Whilethe paragraphs detailing the journey are concise, they remain vivid enough to let players fill in the gaps between the scenes with their own imagination. Such was the manner in which the nautical voyages of Sunless Sea are told. “‘Get in late, leave early’ is as good advice for game writing as it is for screenwriting.” Writing, and writers, are more respected in games than they used to be, which is great, but it sometimes means that too much reverence is paid to the prose,” he said. To strike a balance between being descriptive and long-winded, Kennedy’s suggestion is to stay succinct.
Kennedy quoted famed game designer, Sid Meier, who once mentioned that there are games where the designer is having more fun than the player, and where the writers are enjoying themselves more than their audience. That stuff is what presses my buttons,” said Kennedy over an email interview.īut for video games that prioritize text over elaborate graphics, some passages can verge on being too verbose, which can turn reading into a chore. “The games, digital and analogue, that had most inspired me- Dunham’s King of Dragon Pass or Morris and Thompson’s Fabled Lands-used evocative language and very simple graphics with a strong system to tell stories. The decision to heavily lean towards words, instead of graphics or illustrations like many modern titles, stems from a love for narrative games, rather than a commercial or strategic decision to distinguish their games from the rest. All these titles are primarily directed by stories that are told with poignant, expressive prose, setting the stage for players to embark on wondrous journeys into the terrifying unknown. The duo spun up Weather Factory to create Cultist Simulator-a narrative-driven card game-which was released in 2018. They each had a hand in writing and developing the browser-based narrative gem, Fallen London, as well as Sunless Sea, a critically acclaimed title set within the same universe. Source: SteamĬonversely, using words to spin an expansive tale-particularly with the minutiae of supernatural encounters and celestial worlds-is at the heart of British studio Weather Factory, which was established by Failbetter Games co-founder, Alexis Kennedy, and former Failbetter Games producer, Lottie Bevan. Studios are racing towards producing hyper-realistic environments and lifelike characters-which are visually astounding, of course-but at times they fall short of creating worlds that can truly be engaging and immersive for players. It’s why Bethesda would rather you bask in the burning ashes of nuclear fallout in Fallout 76, or why Naughty Dog showcased violent, grisly imagery in a trailer for The Last of Us 2 last year.
In fiction writing, this usually means relating scenes as they unfold, rather than telling the reader what exactly is taking place in each page.īut as a visual medium, many video games have relied on visual bombast to convey the goings-on on screen, sometimes stretching the medium to its extremes. “Show, don’t tell” is one of the core tenets of crafting a compelling narrative: pull readers into the scene by letting them witness the events taking place in a story.
0 kommentar(er)
