Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7.2
Setting the scene in
REDDER
.
Story as Intermission
The term “cutscene” is often used to refer to sections of a game experience that are used
solely to show noninteractive elements of a story to the player. The first games that cutscenes
appeared in were arcade games like
Pac-Man
(1980), and they were simple animations that
appeared after completing certain levels.
Pac-Man
's cutscenes are short vignettes that show the
characters of the story wordlessly acting out moments that the player will recognize from the
game: the ghosts chase Pac-Man, who powers up and chases them back.
Interestingly, the original
Pac-Man
cutscenes let the creators express ideas about Pac-Man and
the ghosts that never appear in the rest of the game. In one scene, Pac-Man grows enormous to
show that he's powered up and able to chase the ghosts; in another, the red ghost gets caught
on a nail that tears his red covering, revealing a pink leg and foot underneath! These scenes
were often referred to as
intermissions
. After pushing hard to complete a level, the player was
given a break with something amusing to watch before continuing on.
