Marketing people and game reviewers in part like storytelling in games because
stories are much more easily understood and discussed than game design concepts.
Writing about game mechanics and how much fun a game is to play is really hard to do. A
story makes easy copy for either the back of the box or the text of a review and is much
easier to describe than gameplay. These days, game reviewers will be frustrated if your
game does not have much of a story, regardless of whether it needs one or not. Games
without stories are considered passé and archaic. But reviewers are generally wise
enough to recognize that gameplay is essential as well, and games that focus on story at
the expense of gameplay will tend to get panned, and rightly so. Unfortunately, the mar-
keting people truly will not care if your story is non-linear or allows for the players to
make the story their own. Indeed, the business types will love a main character with a
strong personality since it will be more likely to lead to licensing opportunities for
action figures and Saturday morning cartoon shows. Never mind that the character’s
strong personality may alienate players from the game.
But as a game designer your ambitions must be higher than creating entertaining
box copy or simplifying the job of game reviewers. Many great games dispense with
traditional storytelling entirely.CivilizationandSimCityimmediately spring to mind as
indisputably great games that allow players to tell their own story, with the designer
providing only a starting place from which the tale can unfold. Although games do not
require pre-scripted stories, a compelling story can give the players’ actions meaning
and make players feel like their decisions are important. Furthermore, a truly interac-
tive story, where the narrative can change radically depending on the players’ choices,
while retaining the emotional resonance and power of a story told in a novel, is a very
compelling idea. It is so compelling that it is hard to imagine any truly ambitious game
designer who would not hope for it to someday become a reality.
226 Chapter 11: Storytelling
Titles likeSimCityallow
players to truly tell their
own story, with barely
any guidance from the
designer.