Uncovering Your Story

How to identify narrative opportunities in your game

Part 1: Using Your Game to Define its Narrative

The first step in determining your narrative is to look at your game and decide what the gameplay and
mechanics needs are. There are lots of things we can learn from the gameplay and pillars that will
constrain what type of narrative/story will be successful.

1a. Focusing on gameplay, describe your game in 1-2 sentences.

An example might be: "The player navigates a network of dungeons, solving increasingly complex sets
of spatial puzzles in order to progress."

1b. Consider your game's target player.

What are 3 existing games you think they would enjoy?

You can also use books, films, or TV shows. Games are generally most useful, however, as not all
narratives map equally well between interactive and non-interactive media.

1c. What do the games in 1b have in common with your game?

Use these similarities to define your game's core pillars.

The core pillars are what you will use to identify what you need from your narrative. For example, if
one of your pillars is "exploration," then you may want a narrative that unfolds gradually, over time.
If you have more questions about pillars, take a look at the Tip on the next page.
Uncovering Your Story
How to identify narrative opportunities in your game

1d. What gameplay verbs do you offer the player?

List as many as you can.

Examples of verbs: Platforming, climbing, shooting, resource collecting, reading, building, etc.

1e. What narrative tools does your game have? Or could it have?
List as many as you can.

Narrative tools are any and all potential ways your game has to convey exposition (aka: story).
Examples: Cutscenes, written dialogue, item descriptions, boss battles, animated moods, etc.

Tip: Identifying your game's pillars

•Your "pillars" are the core foundational elements that make up your game.

•Each one should be irreplaceable. If you remove any one, your game fundamentally
changes.

•Consider the tone, the look, the gameplay, or even just the feeling/experience you want
players to have.

•It can be helpful to look at other games and imagine their pillars. For example, two of
Fallout's pillars might be "1950s Americana" and "explorable sandbox world."

•It's okay to start with lots of potential pillars and whittle them down. We suggest targeting
three.
Uncovering Your Story
How to identify narrative opportunities in your game

Part 2: What Story Do You Want to Tell?

Now that we have defined certain aspects of your game, let's use them to start narrowing in on what
kind of story you want to tell. The story can be simple or complex. It can be personal, or it can just be
about something that you think is cool.

2a. Who is your player character? If you don’t have one yet,
what kind of characters do you find interesting or compelling?

While not all games have a player character, it's helpful to start with a protagonist when determining
story. Look at section 1c and use your pillars to inform your character. What kind of character would
fit in this game? Are they mysterious? Funny? Are they human? Do they have likes and dislikes?

2b. What is their motivation? Why do they do what they do?

Look at section 1a above. Your high level gameplay description should directly feed into your player
character's motivation. If we use the example of navigating dungeons from 1a, perhaps our character
is attempting to escape. Or perhaps they are a jewel thief attempting to infiltrate a secure location!

2c. What is the setting of your game? If you don’t have one yet, what
kind of settings interest you or would appeal to your ideal player?

Look at section 1b above. What settings do these games have? Anything in common? Don't copy, but
feel free to mine them for inspiration. Are they large worlds, or do they take place inside one building?
Uncovering Your Story
How to identify narrative opportunities in your game

Part 3: Constructing a Narrative Wrapper

In part one we defined our game in mechanical terms: its gameplay, our target demographic, and what
our core pillars are. In part 2 we started outlining a character and world we think would be interesting.
Now, let's combine those two ideas and make sure they are compatible.

3a. How can your player character express your gameplay verbs?

Earlier we used our pillars to define our player character. Now, let's take that character description and
compare it to section 1d, where we defined our verbs. Does it make sense for our player character to
perform these actions? If not, return to sections 2a/2b and tweak your character so they make sense.

3b. What are some “tentpole moments” in your story, and how can you
use your narrative tools to tell them?

We know who our character is, what their motivations are, and where they are. Now we need tentpole
moments: key points in the narrative that motivate the player character. Start with how your story begins
and ends. Then try to think of a few twists in the middle. If you're stuck, use the story formula below.

Tip: The Story Formula

Almost all stories can be boiled down to one sentence:

“________ wants _________, but ________ gets in the way.”

This works for describing both your overall story

“The princess wants to save her kingdom but the evil wizard gets in the way.”

AND moment-to-moment obstacles!

“The princess wants the magic sword but a greedy merchant gets in the way”
Uncovering Your Story
How to identify narrative opportunities in your game

3c. Using the contents of 1a and 2a-c, write a 1-2 sentence pitch for your
game with a focus on its narrative.

Running with our example from sections 1a and 2b, an example pitch might be "Embarking on the heist
of a lifetime, jewel thief Victoria Saint must navigate the tunnels beneath the Tower of London to steal
the cursed Koh-i-Nur.In her way stand countless deadly obstacles, but it will be worth it to prove herself
to the master thief who taught her everything she knows: Her father."

Tip: Where to go from here

Obviously, this is just the beginning but hopefully it will give you a foundation to start from.
Suggestions for how to ungate yourself moving forward:

Using your narrative tools from section 1e and tentpole moments from section 3b, plan the
key moments of your game's narrative. How will the player absorb your story?

Try to find small moments between tentpoles to reinforce the narrative and characters.
In our jewel thief story, for example, maybe a rival thief tells Victoria she'll never live up to
her father's name.

While you don't need NPCS, adding them can be a great way to add depth to your player
character. Look at your player character's motivations and consider NPCs who can either
serve as helpers or obstacles in your story.