy drops their ammunition, your
manly character grabs it and lunges forward into the third-person
environment, continuing his epic, cutscene-filled journey”
● http://www.destructoid.com/brown-hair-and-stubble-the-new-face-of
-modern-videogames-178442.phtml
63
http://www.destructoid.com/brown-hair-and-stubble-the-new-face-of-modern-videogames-178442.phtml
http://www.destructoid.com/brown-hair-and-stubble-the-new-face-of-modern-videogames-178442.phtml
Stereotypes in Games
64
Stereotypes in Games
● “I am also not here to get extra dramatic and say something absurd like
many video game designers are racist and sexist and only have an
interest in white characters as their male leads. That would just be
ridiculous… So, what am I here to say?
Well, I am just here to wonder aloud why there isn’t more diversity in the
main characters of today. No accusations. No dramatic conclusions. I
am just genuinely curious why almost every main character in every
major modern action/adventure release has to look EXACTLY THE SAME!”
65
Stereotypes in Games
66
Stereotypes in Games
● All this makes it sound rather dramatic
○ That games are only full of racist and sexist stereotypes
● This is not necessarily the case!
● However, it is important to acknowledge that elements of this do exist.
● And we need to do all we can to break down them down and increase
diversity in games
● Something to consider for your assignments
67
Back to Story
Getting Back to Story
● Our characters do not live in isolation
● They are there because we have a story to tell
● We covered stories last week but there is still more to cover
● What type of story do you want to tell?
○ An Origin Story?
○ A Sequel?
○ A Reboot?
● Each of these changes what you can assume from the player
69
Origin Stories
● The introduction of the character into the narrative is a key event
○ The story of what happens
○ The effects of the story on the plot
● The origin of the character provides meaning to events that occur later
● This has been true for as long as stories have been around
○ Romulus and Remus: Raised by Wolves
○ David: Slays Goliath
○ Lots of heroes that are children of kings or gods: Hercules, Achilles
70
Origin Stories in the Modern Age
● Old stories tend towards characters chosen by destiny
○ Or marked by unusual origin
● Modern stories often are the opposite
○ Mundane lives
○ Something happens to change them
● NOTE: This is not always true
○ Superman is special through birthright
○ In the Matrix, Neo is inherently ‘the one’
71
Sequels
● In an origin story you need to introduce EVERYONE
● But what about a sequel?
○ What can you assume
○ Are these actually safe assumptions?
● Think about sequels and consider what they did differently to the first
○ How did the story differ?
○ How did the characters interact?
○ What were the character arcs?
72
Reboots
● Origin stories are fun, interesting, and easy to write
○ They automatically have a 3-act structure!
● As a result, rebooting stories has become more common
○ In essence, writing the story from the start
● Good things about this?
○ Don’t have any baggage from previous incarnations of the story
○ Can update the story to current vernacular and concepts
○ Can change the story to capture a new audience
73
Reboots
● Bad things about a story reboot
○ May alienate the current audience
○ May be seen as a cynical attempt to get more money
○ May lose the magic of the original
● Rebooting stories isn’t a modern phenomena
○ Lots of different and conflicting stories regarding origins of Robin
Hood
74
Ending Your Story
● Origin stories have a clear Act 1
● All stories should have an Act 2
● What about Act 3?
● A lot of modern stories actually lack a proper Act 3
● And this is an intentional decision
75
Ending Your Story
Why don’t modern stories have an Act 3?
● Eliminates any possibility of sequels
● The audience can’t pretend ‘what happens next’
● Closes the story, so it doesn’t suit episodic storylines
● The audience aren’t used to this kind of ending anymore
○ Having a closed story may annoy or frustrate them
76
Ending Your Story
● Regardless of this, we may want to close the story to give closure
● How can we do this in a modern story?
There are comment ways that writers do this
● Have at least 2 plot points and only resolve one
○ Common for episodic stories
● Resolve the story but do not return to the origin
● Close the story but pass the adventure to the ‘next generation’
○ Serves as an easy way to reboot the narrative
77
1st Person vs 3rd Person
Writing
1st Person vs 3rd Person
● Novels can be written in 1st person or 3rd person style
○ “Bob went to the shops” vs “I went to the shops”
● 1st person is more immediate
○ Gives more insight into the character
○ However, the reader only sees the insight of 1 character
● 3rd person gives more narrative options
○ But provides less connection between reader and character
● Authors typically don’t switch which character is the 1st person as it can
lead to confusion
79
1st Person vs 3rd Person
● In games, we are often trying to give a sense of agency
○ Equivalent to 1st person intimacy
● We shouldn’t change which character is the hero!
