Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
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Act III: Jack dies in the ice-cold water, but Rose, drawing upon the
lessons she learned from him, summons the strength to save her
own life, in more ways than one.
Dune
(Novel: 1965, Film: 1984)
▪
Act I: Paul Atreides is a well-trained but pampered young prince liv-
ing under the protection of his powerful royal parents.
▪
Inciting Incident: The Atreides move to Arrakis to take over spice
production from the rival Harkonnens.
▪
Plot Point 1: The Harkonnens attack House Atreides, smashing
their facilities, killing the Duke, and sending Paul and his pregnant
mother fleeing for their lives into the desert.
▪
Act II: Survival in the desert, meeting the Fremen, earning their re-
spect, training with them, organizing them into an army.
▪
Plot Point 2: Paul takes the Water of Life and realizes that threat-
ening to destroy all spice production on Arrakis is the key to vic-
tory.
▪
Act III: Defeat of the Harkonnens, abdication of the Emperor and
Paul's rise to the Emperor's throne.
Application to Games
The Three-Act Structure is demonstrably present in nearly all works of fic-
tion in traditional, linear media, but what about in games?
The more story-driven a game is, the more likely it is to reflect elements
of the Three-Act Structure. In particular, Acts II and III are almost always
easily distinguishable in video games. The rising action and final resolution
of the main conflict tend to map almost perfectly to a game with multiple,
increasingly challenging levels, culminating in a final boss battle or other
climactic gameplay sequence.
In fact, swap out a few of the labels and we can easily reuse the Three-
Act Structure chart from
this page
to accurately map most close-ended
video game experiences.
