Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
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Batman: Arkham Asylum
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God of War
Game story-dominant experiences provide for some self-expression
and unique-to-each-player experiences—almost exclusively during the
moment-to-moment gameplay—but still cleave closely to a linear, pre-
crafted narrative that ends up being the same for all players.
For example, everyone who plays all the way through
Uncharted 2
will
be playing as Nathan Drake, and every player's Nathan Drake will look ex-
actly the same, go to identical locations, and fight the same enemies for
the same in-story reasons.
However, within the gameplay sections of the missions, the player has a
variety of available verbs and enough choices—of movement, of weapons,
of play style—to allow for experiences that are unique to her. With various
weapons and ammo scattered around an environment containing multiple
cover positions and AI enemies dynamically reacting to player actions and
to each other, the player is free to express herself within this context and
resolve the situation in any way she can. The possibility space is still some-
what limited, but there is nevertheless opportunity for a unique player
story:
How I managed to beat those ten mercenaries!
Of course, these player stories are only of a moment-to-moment
nature, and don't extend into the rest of the narrative or even change any-
thing about the next mission. Once the combat and/or traversal climbing
ends and a transitional cutscene begins, the game snaps right back to the
linear game story, which is identical for all players. The player is powerless
to have any effect on how things turn out. Everyone who plays
Uncharted
2
to completion will see the exact same, expertly crafted conclusion.
Working in favor of games such as this is the fact that the hand of a pro-
fessional writer can be put to good use, fashioning a strong and well-
paced narrative that nevertheless allows for player choice and expression
within certain confined areas of the experience. However, some players
want more customization, control, and influence on events than is allowed
for within this type of design.
Balanced Game and Player Story
A game design intended to strike a balance between predetermined story
content and player choice and expression.
