Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Conflict: The Fuel of Story
Think of your favorite sports car and imagine it sitting in your driveway right
now. Maybe it's an American muscle car like a Corvette or a Mustang, or
possibly a Japanese screamer with an Acura, Infiniti, or Lexus badge. Then
again, perhaps you'd prefer a German performance machine from Porsche
or BMW, or a sleek Italian model from Ferrari or Maserati.
Now imagine that vehicle with not a single drop of gas in the tank. (Fully
electric cars are excluded from this metaphor.) Whatever car you prefer, no
matter how sleek, muscular, powerful, or beautiful to look at it is, what
good is it without fuel?
Sure, even on an empty tank you can sit in the car and
imagine
the wind
flying through your hair. You can grip the wheel, enjoy the leather seats,
and if the battery's charged, you can even play some of your favorite tunes
on the stereo for a while.
But you'll never get anywhere. And you'll very quickly lose interest in your
new toy. Without fuel, even the most impressive vehicle is useless and bor-
ing.
The fuel of fiction is
conflict
.
Conflict powers your story. Conflict is the burning energy that propels it
forward. And if your tale runs out of conflict before it reaches its destina-
tion, you've got a problem.
