Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
for game story, the analogy I use in my answer is that of a film score com-
poser wondering to which movie studios he should shop the new
soundtrack he just wrote. Games don't start with stories any more than
movies start with scores.
A new game almost always begins with a decision on genre, followed by
a concept within that genre. At this formative stage, few if any specific nar-
rative elements are yet determined.
For example, some game concepts featuring original intellectual prop-
erties (IP) might have looked something like this in their very first days:
▪
A third-person sandbox game set in the Old West in which the play-
er takes on the role of a gunslinger. (
Gun
,
Red Dead Redemption
)
▪
A first-person environmental puzzle game in which the player
shoots “holes” in walls, floors, and ceilings that can be traveled
through. (
Narbacular Drop, Portal
)
▪
A third-person co-op exploration and puzzle game that emphasizes
emotion and simple beauty, and contains no dialogue. (
Journey
)
▪
A third-person stealth assassination game featuring climbable urban
environments and large, interactive crowds. (
Assassin's Creed
)
▪
A third-person puzzle-action game in which the player rolls a highly
adhesive sphere across the environment, collecting objects that
stick to it and increase its size. (
Katamari Damacy
)
There are so many implications in these brief concept statements!
Design, team size and composition, budget, schedule, engine, possible
platforms, target audience … the list goes on and on. It's a lot to evaluate
before even starting to think about more detailed questions like,
What is
the story?
Even game concepts based on existing/licensed properties, with consid-
erably more prior baggage, might have appeared thusly:
▪
An isometric, four-player action-RPG “dungeon-crawler” with
dozens of available playable characters from the Marvel Universe.
(
X-Men Unlimited, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
)
▪
A narrative-rich 3D adventure game that's based on
The Walking
Dead
comics and TV series. (
The Walking Dead: Season One
)