● This does not mean that we cannot swap to other characters however
○ Games will often have sections where you play as a different
character
○ Sometimes an ally
○ Sometimes even the shadow
● As a game it can be easier than other media to achieve this
80
Coming up this week
● Studio – Designing characters
● Seminar – Examining a character heavy narrative game
Homework
● Play Games!
● Write a couple characters to bring to class next week
Reminders
● Assignment 1 is due Monday Week 5
81
WEEK 1
Resident Evil Village (Capcom,
2
0
21
)
2
Learning objectives
Unit Overview
● Important information
● Assessment Tasks
Introduction to Game Design
●
What is a Game?
● What does a Game Designer do?
3
Learning objectives
Design Documentation
●
The High Concept Pitch
●
The Game Design Document
● The Post Mortem
4
Unit Overview
5
Welcome to Game Design Studio 1
● Welcome everyone to Game Design Studio 1!
● This unit is different to others you may have done.
● No knowledge of programming or art required.
● Bring only your imagination.
6
Welcome to Game Design Studio 1
● On-Campus is fully paper based. No Laptops!
● Online laptops are fine! Collaboration tools will be used.
● This unit will cover the fundamentals of game design
7
Welcome to Game Design Studio 1
● Game Design is heavily multi-disciplinary
● We cannot cover everything
● We will focus on fundamentals and provide additional resources
● The best way to get better is keep making things
● And play games too!
8
The Teaching Team
● Josh Olsen (Lecturer)
● Matt Butler
● Rick Laird
● Jason Free
● Cheryl Howard
● Venice Cheung
● Nic Pallant
9
● Oneeb Bin Nauman
● Nonzahriyah Adun
● Rebecca Fleming
● Doug Power
Unit Structure
We do not use the “traditional” lecture and lab structure
● Before class each week are a series of pre-class videos
○ Also includes small exercises
● It is expected that these be completed prior to class
● This covers the theory we will put into practice
10
Unit Structure
The 3hr Studio
● Each week you will attend a 3hr Studio class
● The studio class has a mix of discussion & collaborative activities
● These activities help you build your skills as a
designer
● It is expected everyone participate
11
Unit Structure
The 1hr Seminar
● Each week will also have a 1hr seminar
● These seminars are designed to consolidate the topics covered
● Taking a look at existing examples of work and breaking them down
● Critical Analysis is a key part of the unit
○ These will help you build those skills
The Seminars run a week behind. The Week 2 Seminar covers Week 1
12
Unit Structure
● This is not a unit you can do well in without attending class!
● Not attending and keeping engaged with content puts you at risk of
failing
● The unit has been described as a “bludge” subject in the past
○ The unit is designed to be fun
○ You do need to put in the work to succeed
13
Weekly Content
14
Weekly Content
Throughout the unit we will be covering the following topics:
● Idea Generation & Presentation (You are here)
● Designing Characters
● Designing Narratives
● Critical Analysis of Characters & Narrative
● Designing Game Mechanics
15
Weekly Content
Throughout the unit we will be covering the following topics:
● Designing Levels
● Critical Analysis of Mechanics & Levels
● Understanding the impact of Art & Sound in our Game Designs
● Designing Games with technology in mind
● Critically Analysing The Experience and Technology
16
Assignment Overview
17
Unit Structure
The unit has 4 major assignments broken into 7 parts
Assignment 1 – Building A Game World (15%)
● Character Design & Narrative
Assignment 2 – Detailing A Game Environment (15%)
● Game Mechanics & Level Design
18
Unit Structure
The unit has 4 major assignments broken into 7 parts
Assignment 3 – Major Game Design Project (
40
%)
● Part A – High Concept Pitch (10%)
● Part B – Game Prototype & Design Document (
30
%)
19
Unit Structure
The unit has 4 major assignments broken into 7 parts
Assignment 4 – Self-Reflection & Review (30%)
● Part A – Playtest Feedback (5%)
● Part B – Game Review (10%)
● Part C – Reflection Journal (15%)
20
Unit Structure
More information can be found on Moodle under assessments.
21
Additional Resources
22
Resources
● All unit content and resources can be found on Moodle
● You are expected to regularly check Moodle and emails
● Any major announcements are posted on Ed and sent via email
● If you have any questions or just want to start a friendly discussion
please post in the Ed Discussion Forums
23
Resources – Textbooks
● The unit does not have required textbooks
● We do have recommended textbooks
● For those looking to excel we recommend the following:
24
Resources – Textbooks
The Art of Game Design by Jesse Schell
● Available via the library for free
Game Design Fundamentals by Ernest Adams
● Some versions at Caulfield Library and some online
Challenges for Game Designers by Brenda Brathwaite & Ian Schreiber
● Sold as an eBook via Amazon and other retailers
25
Unit Information Wrap Up
We have put a lot of time and effort into creating this unit so that it is fun
and rewarding.
