Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
A change in the speaker's attitude toward the listener due to charac-
ter growth or new information
As with people in the real world, the way characters verbally express
themselves in stories reveals much about who they really are.
Emotional Exposition
As mentioned in the previous bulleted list, the way characters speak
provides vital clues not just about who they are, but how they are currently
feeling—critical information for a storyteller to convey at all times.
People act based how they feel at least as much as on what they think.
So understanding a character's current emotional state helps the audience
understand (and believe) his actions. As with other forms of exposition, it is
preferable to show than to tell. Someone putting a fist through a wall is
generally a cleaner and better way to demonstrate that character's anger
and frustration than having him describe it via dialogue. But in a case when
showing isn't possible or feasible, dialogue-conveyed emotional exposi-
tion is not something that should be stated outright, but inferred by the
audience based on how the character is speaking.
Bad emotion-conveying dialogue sounds like this: “Dad, I'm scared.”
Better emotion-conveying dialogue sounds like this: “Dad, please don't
leave me here alone.”
Gameplay Exposition
Unique to the game narrative experience is gameplay exposition—using
storytelling to communicate gameplay goals, instructions, and hints.
Voiced dialogue is a powerful tool here, as the player is fed important dir-
ection while he continues to play the game. However, it is a double-edged
sword, as gameplay exposition that the player may have missed—perhaps
because he was too engrossed in the gameplay, perhaps because he
skipped a cutscene—can result in the player becoming confused as to
what to do next.
If you're watching a movie and you miss an important tidbit of exposit-
ory dialogue, the movie doesn't grind to a halt, freeze in place, and prevent
you from continuing the experience. The movie continues to flow, and
while you might be a bit confused for a while, you are free to move for-
ward. But in a game, if you miss an important tidbit of expository dialogue,
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