Games Stories

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 Common misperceptions in games

When we think of stories in games, we generally think it is mostly dialogue or that the theme behind story doesnt matter. Dialogue is part of pretty much all kinds of storys but it is not the basis. Many stories are unspoken and those can leave the biggest impression on us. Story is mostly about conflict according to GameDeveloper.com

Where it reads "Now, the notion that story doesn't matter is worst with the industry old-timers. "Just repeat that 30 seconds of gameplay, and you've got it," I've heard. Or worse: "We've never had to worry about of that story stuff before." "

I loathe any frame of thought like this. I, Myself am a story gamer. By this I mean that I am drawn to any game with a good story or conflict. Most people love games like fortnite or warzone or even similar where its PVP (player versus Player) or PVE (Player Versus Everyone) where it is going in guns blazing and no story. I find that this get boring quick. I love games like "The Last Of Us" or "Uncharted" These games grip me with their strong character developments and story arches. They have a Plot/ Goal to achieve, A way and means to achieve it, but a spanner is thrown into the works ( some sort of conflict) to slow down the player and make things more difficult for him/her thus elevating your heart rate and your interest in the game. This is when you want to know what is going to happen next. That is always one of the biggest questions that players will always want to ask and know the answer to and will keep playing until they know. They know what is at stake and they are not sure if the Protagonist will win or not, just like reading a good book. You as a gamer are in control and get to experience a playable book in a sense. 

Source: Twinfinite.net

 

The art of a good story consists of these stages.

Each good story needs:

  1. A protagonist
  2. An incident that will sabotage the protagonist 
  3. More obstacles in the way to slow down the protagonist(making it more exciting to see if he pulls through)
  4. Over coming hurddles and being pushed back by more. 
  5. Be defeated or look so close to being defeated that the protagonist cant get any lower or worse, like its all over for them
  6. Rise from the ashes like a Pheonix and fight back, gaining control and finally winning, getting the task completed.

These few steps are vital to any decent story worth telling as it keeps the reader/gamer/viewer at the edge of the seat not knowing what to anticipate next

But its not just the story setting, we also need character building. Who is the good guy and who is the bad. Why are they so interesting and what makes them tick. What gets them out of bed in the morning and what makes them do the things they do. Character development is crucial for creating a good story. Without it, the rest of the set up is null and void. People dont want a story if they dont sympathise or associate themselves with the characters. Without good characters, You wont have a good game/book/movie.

When it comes to story, pacing is also key. You dont want a game that takes too long to get into. Similarly you dont want one that starts straight in the middle of a boss fight. You need to start of slow and build the foundations of the story. Introduce characters and small frgments of plot along the way. Pace yourself and build characters, plot, environments, costume, setting. Everything has its place and all needs to have a good rythym to it. A great story flows.

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