explanation for what it might mean. This may or may not be the explanation the writer
originally intended, but what is important is that it involves the audience in the work to
a much greater degree, switching them from a passive mode to an active one. Of course,
games are already much more interactive than television, and therefore it makes sense
that game storytellers would not tell the audience every last detail of a plot. This will
involve the players still more in the game as they try to figure out what exactly the
story is all about. And above all, they will be delighted to avoid long expository scenes
and get back to the game.
Non-Linearity...............................
Much talk is made of non-linearity in games, and storytelling in particular is a key area
where non-linearity can be used to enhance players’ gaming experience. I feel the goal
of game storytelling is to create a story in which players feel they can play a significant
role that may affect the outcome. Non-linearity is an essential tool for accomplishing
that goal. In a way, in-game storytelling is non-linear. In-game storytelling allows play-
ers to talk to some characters and not to others, to choose which signs to read and
which to ignore, and to explore the game-world in order to reveal its relevance to the
story line, exploration over which players have control. With players empowered to
explore the story-space in their own way, some degree of non-linearity is unavoidably
created. This was certainly true inThe Sufferingand withOdysseybefore it, where I put
a lot of story into the games that many players would not necessarily find, making play-
ers’ exploration of the story-space somewhat non-linear or at least unique to them.
One popular way to add non-linearity to the storytelling experience is through a
branching story. With a branching story, at various points the decisions players make
will have a significant effect on how the story progresses. This may mean if players suc-
ceed in defeating a certain adversary, the story will progress differently than if the
players fail to kill that foe. In the latter case, it may be that players will have to kill that
foe later, or that the foe will summon a force to help him that players will have to con-
front. Of course, branching stories increase the amount of content that will need to be
created for a game, at least in terms of game design and dialog, if not also in art assets.
Chapter 11: Storytelling 223
Much of the story in
The Sufferingneeds
to be found by player
exploration.