Sunday, September 27, 2015

How Game Designers Tell Stories

By Jennifer Marie Anderson


When it comes to storytelling and video games, it's easy to see how they can be joined at the hip. In this day and age, more and more creators have taken it upon themselves to craft unique, compelling narratives, each of which can be furthered through interaction by the user. To say that storytelling has been a tremendous part of game design would be an understatement. With that said, the following talking points are just a few for aspiring artists to consider.

Actions should be clearly conveyed, in order for storytelling to be done in game design. A particular game can showcase so little on the surface, and yet still be as deep as anything else. A project doesn't have to cost a tremendous amount in order for a strong story to be told. "Thomas Was Alone" is a great example of this, but it's far from the only one. Those who are looking to get involved in game design would be wise to research other notable names, which can be observed by any Long Island advertising agency as well.

Of course, established companies with greater budgets have an easier time creating stories. "The Last of Us," while strong in terms of gameplay, presented a story of loss and tragedy that helped players empathize with characters. They wanted to see the characters in question succeed at survival, before reaching a conclusion that any user could be satisfied with. It felt like watching a movie, in some cases, rendering the sense of immersion that much stronger.

Creativity matters, more than anything else, which is something that students in various art colleges will become familiar with. This is no different in the field of game design, either, meaning that it's of the utmost importance to focus on all of the moving parts of game design as a whole. Even if someone doesn't have technological savvy on their side, creative genius through way of storyboard construction can still prove to be useful. Simply put, if one isn't creative, he or she might not thrive in this field.

Without question, storytelling has become one of the most essential components of game design. If it isn't set in place, depending on the genre, players have a difficult time connecting with what's being presented to them. More than anything else, it feels like conducting actions simply for the sake of seeing the end; this should never be the case. Game design is meant to immerse others, and one of the ways to do this is the creation of effective narratives.




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