Melodramatic Structures

Narration structures in games which allow players or spectators to know more than any individual diegetic person.

This pattern is a still a stub.

The idea of alignment patterns is based on Smith’s structures of alignment. Smith differentiates detective narration and melodramatic narration as typical alignment structure. In detective narration, knowledge is restricted to a protagonist, while in melodramatic narration the viewer knows more than any single character.

Using the pattern

Scenes Detective Structures

Characters Narration Structures Voice-overs

Melodramatic Structures can be used in both Single-Player Games and Multiplayer Games. In fact, due to the fact that Multiplayer Games typically present different view points of the game to different players through Characters these types of games nearly always have Melodramatic Structures of sorts. This does however not in itself affect narration significantly since Melodramatic Structures often require significant shifts in perspective for individual players to have their intended effects. This typically means that they are easier to plan for in Single-Player Games, e.g. by switching Characters as Scenes are changed (see Fahrenheit for an example of this).

Relations

Characters Narration Structures Voice-overs

Can Be Instantiated By

Scenes

Potentially Conflicting With

Detective Structures

History

An updated version of the pattern Melodramtic Structure that was first described in the PhD thesis Character-Driven Game Design - A Design Approach and Its Foundations in Character Engagement.