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Slide1
Reminder: Game Design Analysis
Deadline
written document:
November 18
th
in class
,
PRINTED! (
next Monday
)
Deadline PowerPoint presentation:
November
18
th
until 6AM
(EST time) has to be e-mailed to
instructor (
next Monday
)Slide2
Create Your Game Project
Due date: Monday December 2
nd
Will be open: invite friends!
The project is to be presented at
at
4:00PM
on December
2
nd
; invite your friends!Slide3
Games as Narrative Play
(Ch. 26)
Prof. Hector Munoz-AvilaSlide4
Introduction
Typical examples of narratives in games
Interesting story (no pun intended) From
Complex.com
Excellent games with different approaches to storylines:
Linear:
half life
Branching while linear, multiple endings:
Blade runner
Nonlinear, one ending:
Elder Scrolls
Nonlinear, multiple endings: ?
Games
Culture: Games’ stories made into movies
Silent Hill
Doom
Resident EvilSlide5
Linear Storyline
Story arc is a sequence of pre-defined events
Example
in Half life:
Gordon travels deep in the Mesa facility
Gordon gets acquainted with surroundings
Gordon performs an experiment that goes wrong
…Slide6
Branching-while Linear Storyline
Branching because player makes choices that change storyline
Linear because player is basically
following the same story arc (with slight changes depending on choices made)
Example in Blade Runner:
Ray McCoy is a new member in the Blade Runner office
…
Ray McCoy choose between helping or pursuing
Dektora
…
RayMcCoy
escapes with
Dektora
There are 13 possible endings and the game can be longer or shorter depending on the player’s choices
Different
cutscenes
are shown depending on path:
one
and
twoSlide7
Nonlinear, one ending
Story arc is formed by events following a variety of game choices
Nonlinear because
story arc changes based on player’s choices.
As a result subplots
are interleaved
e.g., going
back and forth between completing the mage’s and
thieve’s
guilds storylines
But in the end, player converges to the
same pointSlide8
Key Questions
Viewing games as a narrative space
Where do narratives in a game reside?
How to design games as narrative experiences?
What kinds of narratives experiences does digital games allow?
think of restrictive medium: cell phone game vs. latest PC
Role (if any) of narrative in designing meaningful playSlide9
Controversy about Narratives as Games
Two camps:
Narratives is just a backstory to the game mechanics
Story is told in an opening cinematic that players’ basically forget
Don’t really add utility to game design
Example
(Titan Quest)
Games are narrative mediums (“interactive narratives”)
It is just that some stories are bad
As demonstrated by epic storylines
Example
(Mass Effect series)
Your opinion?Slide10
Common Trends
(by
Jesper
Juul
)
We use narratives for everything
So
of course, games and narratives are related
(Certainly holds when I am preparing lectures)
Most games feature narrative introductions and backstories
Games do share some traits with narratives
We will expand on thisSlide11
Elements to Understand Narratives
(J. Hills Miller)
Situation:
Initial state
Changing state (the linking of which form the “plot”)
Character(s):
The usual person elements
But can be personification:
Earth
(the 2007 movie)
Form:
Patterns of events
Repetition (e.g., conceptual theme)Slide12
Earth
(The 2007 Movie)
Situation:
Newly born animals
Fight for survival story
Characters:
The 3 families
Earth
Form:
ConservationSlide13
Chess
Situation:
Opening moves
Middle of the game
The End Game
Characters:
Pieces and what they represent
Form:
Stylized representation of war as defined by the operational rules:
Chessboard
Turn basedSlide14
Starcraft
(
Campaing
)
Situation:
Human’s colonies under attack by aliens
Final defeat of the “The
Overmind
”
Characters:
Raynor
,
Tychus
,
Mengsk
, Kerrigan
Form:
Real-time strategy
Difference between the factions in strategies and gameplay
Video
scenes telling the storySlide15
Structures of Narrative Play
Embedded: Experience narrative as a defined story told interactively
Emergent: narrative arises while playingSlide16
Embedded Narrative
Predefined: already crafted before player plays the game
Classical examples:
Storyline in Half-life
Storyline in
Starcraft
Storyline in Blade Runner
Frequently
cutscenes
are used to tell the story arc
Frequently linear storyline or branching-while-linearSlide17
Emergent Narrative
Emerges from a set of rules
But it is not “pre-scripted”
Unlike branching–while-linear, player’s choices may lead to unexpected (or at least non-tried-before) storylines
Player interactions are context-dependent
Story arcs change dynamically
In most games emergent narratives occur at the micro-level
E.g., how I choose to complete a mission(*) in an
RTS
game, might be very different of
how
someone
else’s completes it
Easy to see that this is the case: imagine the same observer narrating what is happening.
The two accounts will be
differentSlide18
Combining Embedded and Emergent Narratives
Most games combine embedded and emergent narratives
Embedded narratives are used at the macro-level
In most games emergent narratives occur at the micro-level
E.g., how I choose to complete a mission(*) in an
RTS
game, might be very different of
how
someone
else’s completes it
Easy to see that this is the case: imagine the same observer narrating what is happening.
The two accounts will be
differentSlide19
Narrative Goals
The goal of the game serves two purposes:
Judge progress (meaningful play)
Understanding the narrative context
Examples of final goals in games?
In linear storylines, the point to achieve the goal is pre-determined (e.g., after completed the
storyarc
in a linear narrative)
In other games that point is subject to the player’s choices
Earth 2140Slide20
Narrative Subgoals
The story arc is frequently stated as a sequence of goals for the player to achieve
Creates a narrative coherence
The book mentions The Sims example:
Getting ready for a date
Getting a date
Sharing activities
…
Well combined story and gameplay enhances meaningful playSlide21
Elements We Studied can Enhance Narratives
Complexity and Emergence in Games
Information theory in Games
Games as Information Systems
Games as Cybernetic Systems
Games as Game Theory Systems
Games as Systems of ConflictSlide22
Research Topic: Automated Generation of Narratives
Recall guest lecture about AI and specifically about planning:
Planning: generate a sequence of steps to achieve some goal
The basic premise is to define a narrative goal and thus the sequence of steps become the narrative arc
Planning techniques guarantees that a consistent story is generated
Including work by our invited speaker, R. Michael Young, early this semesterSlide23
Generating Diverse Stories
(Alexandra
Coman
)
NPC:
Minotaur
Goal:
Exit Labyrinth
ND Actions:
walk cautiously
pre: not
fallen
AND not
thread broken
eff
:
free
OR
fallen
OR
none OR
thread found
follow thread
re
:
thread found
and not
thread broken
eff
:
free
OR
fallen
pull thread
pre:
thread found
eff
:
thread broken
OR
fallen
fly
pre: not fallen eff: free OR fallenrise pre: fallen eff: not fallen walk without fear pre: not fallen AND thread broken eff: free OR none
ND Actions:walk cautiously pre: not fallen AND not thread broken eff: free OR fallen OR none OR thread foundfollow thread pre: thread found and not thread broken eff: free OR fallenpull thread pre: thread found eff: thread broken OR fallenfly pre: not fallen eff: free OR fallenrise pre: fallen eff: not fallen walk without fear pre: not fallen AND thread broken eff: free OR none
ND Actions (II):pull thread pre: thread found eff: thread broken OR fallenfly pre: not fallen eff: free OR fallenrise pre: fallen eff: not fallen walk without fear pre: not fallen AND thread broken eff: free OR none
ND Actions (I):walk cautiously pre: not fallen AND not thread broken eff: free OR fallen OR none OR thread foundfollow thread pre: thread found and not thread broken eff: free OR fallenSlide24