Designing games can be just as fun, perhaps even more fun, than playing
games!
26
Unit Information Wrap Up
Hopefully by the end of the unit you will have designed at least one
complete game to include in your portfolio.
Now let’s move onto the main topic for this week.
27
What is a Game?
28
What is a Game?
● The first question we should ask
● What exactly is a game?
● There are many definitions of
games
○ “A game is an activity among two or more independent decision-makers
seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting context” (Clark)
○ “A game is a form of art in which participants, called players, make
decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit
of a goal” (Costikyan)
○ “A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined
by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome” (Salen)
29
What is a Game?
● These definitions show the concept of a game isn’t pinned down to a
single concept.
● All these definitions do have elements in common
○ Games are participatory; they are interactive, not passive.
○ Participants play in order to take part in the game.
○ Games take place in an artificial universe governed by rules.
○ Without rules, the game becomes a toy.
○ These rules define the game goal.
30
Elements of a Game
Common Elements:
● These rules may (but not always) define a victory condition and loss
condition.
● The artificial world requires participants to pretend the rules are valid.
Computer Games also generally have:
● A setting, or world
● A role for the player to possess
● A narrative
31
Defining a Game
● Using these criteria, Rollings & Adams define a game as:
○ A game is a type of play activity, conducted in the context of a
pretended reality, in which the participant(s) try to achieve at least
one arbitrary, nontrivial goal by acting in accordance with rules
● The text recognises that this definition doesn’t hold for all games.
● This definition is also very general.
● It can apply to any type of game not just computer games.
32
What does a Game Designer
do?
33
What does a Game Designer do?
● Job Post for Mid-Senior Game Designer at Torus Games Melbourne
○ Experience in game design on several published titles
○ Exceptional communication skills
○ Exceptional writing and grammatical skills
○ A high sense of creativity and practicality
○ Knowledge of and passion for games
○ Understanding the strengths and limitations of engines and target platforms
○ Solid understanding of story and character structure
○ The ability to work under tight deadlines
○ A solid and broad understanding of gameplay and what makes games fun
○ Creating work within time and technical constraint budgets
34
What does a Game Designer do?
● Job Responsibilities
○ Writing and revising accurate and well presented game design documentation for the
internal team and high-profile clients
○ Maintaining the design process in conjunction with our team leads from project
inception to completion
○ Working with game concepts origination from yourself and others
○ Writing sales and promotional documentation
○ Writing game manuals and walk-through documents
○ Flowcharting game structure
○ Interacting with producers, artists, programmers and technicians
35
What does a Game Designer do?
● What is the takeaway from this?
● A Game Designer’s job is to design all aspects of a game
● Combine them seamlessly to create a fun* experience for players
● Doesn’t end with handing off the design to programmers and artists
● A game designer will work on the game right up until publication
○ Sometimes even longer!
36
Aspects of games that Designers are responsible for
Story
● Responsible for designing the game’s characters and narrative
Gameplay
● Responsible for designing the game’s mechanics and levels
37
Aspects of games that Designers are responsible for
Art
● Responsible for designing the game’s visual and audio style
Technology
● Responsible for designing (or choosing) the game’s engine and delivery
platform
38
Designers work closely with programmers and artists
● As a Game Designer you work with all facets of the development team
● This includes other designers, writers, programmers, artists, publishers,
producers and players
● Communication is key to building a cohesive and fun* experience
● The more you know about the other areas the better you will be as a
designer
39
Player Centric Design
40
Player Centric Design
What is Player Centric Design?
● It is a philosophy of game design
● The designer envisions a representative player of the game being
created
● They then accept two obligations to that player
○ The duty to entertain
○ The duty to empathize
41
Player Centric Design
The Duty to Entertain
● A game’s primary function is to entertain the player
● It is the designer’s obligation to create a game that does so
● Other motivations are secondary
The Duty to Empathise
● The designer must imagine that they are the player
● Must build the game to meet the player’s preferences for entertainment
● This requires the designer to understand their target audience
42
Player Centric Design
To achieve this, you must be able to answer:
● Who is the player of your game?
● What do they like?
● What do they dislike?
● What do they want you to do?
● Why did they buy your game?
