Writing Tutorials, or Press Start. . . to Start - Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing - page 126

The hidden narrator. Recently, more and more games are using “hidden� narrators.
Instead of an external voice, the game puts the narrator right inside the game. Half-
Life 2 , for example, uses a public-address system to provide the player with narrative
information as they pass through the world. Similarly, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max
Payne uses programs shown on strategically placed televisions to not only provide a
feel for the gameworld but, in some instances, to talk directly to the protagonist.
This means the information provided by the narration is experienced by the player
rather than forced upon them, making it feel more real, more relevant, and therefore
more immersive.
12.6 Getting the Writing Done
There are some aspects of tutorial design and narrative construction that go beyond
the basic models and that need the writer to consider the points where the story and
the design, the narrative and gameplay exposition, meet.
Merging Design and Narrative
While the writer's aim is to obfuscate the artificiality of the learning process, they
must do so in a way that does not obscure the lessons the player needs to learn. It
is easy for the tutorial to become congested with too much information, so when
planning their narrative structure, the writer must ensure that they do not overload
the player.
Remember the equation: The speed the player masters the controls = the speed
they can enter the gameworld = the speed of immersion.
It may feel frustrating to a writer if the game design reduces the amount of nar-
rative information that can be placed in the game's opening, but it is in the writer's
interests to make this work. After all, immersion is the aim of both the writer and
the designer, and the way a writer decides to present narrative material also affects
the speed and depth of immersion.
Dealing with Backstory
When putting story concepts, outlines, and development documents together it is
common to create backstory. 17 . Backstory can allow the development team to see
who the characters are, predict their behavior, nuance their actions, and make the
characters feel fully rounded. The art department can use backstory to create the
character's look, the animation department can use it to define how a character is
animated, and designers can use it to think about ways the characters can interact.
These attributes make backstory a useful tool.
Once created, though, backstory can be incredibly seductive. While background
information can illuminate characters and enrich the narrative, it is easy to bog a
story down in the past. The player wants to experience the now. The now should be
17 Backstory being all the guff that happened before the player, protagonist, and writer enter the time
the plot takes place in.