Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
First we'll investigate what most often goes wrong with game narrative
from a leadership perspective. Then we'll explore some specific strategies
to overcome these barriers to high-quality game storytelling.
Why Game Writing Usually Sucks
Reviewers of video games, jaded and blunt, make no bones about their
low expectations for narrative quality in the products they critique for a liv-
ing. Clunky story structure, uneven pacing, cliché-ridden characters, and
painful dialogue are expected norms, almost unworthy of comment. In
fact, it's only when a game manages to miraculously rise above this low
quality bar and present plot, character, and dialogue on par with, say, a
direct-to-disc movie that reviewers and players might sit up and take no-
tice.
And on the very rare occasion that a game story truly rivals the best of
any other medium—stirring the player's emotions and leaving an impres-
sion that lasts for weeks, months, or even years—the question hangs preg-
nant in the air:
Why can't more games be like this?
Why, indeed? Well, there are a multitude of missteps awaiting a game's
producers, directors, and leads that can ultimately evoke eye-rollingly
poor narrative. These traps, ranging from the painfully obvious to the insi-
diously subtle, are often not recognized until too late, if at all.
No Writer Hired
It may seem surprising and maybe even silly, but some game development
leaders expect a good narrative result in their games without the presence
of professional narrative experts on their teams.
Now, to be clear, not every single game needs a professional writer or
narrative designer. For example, puzzle games and simple strategy games
generally have very light or even nonexistent narrative elements. And
rightly so! Would you really want or expect a two-minute long, knock-
your-socks-off cutscene to be what you first encounter when starting up a
game of
Tetris
or
Bejeweled
? However, since you are reading this topic, I
will assume the game(s) you are working on would benefit from having a
significant amount of high-quality storytelling content.
