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A presentation on the power of emergent game systems to give us stories that are personal and engaging.
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Emergent SystemsEmergent Systemsas Narrative Devicesas Narrative Devices
The Importance of StoriesThe Importance of Stories
“Man … is the storytelling animal.
He has to go on telling stories. He has to keep on making them up. As long as there's a story, it's all right.
Even in his last moments, it's said, in the split second of a fatal fall--or when he's about to drown--he sees, passing rapidly before him, the story of his whole life.”
Graham Swift, Waterland
How many stories have you told about Halo?
How many of those were about toppling the covenant?How many of them were about messing around with plasma grenades?
We want to tell We want to tell OUROUR stories stories
Emergent SystemsEmergent Systems“Complexity is intrinsically linked to meaningful play. Playing a game is synonymous with exploring a game’s space of possibility. If a system is fixed, periodic, or chaotic, it does not provide a space of possibility large or flexible enough for players to explore through meaningful play”
Eric Zimmerman, “Rules of Play”
“When we’re at our best [as game designers] we can even create systems that allow [users] to set in motion events that we don’t control, can’t anticipate, and didn’t plan for … and that’s when things get really interesting!”
Warren Spector
DefinitionsDefinitionsStory: A sequence of events, preferably structured & compelling.
Narrative: The means by which these events are portrayed or communicated.
Plot: A sequence of events that show causality.
The King died, then The Queen died.= Story
The King died, then The Queen died= Story
OF GRIEFOF GRIEFPLOTPLOT
EM Forster
“A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end … but not necessarily in that order”
- Jean Luc Godard
“My wiener dog has a beginning, a middle and an end, but that doesn’t make him a story.”
- Anonymous
BeginningMiddle
End
Standard Game Narrative (Half Life)
Beginning Middle End
Branching Game Narrative (Mass Effect)
Beginning
Optional Branching Paths
Funnelled Back To
The Middle
More Branches
Small Number
Of Endings
Beginning Middle End
Standard Narrative + Side Quests (Fallout / KOTOR)
(also most dramatic cinema)
Beginning End
?
No Central Narrative (Emergent Games)
So what drives the player?
Middle End
?
The Player’s Own StoryThe Player’s Own Story
“Implicit Narrative”
It happens in comic strips & movies already!
We’re looking for this:We’re looking for this:
Darkness = Danger Coal =
LightMining = Time
Night = Darkness
A Typical Minecraft Story
I need Coal!
I Seal Myself In A Cave And Wait …
The Sun Is Setting!
Coal!Glorious Coal! I have Torches …
I am Secure!
Jenova Chen’s “Flow in Games”Jenova Chen’s “Flow in Games”
Abilities increase over time when playingAbilities = Time
Tension rises with increasing challengeChallenge = Tension
Emergent Game = Chains of Causality
Chains of Causality = Plot
Do Emergent Games Have A Story?Do Emergent Games Have A Story?So …
Do Comic Books Have A Story?Do Comic Books Have A Story?Well …
Do Films Have A Story?Do Films Have A Story?And …
““Closure”Closure”It’s what Scott McCloud called
It’s why there’s a million stories about Minecraft …
… but not so many about Tetris.
The natural desire to see characters and stories in things we recognise and understand.
Looking Forward:Looking Forward:
Emergence is the Essence of Gaming Emergence doesn’t mean No Story
Creating a network of causal eventscan create a compelling plot
Conflict between interactive elementscreates rising tension
Familiarity breeds Closure
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