Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
The majority of games and their sequels use the unlimited series format. Each game
in the series contains a complete story set against a consistent world. Sometimes
the publicity materials claim that sequels carry on the story from the previous
game, but often the connection between them is flimsy; in any case the player gets
a thorough introduction, so even if he didn't play the previous game, he can still
enjoy the current one.
CONSISTENT WORLD
FIGURE 7.6
The structure of an
unlimited series
EPISODES
Each episode deals with opening and resolving one major plot strand.
SERIALS
A
serial
consists of a (theoretically) infinite sequence of episodes. In a serial, plot
lines extend over several episodes, developing simultaneously but at different rates
so that only rarely does any plot begin and end within a single episode. Consequently,
the episodes are not self-contained, and if you see an isolated episode without see-
ing what went before, you won't know what's going on. To maintain interest, each
episode generally ends at a critical point in a major plot strand, creating a cliff-
hanger that the writers hope will create a strong desire to see the next episode.
Soap operas depend on this format.
Serials rely on a large cast of characters who come together in smaller groups to
play out each of several different (and often unrelated) plot lines, of which some,
at any one time, may be beginning, coming to a climactic point, or ending. With
no single overarching plot, events usually center on a group of people in a specific
location or on a small group of families. Serials lack the grand sense of resolution
that the Hero's Journey provides. Instead, they offer opportunities to observe differ-
ent characters interacting under a variety of stresses. The cliffhanger at the end of
each episode may involve some shocking revelation or event that leaves us wonder-
ing how a key character will react to the news or the change in situation.
It's a fair bet that you will see efforts to create interactive serials over the next few
years, because the game industry would like to find a way to get players hooked on
a story—and therefore paying to play it, episode after episode—in the same way
that TV viewers seem hooked on serial dramas. Each episode of such an interactive
serial can't be a multihour blockbuster of the sort that the video game industry
makes today; these games take too long to build. TV soap operas typically lower
their production values and deliver short episodes frequently rather than long epi-
sodes infrequently, and you would expect interactive serials to work the same way.
Figure 7.7
depicts the structure of a serial.
