Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The tension hills and valleys of the chart above represent, on a macro
scale, what most story developers refer to as
pacing
. And if you look at
each of these spikes, you'll note that they are miniature versions of the
Three-Act Structure. Each spike starts by setting up a sub-conflict, which
causes tension to escalate as the Hero tries to overcome it, and concludes
with a tension relaxation once the sub-conflict is resolved.
The Structure Applied
Most stories, to one degree or another, resemble the following structure:
▪
Act I: We meet our Hero, eking out a livable but humdrum existence.
▪
Inciting Incident: Hero becomes aware of the main conflict, or its
implied existence.
▪
Plot Point 1: Hero commits to resolving the main conflict.
▪
Act II: Hero overcomes increasingly challenging obstacles in his
quest to resolve the conflict.
▪
Plot Point 2: Hero has epiphany, sees the path to success.
▪
Act III: Hero resolves the conflict; rewards and punishments are
doled out.
Let's apply this format to a number of very well known, standalone stor-
ies and observe the repeating pattern.
Star Wars
(1977)
▪
Act I: Luke Skywalker living out a frustrating existence with his uncle
and aunt on Tatooine.
▪
Inciting Incident: Luke sees the holo-message on R2-D2 from
Princess Leia.
▪
Plot Point 1: Luke, seeing his uncle and aunt have been murdered,
agrees to go with Obi-Wan Kenobi to help rescue the princess.
▪
Act II: Rescue of Princess Leia, escape to the Rebel base, attack on
the Death Star.
