Narrative Does More Than Entertain

Game designers use story for a lot more than entertainment, however. It has three other purposes, which we’ll look at now. Narrative Provides a Backdrop Most RPGs have a back story, or an explanation for what came about before the player starts playing as their character in the game world. The depth of the back story varies from game to game, and often it serves only to give the player some grounding. Back stories can be much deeper and more involved, though. Players can discover reams and reams of lore and valuable information of “what happened before”—either in the game, in the form of journals, or outside the game, often in game manuals or on websites. Back stories make the game, and its component world, seem more realistic. Narrative Makes Sense of Game Mechanics Some games use their narrative to explain game elements that may seem nonsensical or inconvenient. For instance, the first Might and Magic game explained that the ever-shifting game worlds were giant terrariums hurtling through the void for some unknown purpose; this explained why the game world was roughly grid-based and had boundaries on all four sides. In the first Fable game, the writers explained that the reason the player could get in-game hints and tricks was through a communication device their character carried, called the Guild Seal. The Guild Seal actually became a multifaceted invention and ended up an icon for the game itself later on. So if something becomes ponderously ostentatious as an obscure game play element, you can always attach a story that explains why it’s there. Narrative Builds Emotional Bids Narrative, especially in the form of NPC dialogue, can become a very strong emotional asset, too. It takes a little while for gamers to form poignant attachments to made-up characters, even their own avatar, but as the characters in the game world start talking and relating to one another, their reactions take on much larger meaning for the player. Think of the Little Sisters in the BioShock games or the player’s allies in the Call of Duty games. These characters and companions add personality and warmth to the gaming experience, give emotional cues as to how the gamer should feel, and once the gamer does start feeling something—give the designer something in the narrative the gamer has an emotional investment in.