Writing Tutorials, or Press Start. . . to Start - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 119

the change of location gives an impression of progression and a fresh feel to the game
design. Subtler still, each area expects the player to be better dressed, and the generic
characters respond to the protagonist as suits their locality. Setting defines character,
narrative/gameplay objectives, and the player's expectations.
The writer's job of establishing the world is easiest when the narrative fits the look
and feel of the world. 10 The right choice of visuals will instantly show the player if the
genre world they are entering is one set in science fiction, fantasy, or sports without
the need for a single spoken word. Taking this idea further, the writer can also use
visuals to establish character, setting, objective—in fact, pretty much everything. If
the area the protagonist lives in is a rich neighborhood or a poor one, then this choice
will allow the player to draw conclusions about the character. Indeed, it is what they
player sees and interacts with that has the most affect on them, so a writer has to use
more than just dialog to tell the story. As such, liaising with other departments to
make sure that each shares a common vision is vital to successful game storytelling.
Done properly, a world can be established in a split-second visual, allowing the writer
to spend their limited resources on other areas of the story experience. Carefully
matching a narrative objective with gameplay can mean that more of the story can be
told within the gameworld. In other words, using visuals does not necessarily mean
resorting to cinematics.
The use of visual storytelling should extend into the gameplay itself. God of War
sets a number of its levels against a mythological background of gods and monsters
that stride through the gameworld, not just the cinematics. Remember that while
the start of a game can certainly be a good place for an establishing cinematic (years
of game narrative form have led players to expect a narrative cinematic at the start,
making this is one of the less punishing places to put one), the point of the opening
is not to spend an hour discussing the finer detail of the character's soul but to get
the player into the action as quickly as possible.
Establishing the Characters
Many problem scripts can trace their weaknesses to a failure to properly establish
interesting characters. To create characters with more life and impact to them, the
writer must craft them so that they are instantly recognizable but also surprising.
They should have a sense of life beyond the central plot and an interesting story
to tell within it. Each character should be distinct from all the others in the piece.
Finally, when constructing such characters, the writer must also ensure that each
character is believable. 11
The most important characters to establish at the beginning are the protagonist
and the antagonist. This might seem obvious, but it is quite common to find a story
that develops a believable protagonist and then forgets the antagonist. Without a
believable and interesting antagonist, the protagonist's story will not be compelling.
10 That is, the graphics, sound, and animation.
11 That is, believable within the gameworld they inhabit. Sonic is “believable� in Sonic the Hedgehog but
would not be a believable character in Assassin's Creed .