Stories are an art form that have been around for centuries. From the early stages of ancient theater to the modern movies & video games. Storytelling is an essential part of our daily life, culture, the experiences we make and the things we learn. The stories we have to tell and the memories we share is what defines us. This is why we easily get emotionally attached to a game with excellent narratives and well-written characters. Storytelling in video games plays a vital part in immersing a player into the world you’ve built and keeping them longing for more.
What is Storytelling in Video Games?
The biggest difference to the usual storytelling in books & movies is the fact that the stories in games are interactive. The player gets to be the hero that is making their way through the battlefield instead of just simply watching them save the world. They get to choose where to go, can explore the different aspects of the world in at their own pace and are able to do whatever they want at that very moment.
Games that have a well-written story and interesting characters can spark the players imagination while also keeping them engaged for hours on end. It enhances the overall game experience and establishes an emotional connection with the world itself.
There are many forms of storytelling from texts and narrators to visual design and cutscenes. Every side quest and NPC can contribute to the overall worldbuilding and helps to create a consistent & in-depth world players can explore. Some games are very story driven like ‘The Last of Us’ or ‘Baldur’s Gate’. Other games can have a very subtle story like the early ‘Mario’ games from Nintendo where you have to save the princess from the bad guy or ‘Factorio’ where your goal is to build a rocket to get off the planet.
Balancing Explicit & Implicit Storytelling
There are two major ways to tell your story: explicit or implicit. The biggest difference between the two of them is how they convey the lore to the player.
Explicit Storytelling
Explicit, also known as direct storytelling, is when you get the story through cutscenes, dialogue, or written text. This narrative technique leaves little room for interpretation, as the narrative details are presented in a very straightforward manner. The different story elements and information are directly and clearly transported to the audience.
Implicit Storytelling
Implicit or indirect storytelling on the other hand happens through the environment, the level design, and the actions of NPCs. It’s a very subtle approach that heavily relies on cues, hints, and the audience’s ability to make inferences and to connect the dots between. In allowing the player to actively participate in the storytelling process you can create an even bigger emotional impact on them.
The best way to tell a story in your game is to find a good balance between the two techniques. While explicit storytelling clearly conveys the idea of your story, it is a lot of work to implement all the information in some form of written content. It also takes away a lot of freedom and creativity from the player if every single detail is already planned beforehand. This is where implicit storytelling comes in. You can use the visuals in your game to fill the gaps. Show the player what happened using your environment and other tools. Leave the rest to the audience’s imagination.
Mixing the two types of narratives also helps you with the pacing of your game. If a game is very story driven it often tends to overwhelm the player with walls of texts and cutscenes. Using implicit storytelling between dialogue heavy sequences gives the player time to breath and to digest the new information while he explores the world further into detail.
Types of Storytelling in Games
Narratives in games can take on various forms and structures, depending on the game’s genre, design, and storytelling goals. A well-crafted story can elevate a game from being just an entertaining experience to something truly memorable. A good narrative gives the audience a sense of purpose, depth, and emotion. There are many types of narrative techniques in games and we’re going to cover the most essential ones: linear, branch, open world and emergent narratives.
Linear Storytelling
It’s the most common and traditional form of storytelling. In linear storytelling, the game is built in a predetermined & chronological order and the audience has to stick to the set path in front of them. This means the player’s actions have little to no effect on the actual story. Narrative driven games like ‘Final Fantasy’ or ‘Tomb Raider’ often rely on this type of narration because they want to tell a very specific story.
Branch Storytelling
Branch storytelling offers the audience choices that can significantly impact the story’s direction. As the name suggests each decision the player makes branches off into multiple different outcomes. The game may even have multiple endings or variations of the storyline, depending on the choices made prior. Games like ‘Detroit’ or ‘Life is Strange’ have built their gameplay around this core feature which automatically gives the story a lot more replay value.
Open World Storytelling
Open-world games provide players with a vast and almost endless game world to explore at their own pace. The narrative is often less structured, allowing the audience to engage with the story as they see fit. ‘The Elder Scrolls’ and ‘Grand Theft Auto’ series are one of the best examples for flexible and interesting open-world games filled with all kinds of quests and lore.
Emergent Storytelling
Emergent Storytelling is the result from the interaction of game systems and player actions. Rather than having a predefined story, the narrative emerges as they play, make choices and engage with the game mechanics. The best examples are probably games like ‘Minecraft’ and ‘The Sims’ where the audience form their very own story. It’s a very creative approach that gives the player a lot of freedom and let’s their imagination unfold with hardly any limits.
How the story is built or which type of storytelling method is used depends completely on the type of game. There is no universal solution. While one game relies heavily on written content to tell their story another can work completely fine without a single line. As long as the world remains cohesive, immersive and well built, any mix of the above mentioned types of narratives can help to enhance the game and to build an emotional connection with the audience.
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