Difference between revisions of "Storytelling"

Revision as of 07:42, 13 July 2014

The act of telling stories within the game.

Some games promote players to tell stories within games. This may be retelling of actions and events that players have done, the history of the game world, or part of creating the game world.

Examples

Once Upon a Time is a card game based around storytelling. Players play cards with story concepts to be allowed to continue the story based upon the narrative started by other players.

The role of game masters in roleplaying games is partly that of storyteller, merging the preplanned events with the actions the players have performed within the Game World. The gameplay in these games is based on Storytelling assisted with background material such as maps and rulebooks.

Sleep is Death is a mediated two-player game where one of the players takes the role of a game master that tells a story to the other player.

Anti-Examples

Using the pattern

Can Be Instantiated By

Characters, Construction, Cutscenes, Environmental Storytelling, Non-Player Help, Player Characters, Roleplaying,

Gossip together with Player Characters

Can Be Modulated By

Interruptible Actions, Scenes

Storytelling in games can be done both by Dedicated Game Facilitators and by Entitled Players. The stories told do not have to be part of the Narrative Structure of a Game World but can be in several different ways. First, they can be explanations of the history and current state of the Alternative Reality of the Game World and this is the typical way Storytelling is done by Dedicated Game Facilitators to advance the Narrative Structures. Second, the stories can be part of Roleplaying, either providing backstories for Characters or the retelling of previous gameplay within a Thematic Consistency. Providing back stories for Characters is an area where players usually are allowed Creative Control regarding Storytelling, even in games with tightly restricted Narrative Structures. Third, the stories can be part of creating and expanding the Narrative Structures rather than unfolding an existing structure, although this requires Game Masters or Self-Facilitated Games.

Storytelling gives both players and Dedicated Game Facilitators the possibility to explain Extra-Game Information in a context so that it does not disturb a Thematic Consistency.

Storytelling by players or Game Masters may be controlled through Turn Taking or be Interruptible Actions. In contrast, the Storytelling done in computer games, for example by Cut Scenes, is a form of Ultra-Powerful Event that cannot be interrupted although they may be skipped.

Games can of course also cause Storytelling as Extra-Game Actions, for example, bragging about results. In this case, Storytelling passes Trans-Game Information between players including possible Strategic Knowledge.

Diegetic Aspects

As Storytelling is often used to describe series of gameplay events using diegetic terms, it is a Diegetic Pattern. It can however also use game system concepts, e.g. "the orc took 3 hit points in damage" when describing the effect of an attack in Dungeons & Dragons, and this breaks Diegetic Consistency.

Narrative Aspects

Storytelling is a Narration Pattern.

Consequences

Player Decided Results, Emotional Engrossment, Never Ending Stories, Game Mastery, Narrative Structures, Player Constructed Worlds, Social Interaction, Extra-Game Actions

Trans-Game Information, Extra-Game Information

Ultra-Powerful Events

Can Instantiate

Extra-Game Consequences, Freedom of Choice, Game Worlds, Strategic Knowledge

with Game Masters or Self-Facilitated Games

Cutscenes

with Game Worlds

Illusion of Open Space

Can Modulate

Fudged Results, Persistent Game Worlds,

Creative Control

Storytelling either provides or creates Narrative Structures in a game.

When Storytelling is performed by humans, it is a form of Social Interaction that often gives Emotional Immersion, and being able to tell stories well can give Social Status and can even be considered part of Game Mastery in some games. Storytelling can give players Creative Control and Freedom of Choice, and in games with Game Masters, these stories can become part Player Constructed Worlds by being Player Decided Results. In Persistent Game Worlds, the stories can have further influence by being part of the development of Never Ending Stories.

Storytelling can be used to frame all actions and events in Game Worlds within the Thematic Consistency of a Alternative Reality, and can visualize Game Worlds and their histories. Of course, when the storytellers have Creative Control they may also ruin the Thematic Consistency by introducing unfitting objects or events or by making Characters do actions that does not fit their personality or competences.

Storytelling and Roleplaying can instantiate each other. Roleplaying through Enactment gives rise to Storytelling since here players create a story by what their Characters do. In contrast, describing what their Characters do is Storytelling but since this also describes their actions, and sometimes intentions, it create Roleplaying as a consequence.

Relations

Predetermined Story Structures

--- Player Decided Results, Emotional Engrossment, Never Ending Stories, Creative Control, Game Mastery, Player Constructed Worlds, Social Interaction, Extra-Game Actions

Trans-Game Information, Alternative Reality, Extra-Game Information

Ultra-Powerful Events

Can Instantiate

Alternative Realities, Creative Control, Extra-Game Consequences, Freedom of Choice, Game Worlds, Narrative Structures, Strategic Knowledge, Thematic Consistency

with Characters

Roleplaying

with Game Masters or Self-Facilitated Games

Cutscenes

with Game Worlds

Illusion of Open Space

Can Modulate

Fudged Results, Game Worlds, Persistent Game Worlds,

Can Be Instantiated By

Characters, Construction, Cutscenes, Dedicated Game Facilitators, Entitled Players, Environmental Storytelling, Game Masters, Non-Player Help, Player Characters, Self-Facilitated Games,

Enactment together with Roleplaying

Gossip together with Player Characters

Can Be Modulated By

Interruptible Actions, Scenes

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Diegetic Consistency, Thematic Consistency

History

An updated version of the pattern Storytelling that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design^[1].

References

1. ↑ Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.

Acknowledgements

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