43
Player Centric Design
Finding your representative player must occur before any design is done
Common broad groupings include:
● Experienced players (sometimes known as hardcore gamers)
● Casual players
● Adult players
● Children players
44
Player Centric Design
Important Notes
● Adults regardless of gender identity have similar entertainment needs
● Games marketed to children do however have a distinct gender
difference
45
Common Mistakes
You are not a typical player:
● Designers tend to be more hardcore players
● You must learn to design for different groups
The player is not your opponent:
● Designers often think ‘hard’ is the same as ‘fun’
● The goal of player-centric design is to entertain your player
● You are the facilitator of their fun. Not their opponent
46
Common Mistakes
The game doesn’t need to be fun as long as it is entertaining:
● Most games are designed to be fun
● However games do not need to be fun as long as they are entertaining
● Typically more applicable to games in the horror genre or serious
games
47
Common Mistakes
As a beginner design for fun first
● Designing a game with dark themes is difficult to pull off
● When starting out it is best to aim for fun first
● We do not recommend serious games for this unit
48
Design Documentation
49
Design Documentation
● “Boring!” I hear you say
● On face value this might seem like the least exciting topic this semester
● However it is in many respects the most important!
● Why exactly?
● If you can’t articulate your amazing game idea, how will you actually
create it?
50
Design Documentation
● Do not think of this as a chore
● Consider it a chance to hone your idea and to begin implementation
● A game is normally made by a team
● It is crucial that all members have a shared vision
● Having concrete documentation assists this goal
51
Design Documentation
What kinds of documentation are we talking about?
● The High Concept Pitch
● The Game Design Document
52
The High Concept Pitch
53
The High Concept
The High Concept Document is also known as the pitch document
● It is (usually) a 1-2 page document
● It should capture the essence of your idea
54
The High Concept
The High Concept Document is also known as the pitch document
● This document is not unique to games
● They are used in any instance where you need to present a new idea
● If you cannot put your idea on a page (or a poster) then you need to
refine it!
55
The High Concept
We have provided a handy template for getting started!
56
Step 1: Game Premise
● The first section you should start with is the Game Premise.
● You should describe the overall premise of your game.
● This is the main point of your game in a few sentences at most.
● You can consider this your initial elevator pitch too.
57
Step 2: Target Audience
● Once the premise is done you should state who your target audience is
● This is not a throwaway decision!
● Your target audience will define everything about your game.
● From theme, style, graphics, mechanics, level design and story.
● At this stage it does not need to be detailed. Just a general idea.
58
Step 3: Genre
● Next you need to outline your Narrative and Gameplay Genre.
● You do not need to provide sentences or justifications.
● Just list the genres here.
● E.g. Survival Horror, Medieval RPG, etc.
59
Step 4: Uniqueness
● At this point you need to talk about what makes your game cool.
● This is perhaps the single most important step.
● The uniqueness of your game is the selling point.
● You should explain this in a good bit of detail.
● Is your uniqueness narrative based? Mechanics based?
● This is the reason why people should play your game.
60
Step 5: Story Overview
● For this step provide a brief overview of your story
● This can just be the introduction to the story and setting
● A couple sentences at most here
61
Step 6: Gameplay Description
● Similar to the previous step, except explaining gameplay.
● What are the core mechanics?
● What are the main level styles?
● How does your game play?
62
This is a lot!
● This seems like a lot to fit on 1-2 pages!
○ And it is!
● Each of these things needs to be a few sentences at most.
● You should NOT use dot points here at all!
● The tough sections to condense are gameplay and uniqueness.
● This is a required skill however.
● You may be in a situation where you need to pitch your idea.
● Or write a blurb for an app store.
63
It does take practice
● It can be difficult to do.
● And does required a lot of practice.
● We will be doing this multiple times during semester to hone your skills.
● If you have trouble with your own ideas, try creating high concept
pitches for existing games!
64
The Game Design Document
65
The Game Design Document
● Also known as a Detailed Design Document.
● This document is the one that describes all aspects of the game in
extensive detail.
● It usual serves to purposes
○ So designers remember all the details they came up with
○ To communicate those ideas to the full team
● It takes the high concept and fleshes out all details
● Also includes market research and awareness
● If details for your game are not written here. It’s not in the game!
66
The Game Design Document
A Game Design Document will usually contain the following sections:
● Story & Characters
● Level / Environment Design
● Game Mechanics
● Art Style
● Sound & Music
● User Interface & Game Controls
● Market Analysis
67
The Game Design Document
● Much of the document will sound similar to the High Concept.
● What about Market Analysis?
