Rufous

(An introduction to this series can be found here)(Part 1)Most of this lecture is really meant to be interactive — the interesting thing here is not what I have to say about these games, but the things that the students notice, or don’t, and how the conversation goes around those elements.Still, in the interest of completion, I’m posting my slides here and some notes about where I would guide the conversation if it stalled.I also want to note that for the first part, I did a short demonstration of each of the tools for the students. and they got to see what the process of making changes looks like, as well as the final output. Again, this doesn’t translate well to text, sorry!Yes indeedInk is my favorite so I put it firstLinks:Obligatory Twine slideLinks:None of the students chose to use Inform for their projects! I don’t blame them, I guessLinks:Bitsy is so great. It’s not a “narrative” tool except it totally can beLinks:Right here we paused for questions and clarifications on the tools, and then we went straight into our games!Screenshot from Counterfeit Monkey by Emily ShortThings I made sure we talked about:Interactive fiction and parser gamesStrong integration of mechanics and narrativeGood theming: the power of wordsPoint out that this uses Inform 7Screenshot from Murder on the Zinderneuf by Jon Freeman and Paul Reiche IIII’ll be honest, this is only in here because of the strong case made for it by Jimmy Maher’s chapter in Procedural Storytelling in Game Design (Short, Adams 2019). But it turned out to be an interesting inclusion for a few reasons!Reading the manual and the age of putting your story in your game’s manualProcedural storytellingWhy procedural techniques are a good fit for mysteriesScreenshot from Firewatch by Campo Santo EntertainmentDialog as a first-class gameplay verbSilence has meaning — not answering is a valid player actionFocus on character relationships; gameplay supporting theme hereScreenshot from Her Story by Sam BarlowBarlow’s concept of “stateless story”Reinventing the FMV game, and also casually inventing a new, better way of watching moviesScreenshot from Gone Home by The Fullbright CompanyEnvironmental storytellingAudio logsWalking simulators as a genreScreenshot from The Stanley Parable by William Pugh and Davey WredenHumor in games — why are there so few funny games?Use of narratorial voiceBreaking the fourth wall and “meta logic”Branching choice as metaphor and themeScreenshot from The Beginner’s Guide by Everything Unlimited Ltd.Unreliable narratorMeta toolsThemes of relationship between creator and audienceThe personal games movementScreenshot from Return of the Obra Dinn by 3909Discovering the narrative IS the gameplay — alignment of player and character goalsA puzzle game that doesn’t feel like a puzzle game because of the narrative framingScreenshot from Papers, Please by 3909Systemic storytelling — not about the plot, but about existing within systems and what the systems force us to realizeScreenshot from Portal by Valve CorporationWhat role does the narrator play? Is this a “diegetic narrator”?Narrative justification wrapper for a cool mechanicScreenshot from Disco Elysium by Studio ZA/UMCompanion NPC, but also “companion NPCs” in the form of your personality aspectsStats determine narrative voices and flowScreenshot from Kentucky Route Zero by Cardboard ComputerGame as stage playMultiple protagonistsOutside the game narrative tools in the InterludesScreenshot from 80 Days by Inkle StudiosThe problems of branching narrativeMaking the choice network visibleAdaptation of a work to modern sensibilitiesMade with InkMechanics as narrativeAn amazing narrative game without any text or voiceScreenshot from Left 4 Dead by Turtle Rock StudiosThe power of a well-known setup (everyone understands the rules and backstory of a zombie apocalypse)Characterization through dialog exchangesDynamic systems make each playthrough feel fresh rather than hearing the same lines over and overScreenshot from Dwarf Fortress by Bay12 GamesProcedural lore and worldbuilding — literally worldbuildingBeing able to generate something means you need to know intimately how it works — it’s not freeThe power of player stories — letting people tell each other their adventures rather than authoring a set narrativeScreenshot from Shadow of the Colossus by Team IcoPlayer complicity — compare and contrast with Bioshock and Spec Ops“Destined tragedy” and player agencyFocus on toneScreenshot from Outer Wilds by Mobius DigitalDiscovering the narrative and world as gameplayTime loop as narrative device“Stateless story” again?Screenshot from Wildermyth by Worldwalker GamesProcedural relationship buildingScreenshot from Galatea by Emily ShortFocus on a single character and single dialogExperimentalMade in InformScreenshot from The Graveyard by Tale of TalesArt gamesMechanics as narrativeScreenshot from The Marriage by Rod HumbleAn attempt to make a “non-narrative” gameUnintended messages in the mechanicsDoes this have a narrative, or narrative design?Screenshot from Pathologic 2 by Ice Pick LodgeBrutal difficulty and player friction as narrative toolsDifferent characters’ perspective on the same eventsSynecdoche and other literary techniques — using the power of games to put us in a world that has more to offer than realityScreenshot from Psychonauts 2 by Double Fine EntertainmentLevel design as storytellingInstant hook and infinite story possibilities in the brain explorationScreenshot from howling dogs by porpentineHypertextThe personal games movement and who can make and play gamesThe Twine manifesto‘Challenging’ in the skill sense vs. ‘challenging’ as in a challenging workMade in TwineScreenshot from Bury Me, My Love by The Pixel HuntDiegetic storytellingTimed narrative — the game events don’t happen at the player’s chosen paceEmpathy gamesThat is it! I’m sorry this lecture was a bit more flat than the previous — as I said it really depends on a conversation. I hope that my notes here provide some value, though.