| Storytelling in Games - Heather's perspective
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| Posted by emily |
March 7, 2008 |
And now, the riveting conclusion of "Telltale's take on story in games," courtesy of designer Heather Logas.
What elements make up a good videogame story?
The same elements that make up a good any kind of story. Interesting characters, dramatic tension, interesting situations that the audience can, in some fashion, relate to. The differences are not in the substance of the stories themselves, but in the mechanics of telling an interactive story vs. a non-interactive one.
What influences, if any, do you take from other media (i.e. film, tv, comics/graphic novels)?
I don't remember the last time I walked out of a movie without saying to my husband "Wouldn't that make a great game?" Other media is rich with ideas that would work great as games or part of games. When I am working on a game my brain is constantly tackling problems by sorting through similar situations in books I've read or movies I've seen.
It's kind of like having an "inspiration stew" in my head, that I can sort through, and pull out a potato of an idea. Then I can take that potato and play with it, maybe mash it up. Eventually it ends up on top of a shepherd's pie or I've moved on to a different root vegetable, but it all started with a potato from the stew.
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| Tagged Bone, Deep Thoughts, Sam & Max |
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| Storytelling in Games - Chuck's perspective
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| Posted by emily |
March 4, 2008 |
Welcome to Part II of "Telltale spouts off about what makes a good story". Today we bring you Chuck Jordan's thoughts on the subject.
What elements make up a good videogame story?
The only hard and fast requirement is that the main character should have no memory of his past. After that, it's limited only to your imagination: he can be a marine, a space marine, an ex-marine, an elf, an elf marine, or a dwarf. And he can fight either demons or aliens, using either magic spells or cybernetic implants. The combinations are endless!
What influences, if any, do you take from other media (i.e. film, tv, comics/graphic novels)?
The Sam & Max episodic games are obviously based on a comic book series, so that's the biggest influence. I see the games as being an unholy combination of comic book, traditional graphic adventure game, and an animated sitcom.
Because our games have so much more dialogue than you'd see in a comic book or even a TV show, I'm always trying -- to varying degrees of success -- to keep it from feeling too expository or "gamey." I'd like to keep it conversational, like an episode of a sitcom where clues to get to the next scene are embedded in the jokes. And above everything else, we're trying to get the episodes to have the same feel of the comics -- the non-sequiturs, the kinds of situations the characters get into, the way they talk (without just quoting the comics directly), and their remaining unflappable even as bizarre stuff is happening all around them.
More specifically, I'm a huge fan of "Mystery Science Theater 3000," and I've watched so much of it that it's affected the way my brain works. So I like to think the episodes have a little of that feel to them as well -- a barrage of jokes and references, with semi-highbrow stuff and potty humor all mixed together, and if one joke doesn't work it'll be quickly followed by another that might.
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| Tagged Deep Thoughts, Press, Sam & Max |
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| Storytelling in Games - Brendan's perspective
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| Posted by emily |
March 3, 2008 |
Back in January, IGN's Insider channel caught up with Telltale designers Brendan Ferguson, Chuck Jordan, and Heather Logas to talk about storytelling in games. We thought our fans would enjoy seeing the full interviews, and IGN gave us permission to post the interviews here. Brendan's answers are below, and Chuck's and Heather's will follow later this week. Enjoy!
What elements make up a good videogame story?
I assume you've had many people tell you what makes a good story in general, but a good videogame story in particular should allow the player to directly take part in the most important, interesting moments of that story. The most powerful videogame stories are those where I'm personally involved in the events that are unfolding. If I merely observe the story for a time, do something unrelated, then see more story, I'm not going to feel like it's MY story.
What influences, if any, do you take from other media (i.e. film, tv, comics/graphic novels)?
As with anyone, I'm moved by many kinds of stories in different ways. As a game developer though, I'm always thinking about how I could let someone experience those stories firsthand rather than watching them from the sidelines. I'm often amazed by our capacity to be swept up in a story, but there's something different and special about actually being the one that makes the decisions that propel the story forward.
Describe a narrative moment from one of your games that you are most proud of?
I could, but we haven't released that game yet, and I don't want to spoil it.
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| Tagged Deep Thoughts, Press, Sam & Max |
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