● You need to consider where your game fits into the landscape of
existing games on the market
○ How does it compare?
○ How will it be different?
○ Who is your target market?
○ How do you appeal to them?
68
The Game Design Document
● There is no strict template for these documents.
● A comprehensive example can be found here:
https://sites.google.com/view/indiana-game-design-template/home
● Gamasutra have a number of great articles about what makes a good
design doc
● While this one is quite old now (almost 20 years!), it still has some great
points about what makes a successful design doc
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131632/creating_a_great_de
sign_document.php
69
https://sites.google.com/view/indiana-game-design-template/home
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131632/creating_a_great_design_document.php
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131632/creating_a_great_design_document.php
The Game Design Document
The general idea of the article is as follows
● Describe not just the body, but the soul
● Make it readable
● Prioritise
● Get into the details
● Some things must be demonstrated
● Not just what but how
70
● Provide alternatives
● Give it a life
● Remove Ambiguity
● Deliver it in Good Condition
The Game Design Document
● There are many examples of Design Documents online
● Check as many as you can for examples
● This can help you see the different way designs are articulated and
presented
71
Presenting your ideas
72
Presenting your ideas
● An important part of being a designer is the ability to present your ideas
● This includes being able to pitch your ideas in person
● It can be scary and intimidating for some
● Throughout this unit you will be developing this skill
● You will find yourselves in situations where you cannot just hand
someone a document
● You will want to pitch your idea then and there
Presenting your ideas
So what do you present?
● You high concept document can be used as a foundation for a
presentation or a pitch
● It is short and to the point
● It cleanly articulates what your game is about
● It highlights your uniqueness
Presenting your ideas
● Improving your presentation skills is simply about practice
● This is one reason why we will be covering this heavily in class
● Any chance you can, take the opportunity to pitch your ideas
● You should always be enthusiastic about your ideas
● Enthusiasm rubs off on people
● If you are not enthusiastic about your idea why would someone else
be?
Coming up this week
● Studio – Idea Generation & Presentation
● Seminar – Unit Q&A
Homework
● Play Games!
Reminders
● Look at the Assignment 1 Brief
● Yes seriously. Play Games!
76
WEEK
2
2
Learning objectives
Storytelling
● Storytelling Overview
● Active vs Passive
Stories in Games
● Types of stories
● Story vs
Plot
● The
3
Act Structure
●
Tropes
3
Storytelling
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Storytelling
● Stories can significantly add to your game
design
● But they also take a lot of time to get right
● You might be tempted to spend little time on story
● However, stories have strong points in favour of their inclusion
○ Make the game more entertaining
○ Attract a wider audience
○ Keep players interested (reduce boredom and grind)
○ Help sell the game. Easier to describe a story than gameplay
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Storytelling
Stories are used in a game to provide information to the player
This can include:
● Provide ‘flavour’ to the
game
● Give motivation to the characters objectives
○ Example: Why does the player care about saving a village
● Provide direction to the player
○ Example: HOW the player can save the village
● Assist the player in understanding what they can do
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Storytelling
Stories in games can be presented in many different forms:
● Written / Spoken dialogue in game
● Machinima (The term not the YT channel)
● Cutscenes
● The players actions
● The NPCs actions
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Storytelling
For novels, movies and games, the story can exist on several different levels
Non-Diegetic Material
● Material outside of the story universe
Story
● The recounted material
● Includes backstory and it’s direction is decided throughout the game
Plot
● The extraneous material
● What the player does to affect the story
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Storytelling
Storytelling
In games we can break up the plot further into two distinct parts.
The Narrative
● Is the part of the story told by the game designer to the player
● Is a non-interactive process where the player is a passive participant
The Interactive Generation
● Story by the player’s actions
● The player is an active participant
The overall story exists in the simulated game universe.
We call this the setting.
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Storytelling
Games can have little to no story, a moderate amount or a lot of story.
● Arcade games and Puzzle games often have little to none
● Strategy and First-Person Shooters often have moderate
● Role Playing and Adventure games often have a lot of story
Some games seem to have a large story element. But the story only acts as
flavour and has no relevance to the actual gameplay.
