Follow-up time! So yeah, last time I said that I would follow up my comprehensive dissection of the failings of video game storytelling (which totally didn't spill off on an unintended tangent about critics) with my thoughts on how a video game story could be told well. I actually went back and forth on whether I would write this, primarily because...what the hell do I know? There are tons of articles on the subject of game narrative out there, written by people who...y'know...actually study this stuff and do it for a living. My own experience writing for video games begins and ends with Spore: Galactic Adventures, so who's to say if my thoughts on the subject are valid at all?
But I guess you're still here, so let's get on with it. Here are my personal thoughts on how game storytellers can improve their narrative.
TIP 1: WRITE A WORLD, NOT JUST A SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
This is probably the biggest piece of advice I can give game developers. And yes, I'm speaking to all of the developers. The most important thing about a video game's story is that it be more than just a story. You have an entire world to work with and shape to be a part of your narrative. Use that canvas!
While there are probably better choices, right now I'm going to point to Bioshock as an example of this concept. If you look at it, there's very little "plot" in Bioshock. You've given a few objectives here and there, but for a large majority of the game you're just kind of a rat, alone in a maze and trying to get from point A to point B. However, this game has story in spades. Every area you encounter is full of hints as to what happened in the ruined city. Everything you see and experience ties back to establishing what this city was and what happened to it. In my last post I described a scene wherein I come upon an abandoned cabin in a video game and intuit what happened there. Bioshock is made of moments like that. I feel like I'm exploring, scavenging, and discovering, while all the while learning more and more about this story being told all around me.
The reason it works and the reason it engages the player is that it makes you feel like the protagonist you're supposed to be. If the player gets the sense that their experience is being too tightly controlled (hello, Final Fantasy XIII), it will feel more like watching the characters than inhabiting them. Since your protagonist is the player's connection to the world, that's a bad thing.
TIP 2: GIVE YOUR STORY A MEMORY
(This is something I'm stunned I don't see more often in video games. It's such a simple way to not only make your story more dynamic, but also boost replay value.)
So, let's say I'm playing some Fantasy RPG. In fact, let's pretend it's that game I made up in the last post. From now on, that game is called ExampleQuest. So I'm playing ExampleQuest and I'm at a crossroads. Down one road is the town of Portside, which is under attack by pirates. Down the other road is the town of Ravencroft, which is under attack by zombies. I decide to go to Portside first and, hero that I am, fend off the pirates and kill the Pirate King in a duel. After that, I head to Ravencroft. Outside, two guards stop me.
Guard 1: "Stay back, sir. It's not safe to go any further."
Guard 2: "Bah, I heard this man killed the Pirate King himself. If anyone can solve our problem, he can."
And I'm let through. Now what does that sound like to you? Sounds like railroading, and if I'd gone to Ravencroft first I'd have been turned away. Nope, if I'd gone to Ravencroft first, I'd get this exchange instead.
Guard 1: "Stay back, sir. It's not safe to go any further."
Guard 2: "The man is armed, at least. I suspect he could make it through town. Just...be careful in there, okay?"
And I'm let through.
That was a really complicated example of a simple thing I'm trying to get across. "Consequence" in video games doesn't have to mean the story changes wildly, or that you get some kind of "good" or "evil" bonus for your actions. Consequence can be as simple as a line of dialog changing, as above, to reflect what you've done. It's so simple but it can be so powerful.
Probably the most awesome example of this in a real video game is the infamous "court scene" in Chrono Trigger. Basically, at the start of Chrono Trigger, you go to this country fair where you can wander around, have fun, and do a variety of things. However, much much later in the game, your character finds himself on trial, and the game starts bringing in a bunch of "character witnesses" to testify for or against you. In this scene, the game brings up a whole bunch of things you, the player, did at the fair at the start of the game. A lot of it is really inconsequential stuff you wouldn't think the game would keep track of (like whether you ran into a certain character or if she ran into you). It's really powerful, and everyone remembers that scene despite the fact that it really has nothing to do with the gameplay. (You find yourself slated for execution no matter how the verdict goes for...reasons. I'm not going to summarize the whole game.)
This is such an awesome storytelling device, and a device which is unique to video games. You can't do that in a movie! It's so simple, too. It's as simple as having two sets of dialog here and there. If your writers are too lazy for that, God help 'em.
TIP 3: MAKE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT A PART OF GAMEPLAY
The mark of a good story, no matter the medium, is that the characters grow and change over the course of it. In a movie or novel, this tends to follow the pattern of a "character arc" with the character learning how to change themselves for the better right at that eleventh hour when it matters. In a video game or television series, this tends to be a bit more free-form, and character development is usually a slow-build over the course of the character's journey. (I'd argue that this slow-build development is actually a bit more true to real life. I mean, how often do your beliefs take a total 180-degree spin just because you had a bad day?)
Most gamewriters understand the significance of character development from a story standpoint. They'll usually stick some big redemption scene in the game's third act somewhere with dramatic music and the hero vowing not to let the evil wizard hurt anyone else. Still, I feel this is missing an opportunity as video games are supposed to be an interactive medium. Give character development some meaningful impact on gameplay.
A lot of people like to criticize "moral choice" systems in games, like the one in InFamous where you unlock more destructive powers the more of a jackass you are and unlock more heroic powers the more virtuous you are. While I feel like these mechanics are often ham-handedly implemented, I don't think the idea at their core is a bad one. The idea is to take away the "Grand Theft Auto Syndrome" where your character is built up as a noble dude in the story...despite how many pedestrians you run down when actually playing. Having your character's personality change to reflect the way you're playing makes a lot of sense. The main problem, I think, is that the game tends to paint in broad brushstrokes. Your playstyle results in your character being "good" or "evil" without much room for moral ambiguity.
I think the solution here is to get away from the "good" and "evil" dynamic. Make it more a matter of personality. Is your character brave or cowardly? Sarcastic or straightforward? Passionate or cold? Sympathetic or sadistic? People's personalities don't conform to just one slider. Now imagine that each of those sliders is tied to your character's growth, for example...
Brave vs. Cowardly = More Health vs. More Speed
Sarcastic vs. Straightforward = Ice Element vs. Fire Element
Passionate vs. Cold = More Offense vs. More Defense
Sympathetic vs. Sadistic = Healing Abilities vs. Destructive Abilities
And so on. (I...I don't know why Sarcasm is tied to Ice Magic, but just go with me, here.) Seriously, if nothing else think of the replay value in a game where your character's personality could be so radically different from game to game. It wouldn't be that hard to implement in conversation, either. Just have each response check an appropriate slider. If someone asks you to help them, the game determines your character's reply based on their bravery. If someone asks you a silly question, the game determines if you cut them down based on how sarcastic you are. If you're clever about it, you wouldn't need to write 30 different responses for every line, just two appropriate ones. Simple!
I...can't really think of a good example of this from an existing game, but if anyone else can I'd love to play it.
And those are basically my three tips for telling a better video game story. Maybe I don't know what I'm talking about, but I can honestly say that any game to implement all my suggestions is a game I would pick up in a heartbeat. Anyone else feel the same?
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