Narrative design versus storytelling for traditional mediums

Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash

There are many established methods for developing narrative for traditional mediums such as theatre, novels, film and series.

For the most part these narratives are linear with a beginning, middle and end. (Of course there are exceptions. In film there are delightful examples that play with time and chronology like Pulp Fiction, Tenet and Memento. A great series example is Netflix’s experimental Bandersnatch episode from the Black Mirror series.)

But interactive storytelling whether it’s for games, immersive theatre or interactive experiences in amusement parks require a different approach and toolkit.

Here are some of the key differences I’ve come across between storytelling in games and interactive experiences compared with traditional mediums. It’s by no means a definitive list and I’m sure I will add to it over time.

Player as a character and their autonomy

The craft of designing a narrative for an interactive experience is very specific since the player is a character in the story. Whether they take on the persona of a protagonist or play as themselves dropped into an unfamiliar scenario: the player has agency. Their choices and actions will shape and determine the story, how it’s perceived and sometimes even the ending. This is a big responsibility as you can’t cheat a player out of meaningful choices. Ideally, if you provide them with a choice this should be reflected with a proportionate impact on the story. Easier said than done :)

Replay value

Another aspect of difference for games is that the story can change between sessions. When one reads a book or watches a film again, the ending is always the same. (One may feel differently but that’s usually dependent on the individual and how they themselves may have changed between readings/viewings. At least, that’s certainly the case for me.)

But in the case of games, when you play the same game again it can be a unique experience. A branching narrative and your choices could lead to a different ending. This can give the player deeper insight into characters and the story as well as the chance to see the impact of their choices.

World building and scale of content

In this way we can see the difference choice has on world building. A book is like a train traveling from point A to point B, whereas an interactive experience is like providing the player with a car and then carefully planning all the possible routes, signage, exits, detours and destinations! (We can take this metaphor literally if we examine the importance of environmental design in video games as a narrative tool.)

This has a massive impact on the amount of content that needs to be created. If you’re giving the player all these choices, you must create follow on scenes, dialogue, outcomes, scenarios and potentially more choices. Additionally, unless the player replays the game, they may never even see all that content!

Story Structure

Interactive experiences can also mean there is no definitive beginning, middle and end. Sometimes the experience is endlessly looping (for example, an interactive exhibition in a gallery) which means the audience could “start” anywhere within that experience. In this instance, we should consider ways in which the audience may be “invited” to engage, what choices they are offered and how the story unfolds from that moment in time and their point of view.

You can see how the traditional three-act structure may not apply in this context but to some extent it can still be relevant to games. This is because many games still have what’s called a “critical path” or “critpath” which is the main intended pathway in order to progress and complete a game. Narrative designers often balance the critical path against branching narrative or side quest storylines.

In a linear story the plot plays out in the same order every time. This means you can plan plot points, character arcs and emotional beats that allow you to foreshadow later events or to reveal information in a controlled fashion. But if a game disregards the critical path altogether, you need to get very creative with storytelling if you still want your story to resonate emotionally. A really interesting example of a video game that doesn’t have a strict story structure is Her Story by Sam Barlow which I have written about previously.

Ludo-Narrative dissonance

Writing this article made me reflect on a concept in games called Ludo-Narrative dissonance. This concept describes the tension between the story in a game and gameplay. You want to tell a story while giving the player some control over how that story will unfold. How do you balance player choice while guiding the story down specific pathways and a satisfying conclusion? This challenge is something that Narrative Designers cannot do alone especially on larger projects and will often work closely with Game Designers, Level Designers, System Designers and Programmers to successfully achieve this balance.