If designing a game driven by story, it is crucial to get the story right
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Active vs Passive Storytelling
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Active vs Passive Storytelling
Novels and movies usually contain a dramatic tension
● An unresolved issue, problem or conflict
● Attracts the audience and keeps attention
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Active vs Passive Storytelling
With games dramatic tension can be
Narrative Tension (Passive)
● Similar to novel tension devices
● Narrative revealed to the player slowly. Requires player to identify with
characters
Gameplay Tension (Active)
● Represents the challenges in the game that the player must solve
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Active vs Passive Storytelling
Game designers need to be aware that there is an inherent tension
between the active and passive modes in the game
● Increasing gameplay tension often decreases narrative tension
● Too much interactivity will please some audiences (hardcore gamers)
● But will bore other (casual gamers)
● Too much narrative can make the story feel like it is on rails
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Common Narrative Mistakes
A common mistake is taking away control of the player’s character
● This makes the player just a passive observer
● Can risk breaking the suspension of disbelief
If you need to drive the story, you can change the world instead
● NPCs, environment, etc.
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Common Narrative Mistakes
Another common mistake is creating an overly dense narrative
● If you player wanted just a story, they would read a book or watch a
movie
● Interactivity is the key to involving the player
● Don’t force the story onto the player in a way that restricts gameplay
● Consider the player to be the primary storyteller
● The game structure allows the player to create the story for majority of
the storyline
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Suspension of Disbelief
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Suspension of Disbelief
The Suspension of Disbelief is a concept originally penned by the English
poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge
● Refers to the ability of the story to immerse the viewer / reader
● For games, this means that the better the game supports the story, the
greater emotional investment the player has in the game
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Suspension of Disbelief
Poor design breaks the suspension of disbelief
● When a game character does something inconsistent to their
personality, but is needed to drive the story forward
● When the suspension of disbelief fails, the game lacks harmony
○ Harmony refers to the overall consistency and believability of the
game
● When addinging something to a game, look to see if it is in harmony
● Don’t just add something “cool” if it does not fit with the game
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Stories In Games
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Stories in Games
Games can present their storylines in the game in several different ways
● We will discuss in more detail next week
● Back Story
● Main Storyline
○ Non-Linear Story
○ Branching Story
○ Interactive Story
○ Dynamic Story
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Stories in Games – Backstory
● Backstory occurs before the game begins
● Supplies setting
● Introduces characters
● Provides information
○ About the game world
○ About the current
situation
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Stories in Games – Backstory
● Backstory can be very brief or quite complex
● As a designer, you should limit yourself to a suitable complexity
● Often times less is better than more
● In some games the backstory provides the entire Act 1 sequence of
events
● In these cases players begin the came immediately in Act 2
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The 3 Act Structure
Literature and films often conform to what is known as the 3 Act Structure
● It is a tried and true storytelling arc that is also applicable to games
● Not only provides framework but also helps with audience expectations
○ Meaningful starting point
○ Mid point
○ End resolution point
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The 3 Act Structure
Act 1: The Ordinary World
● The character begins their adventure through a call to adventure
Act 2: The Adventure
● The adventure itself
● This is the bulk of your game
Act 3: The End
● The ordinary world and the now extraordinary character coexist
We will explore this more in a later video
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Stories in Games – The Main Storyline
The main storyline occurs during the game
● Helps to immerse the player (the suspension of disbelief)
● Supplies information to the player
● Gives plot points that provide dramatic tension in the game
● The main storyline of a game is typically the Act 2 sequence of events
● Most games have linear stories
○ This isn’t the only way to construct a game however
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Stories in Games – The Linear Story
Narrative in games is often linear
● Unaffected by the player’s actions
● Unchanged each time the player plays the game
Many designers see this as a limitation
● In recent years there has been a lot of discussion regarding bringing
non-linearity into games
● Automated storytelling is considered the holy grail of computer game
design
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Stories in Games – The Linear Story
A linear story isn’t necessarily bad however
● Many good games have a linear narrative driving the
plot
● Scripted story events allows the player to be challenged to fit these
events
● These scripted events are part of the in-game story
● If these events loosely affect gameplay, the designer can provide
direction and interest
○ In a way that does not overly restrict the player
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Non-Linear Storytelling
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Stories in Games – The Non-Linear Story
One method of creating a non-linear story is to present the game timeline
out of sequence
● The ‘flashback’ is a standard movie example of this
Player’s understand narrative by cause and effect
● Need to be careful with non-linear storytelling
● It can break the suspension of disbelief
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Stories in Games – The Non-Linear Story
Other methods of creating non-linear stories include
● Branching Storylines
● Interactive Storylines
● Dynamic Storylines
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Branching Storylines
● Give the player the illusion of choice
● The player still feels in control of the story
● Still allows directional control over pacing and plot points
● Adds replay value
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Interactive Storylines
● Allows greater interaction with the world
● Interactions have cause and effect
● The player’s actions change the world around them and/or the story
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Dynamic Storylines
● Random plot development
● Usually leads to ineffective
narratives
● Heuristically developed plot
● Complete player freedom
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Simulation vs Scripting For Non-Linearity
The game world can have scripted and/or simulated interactions with the
player.
