At Gamasutra--Game Story: Plot vs Character

07.28.2005

Game Story: Plot vs Character
In reading Sutherland's article on game story I didn't see anything new--at least not to a seasoned writer--but I did notice a gap.

Although Sutherland discusses character and internal conflict, he misses an important point of story development: character change is essential to plot movement. And for game developers, it's essential to player engagement in the story.

All good stories demonstrate change in the character of the protagonist as well as his/her condition in life and the world they intimately inhabit. If no character change occurs, the plot is dissatisfying. It is only when character changes that new plot options open up, which is how a character may choose an action at the end of a story which would be anathema or inconceivable to them at the beginning. That's the exciting point of story.

If a game story is merely a repetitive or pre-determined path through a series of tasks (such as endless "Fed-Ex" back-and-forthing), the game quickly becomes boring--no matter how lovely and twisted the cutscenes are. By setting story points which force character change and revelation, the game development team offers the player a more engaging experience, because they mutually create a sense of personal stake in the outcome.

Driving story by character versus plot.

Since games put the player into the character's "skin" for a time, the personality of the player becomes a tool for story exploration and raises the perception of personal stake in the story outcome. When developers offer the player branching points (reversals, revelations and branching options), they place increased control (or a perception of control) of character evolution in the player's hands and the player becomes a fully-vested partner in the progress of the story.

That interacton and engagement is an essential strength of games that other media do not offer. It's that strength, created by good story-telling and intelligent branching options, which creates great game experience and increased satisfaction as well as replayability.

Character is not just clever dialog--it's the key to engaging players at a personal level.

-Kat Richardson