Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
As you may have noticed, these two arcs are of different types. Obi-Wan
experiences a change of circumstances: he goes from seemingly incon-
sequential hermit to ghostly facilitator of the Death Star destruction. But
his core attitudes have not really changed—just his situation.
Han Solo's journey, on the other hand, represents a true evolution in his
character—he's not the same person he was when we first met him. He's
grown. He's learned to care about something other than himself.
Obi-Wan's transition is a circumstantial arc, while Han's is an example of
the more deep and resonant growth arc. Both, however, are character
arcs, and both make
Star Wars
a richer story experience.
Application to Games
Every major character who appears in a story-driven game should have
some kind of identifiable arc. If you were to extract each prominent char-
acter's individual story out of the overall narrative and examine it, you
should find that:
▪
It has a beginning, middle, and end.
▪
It is driven by a conflict, which is in turn driven by a “want/but” situ-
ation.
▪
It is resolved (even if that resolution is negative).
But in games, what kind of characters are we talking about?
Partners/Squadmates/Allies
Your closest allies—whether diving into battle alongside you in gameplay
or helping to support and inform you from the sidelines or during intersti-
tial story moments—need to feel like living, breathing people. Give them
something extra they care about or want besides your shared goals … then
pay it off.
A great, interactive example of this approach can be found in BioWare's
Mass Effect.
. The hulking krogan bounty hunter Wrex, who fights at the
player's side for a good deal of the game, comes from a warrior race rav-
aged by a bio-weapon that causes stillbirth in all but .1 percent of its in-
fants. When he learns that the story's Villain, Saren, is trying to cure this
