8 Copyrighted Materials Interactive Narrative 101 - CRC Press Why Story in Games/VR? Interactive stories differ dramatically from those in animation. In animation, everyone is on board to realize the story. In games/VR, the primary objective is the immersive experience. Story is an important component but story plays a secondary role to the interactive experience. Story not being primary is a difficult concept to come to terms with from the perspective of film and animation. The strength of interactive games is its immersive flow.1 This flow, when cou- pled with story components energizes the experience.2 Injecting story into a game provides a context increasing the feeling of immersion and believability, enhancing the suspension of disbelief. The viewer knows who the characters are, their situation, and the relevant artifacts of the story world—all of which imparts meaning to the reactions of the player. In an FPS (e.g., Titanfall or Battlefield), the experience just isn’t as sustaining if the player is killing random people as compared to eradicating international terrorists. The command “move and shoot”Copyrighted becomes “secure the downed aircraft,” and “stay here and don’t get killed” becomes “hold the square against enemy troops at all costs”3 (Figure 8.1). While not all games tell stories (i.e., puzzle games—Tetris) story’s role var- ies by a game’s own distinct genre. Adventure games are significantly narrative driven, FPSs contain strong narrative aspects, and RPGs are heavily influenced by the narrative component. Progress in a game has a close correspondence with the character’s arc in a game’s narrative. Materials - CRC Press Figure 8.1 Titanfall. (Copyright 2016 EA.) 102 8. Interactive Narrative The player’s choices both influence, and are influenced by the game’s -nar rative. The player’s actions have a connection to the underlying story. The goal becomes tangible, something the player is motivated to achieve—and willing to work harder to obtain.3 Story raises the emotional intensity, giving meaning to the obstacles overcome and the rewards attained (i.e., Portal). As the player’s experience becomes increasingly intense (comparable to progressive conflict), players are further motivated to advance through the game—to find out what happens next. Artifacts, missions, and objectives become something more than cool, connecting the player to a larger narrative. Toiya Kristen Finley states “Even the items players would collect to create into weapons says something about the state of the world and the character would use them.”4 The connection between story and character also enriches immersion through identification, as players relate to characters who have similar traits, or qualities they wish they had (e.g., magic powers, superhuman strength). Ironically, identification may even be stronger in games/VR than animation as the player has theCopyrighted ability to replay events. Players get to experiment with alter- native choices after faltering the first time through. They incorporate what they learned about the strengths and weaknesses of the player–character as well as implement new knowledge learned about which obstacles the character can and cannot overcome. It is the knowledge gained by experience in the game which is instrumental in the success of serious games (i.e., health games). Games enable insights Materialsto be gained through experience, as opposed to observation and instruction in traditional linear media and learning methodologies. Games and animation both gauge progress by rewards attained or obstacles overcome. But it is in connection to story, where what the player has been through becomes- more than just a sense of completion, but rises to a feelingCRC of satisfaction by the end. … if you picture the story as a maze, you don’t want to be hanging above the maze watching the characters make the Press wrong choices because it’s frustrating. You actually want to be in the maze with them, making the turns at their side, that Figure 8.2 keeps it more exciting… I quite like to be in that maze.5 Christopher Nolan. Christopher Nolan (Figure 8.2) The challenge for the narrative designer is anticipating (1) what the player will learn? (2) how they will react? (3) what they will have experienced by the end? Always keeping in mind—how much freedom do the players need to define themselves in the world and find their role in the story?6 Why Story in Games/VR? 103 Story versus Narrative The concept of narrative is the story telling“ ,” not the story. The “basic story ele- ments are the what (plot, character, setting), while storytelling elements are the how (genre, style, composition, pacing, editing…). In food terms, story elements are like the ingredients of a cake, while storytelling elements are how those ingre- dients are measured, combined, prepared, baked, decorated, and presented.”7 In animation, the order in which images are perceived changes the meaning. The direction of a story can be grasped from just the first two or three images with the brain conditioned to start making assumptions and constructing scenarios out of the most minimum of information. An interactive narrative foregoes the tight sequence control of a traditional story and in its place puts emphasis on who or what is driving the story. In a game/VR, the narrative may be driven by player, plot, interactive mechanics, or the character.8 It is essential to clearly establish who or what is driving the interactive narrative. NarrativeCopyrighted driven by player—The choices a player makes triggers narrative events. This occurs whether planned by the designer or not—an emergent narra- tive. To keep the story heading in the coherent direction, the narrative designer must design the potential choices a player can make. Such choices are then limited to what is possible based on its game mechanics. Tobias Heussner points out in Massive Multiplayer Online games (MMOs) (i.e., World of Warcraft, Battlefield) 4 “players interact with this story through quests and NPCs, but the set-up, events and outcome of the storyMaterials are determined by the developers”9 (Figure 8.3). The player can choose to which factions to belong, their interaction with that faction, and the order of quests they undertake. According to Heussner, from these choices they create a unique story, in the player’s minds, linked to the larger story of the World- of Warcraft. While players do not nec- essarily directly influenceCRC the larger story (e.g., the fall of a kingdom, Lich King), they do influence the local story within the region they are located. This provides the feel- ing that they have played a partPress in that larger story. The risk, if it’s not well designed, is the player will feel manipu- lated rather than satisfied.10 The key is how the events and characters are presented, making the choices feel self- determined. The designer knows that the player’s choices have a certain probability, for humans are psychologically hardwired to choose good over bad in the established con- text11 (to kill is bad… except if they are trying to kill you or Figure 8.3 your family, Call of Duty). Narrative driven by plot—In a plot-driven narrative, Battlefield 4. (Copyright 2015 EA.) the focus is on what happens over why it happens. Plot- driven narratives thrive on creating opportunities for action to maintain interest in the story: rescue your friends, stop the monster, save the universe. The plot is made up of a series of ever more difficult challenges, ever-increasing conflict, and more emotionally intense climaxes for each level. The puzzles are harder to solve, the obstacles are harder to overcome, and the conflicts get more dangerous leading to the final climax. In the end, it should feel that both the gameplay, and story, has led up to this point.12 104 8. Interactive Narrative Narrative driven by game mechanics—A game’s features, simulations, and feedback loops can have narrative events embedded in their mechanisms. At its most basic, narrative information becomes part of the game’s reward system— reveals, cut scenes, narrative dialog (e.g., Portal) are dispensed when reaching in-game goals. Such rewards coupled with story cliffhangers at the end of levels (i.e., God of War) stimulate the player to want to know “what happens next,” moti- vating the player to explore further and discover what is possible as they progress in the game. Story can then serve as a framework for gameplay to be hung on. It can be used by the player to map their way to new rewards. Toiya Kristen Finley stresses that “championing the story” is more than being an advocate, it is making “sure that the story and the world embodies the gameplay and the mechanics.”13 Narrative driven by character—A story develops from well-defined characters in familiar situations. The character operates autonomously (i.e., built-in behav- iors) with the player influenced to make decisions that sync with the character’s logic. Early character-drivenCopyrighted games include the Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider franchises. Character traits affect the game play; if a character has a limp, then that limp must impact the progress of the character. Zombies must move with the expected jerks and pauses (Figure 8.4). The key to player–character narratives are experiences and emotions that players can relate to from their own experiences, Animal Jam. Warning: the potential downside is that the player’s role shifts— instead of doing, the player observes; instead of interacting, the player listens. Game narratives are not driven byMaterials just one approach; it is a mixture of avail- able approaches—plot, player, and game mechanics.