Telling stories interactively.
WHAT MAKES GAME NARRATIVE DIFFERENT
The player acts, so the story must accommodate agency.
WHAT THE APPROACHES ARE
Linear story delivered between play Branching narrative with player choice Environmental storytelling, told through the world Emergent narrative, arising from systems
WHAT ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING PROVIDES
Story absorbed while playing, without interruption.
WHY IT IS EFFICIENT
It requires no cutscenes and no reading.
WHAT BRANCHING COSTS
Content that most players never see.
WHAT THAT MEANS FOR SMALL TEAMS
Branching is expensive, and should be used sparingly.
WHAT MAKES CHOICES FEEL MEANINGFUL
Visible consequences Consequences that persist No obviously correct option
WHAT FALSE CHOICE IS
Options converging to the same outcome.
WHY PLAYERS RESENT IT
It makes their deliberation retrospectively pointless.
WHAT TO AVOID
Long unskippable sequences Story that contradicts what the player does Dialogue that cannot be advanced at the reader's pace
WHY THAT LAST POINT
Reading speeds vary enormously.
WHAT TO INTEGRATE
Story and mechanic, so each reinforces the other.
WHAT TO CUT
Anything the player skips.