Both have pros and cons
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Simulation vs Scripting For Non-Linearity
Scripted Sequences:
● Provide plot points and direction to the player
● Are restriction enough to allow the player to be controlled
○ Without being too obvious
● Allow cinematic timing to introduce game elements
● Can be obvious in intent, destroying suspension of disbelief
● Can be broken by the player doing something unexpected
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Simulation vs Scripting For Non-Linearity
Simulations:
● Are the construction of a mathematical model to represent a game
system
● The player interacts with components that then affect the whole game
● A simulation can have emergent properties
○ The game can spontaneously create new gameplay elements
○ Response to player’s actions
○ Deal with anything the player does
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Simulation vs Scripting For Non-Linearity
● Peter Molyneux sees this as a major feature of future games
● Also ties heavily into the Immersive Sim genre
○ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbyTOAlhRHk
● Is difficult to design for
● The game may do unexpected things
● Reduces designer control over the game
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Multi-Part Stories
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Multi-Part Stories
● The 3 Act Structure creates circular (closed) stories
● Stories that leave plot threads hanging are called ‘open’ stories
● Often done when the designer is intending to introduce more elements
at a later stage
○ Allows the designer to weave them into previous stories
● Multi-Part stories like this are becoming more common
● A lot of interest in this concept (it makes more money)
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Multi-Part Stories
There are 3 general categories for multi-part stories:
Series:
● Each episode has a self contained plot in a consistent world with an
overall theme
Serials:
● There is an infinite sequence of episodes, with unresolved plot points at
the end of each
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Multi-Part Stories
Episodic Deliver:
● A combination of Series and Serials
● A story arc is self contained, with a distinct beginning and end
● This story arc is developed over a set number of episodes
● There is an infinite number of story arcs
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Story vs Plot
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Story vs Plot
When we think about stories in terms of both content and design, we are
looking at the Narrative Structure of Stories.
This involves the combination of “Story” + “Plot”
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Story vs Plot
● Whilst similar they are not the same thing
● The difference is subtle but important
● Story can be thought of as the structure
○ What happens
● Plot is the contents
○ What the meaning of the events are
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Storytelling
Story vs Plot
We can compare this to a journey
Story is
● What happened on the journey and where you
went
Plot is
● How you felt about it
● What you learnt
● How the events led from one to another
● How the destination changed you
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Plot
● Plot is the way events get revealed to the player
● How they relate to each other through cause and effect
● Plot arises from characters under adversity
● Plot forms the backbone of the events
● Every character must have their own agenda
○ More on this next week
● The Video Game Plot Scale by Matthew Belinkie
○ https://www.overthinkingit.com/2011/08/30/video-game-plot-scale/
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Defining A Story Structure
● Where is the story set?
● Who are the main characters?
● How are the main characters introduced?
● How is the major conflict in the story set up?
● How is the dramatic confrontation set up
● How does the game resolve most of the major conflicts?
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Defining A Plot
● Who are the main characters?
● What kind of people are they?
● What kind of conflicts do they face?
● What happens to the characters as they face this conflict?
● Who wins the conflict?
● What rewards do they receive?
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The 3 Act Structure
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The 3 Act Structure
● Almost all narratives across all cultures follow the 3 Act Structure
● The 3 Act Structure separates the narrative into 3 distinct sections or
‘acts’
○ Act 1: The beginning of the narrative
○ Act 2: The middle of the narrative
○ Act 3: The resolution of the narrative
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The 3 Act Structure
Act 1 (Beginning)
● Introduces the setting, major characters and the catalyst for the story
Act 2 (Middle)
● The longest act
● This is where the bulk of the story takes place
● In a game this is the majority of the experience
Act 3 (End)
● Resolves the story
● Reveals the impact of the story on the setting and characters
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The 3 Act Structure
● The 3 Act Structure is heavily tied in with the concept of The Hero’s
Journey
● We will examine this in more detail next week
● For this week we will focus on the broad scope of the acts
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Tropes
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Tropes
● In stories, a trope can refer to a common pattern or theme
● It is useful for all writers to be familiar with these tropes
● There are tropes of story, plot, characters, actions, situations and more
● TV Tropes is a wiki collection of trops found in all media
○ http://tvtropes.org/
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“Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably
rely on as being present in the audience members’ minds and
expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word
clichéd means “stereotyped and trite.” In other words, dull and
uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries.
