Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
In games, it is common (and something of a no-brainer) to demonstrate
main character growth not only through the story but also, at the same
time, through game mechanics and systems. After all, what is more obvi-
ous an improvement to a character than “leveling up”? Happily, many
game genres have character growth built right in! It's important to try to
sync the narrative growth of the character with increases in that charac-
ter's power, abilities, and standing.
Action
In attempting to resolve the main conflict and its resulting sub-conflicts,
the Hero must take
action
. A compelling Hero not only reacts to what's
happening around him, but he proactively works to resolve the conflict.
Taking action is a defining element of an effective Hero, and without this
attribute in your Hero you're going to have a limp story and a frustrated
audience.
You might think that because in games the player controls the Hero, and
that gameplay generally equals action, that this isn't as big a consideration
for the medium. But that assumption would be incorrect.
Story provides the
why
of gameplay situations, and if the Hero's re-
sponse is always to react to outside forces and never to attempt to proact-
ively address the problem, the player will respond the same way any audi-
ence does to a passive or purely reactive Hero: with frustration.
Personal, Primal Stakes
What's at stake and why should I care?
This is the question the audience is
silently asking at all times regarding your story. It's your job as a storyteller
to engage the audience and make them care what happens.
It's hard to overstate the importance of this. No one has a gun to your
audience's head. They can walk away from your story at any time if they
wish. Keeping them involved largely means keeping them caring.
What does this have to do with the Hero? The audience's main “in” is
through the Hero. They need to care deeply about either the Hero herself,
or whatever it is the Hero's resolution of the conflict will benefit. Or both.
The way it often looks is: Player cares about Hero. Hero cares about X.
Player therefore cares about X. Consider it the literary equivalent of the
mathematical transitive property of equality (if A=B and B=C, then A=C).
If the audience likes the Hero and roots for her, and she desperately
wants or needs something in order to be happy/healthy/satisfied, then the