We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make
fun of them”
http://tvtropes.org/
Plot Tropes
● We will focus on plot tropes for this video
○ http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Plots
● We can find hundreds of possible plot tropes
● Let’s examine the following two
○ Alien Invasion
○ Ghost Ship
● Remember that these are broad plots, or ‘tropes’ of plots
● They cannot account for all things characters in them might do
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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Plots
Plot Tropes – The Alien Invasion
● One of the oldest stories in Speculative Fiction
● Beings from space come to Earth to conquer
● There are three main forms of this trope
○ The All-Out Attack
○ The Infiltration
○ A combination of the above
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Plot Tropes – The Ghost Ship
● The main characters receive a distress call or come across a seemingly
deserted vehicle
● The characters must figure out what happened and where everybody
went
● Usually will run across exactly what happened when it tries to eat them
● A Big Dumb Object may be involved
● Sometimes there are actual ghosts
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Plot Tropes
● These are two specific examples of plot tropes
● Broadly speaking there are three types of plots these fall under
○ Plots of fortune
○ Plots of character
○ Plots of thought
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A plot is “a series of causally related
events, involving some sort of conflict (or
tension), leading (probably) to a climax
and (possibly) to a resolution.”
– Jack Hodgins
Plots of Fortune
● The Action Plot – What happens next
● The Pathetic Plot – Things happen to a character through no fault of
their own
● The Tragic Plot – A sympathetic character is responsible for their own
downfall
● The Sentimental Plot – A sympathetic character survives
misfortune
● The Admiration Plot – A character outdoes themself in getting through
misfortune
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Plots of Character
● The Maturing Plot – A purposeless protagonist finds direction and
strength
● The Reform Plot – A protagonist makes the right choice at last, after
many wrong decisions
● The Testing Plot – A protagonist is pressured to compromise on their
principles
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Plots of Thought
● The Educational Plot – A character undergoes threat and comes out a
better person
● The Revelation Plot – A protagonist must discover the truth
● The Affective Plot – A protagonist comes to see another character
more truly
● The Disillusionment Plot – A sympathetic character suffers loss and
loses faith completely
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20 Master Plots
● In the book 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them), Ronald B. Tobias
lists the following:
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● Quest
● Adventure
● Pursuit
● Rescue
● Escape
● Revenge
● The Riddle
● Rivalry
● Underdog
● Metamorphosis
● Transformation
● Maturation
● Love
● Forbidden Love
● Sacrifice
● Discovery
● Wretched Excess
● Ascension
● Descension
● Temptation
Clichés
● Clichés refer to tropes that have been used repeatedly in the same way
● Clichés often result in predictable and boring narratives
● It is our responsibility as game designers to recognise clichés in our
designs and eliminate them
● Cliches and Stereotypes are things we should always avoid in our
narratives
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Plot Devices
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Plot Devices
● A plot device is an element introduced into a story solely to advance or
resolve the plot of the story
● A plot device can be an object or character in the story
○ Their sole purpose is to drive the plot, maintain flow or resolve
situation
● It could be something everyone wants to obtain, something to destroy
at all costs or protect at all costs
● It may be something introduced early with the purpose of helping later
○ http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotDevice
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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlotDevice
Plot Devices
The Artifact of Doom
● Seemingly inanimate object that somehow manages to be pure evil
The Deathtrap
● Overly complicated method of killing a character, used solely to provide
a means of escape
The Deus Ex Machina
● Artificial or improbable means of resolving a story
The Quest
● Complicated search for capture or return of an object or person
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Plot Devices
The Red Herring
● A person, event or object which deflects attention from the real thing
Chekhov’s Gun
● An insignificant object that later turns out to be important
Plot Coupon
● Something that a character needs to obtain in order to cash in later for
a plot resolution
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Plot Devices
Plot Devices – MacGuffin
● A term popularized by film director Alfred Hitchcock
● Refers to a physical object or character that drives the actions of the
characters in a story, but whose actual nature is not important to the
plot
● Hitchcock said
○ “In a thriller the MacGuffin is usually ‘the necklace’”
○ “In a spy story it is ‘the papers’”
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Plot Devices – MacGuffin
● These are frequently found in ‘quest’ fantasy stories
○ A magical artifact the hero must recover to save the world
● Are sometimes referred to as plot coupons
● They are a good example of differences between story and plot
○ A MacGuffin is central to the story
○ But it has no impact on the plot at all
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Coming up this week
● Studio – Designing narratives
● Seminar – Examining story in a practical example
Homework
● Play Games!
● Write a narrative to bring to class next week
Reminders
● Assignment 1 overview video has been released
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