Game and Learn:

An Introduction to Educational Gaming

7. Games and Storytelling

Ruben R. Puentedura, Ph.D

The Characteristics of Game Stories

Ancestry of Interactive Fiction (Montfort)

• Riddles

• e.g. Riddle of the Sphinx

• Puzzles

• e.g. Detective Mysteries

• Literary machines

• e.g. Queneau’s 100,000,000,000,000 Poems, other OuLiPo works

• Dungeons & Dragons

• AI Conversational Machines

• e.g. ELIZA/DOCTOR, SHRDLU

• Early Computer Games

• e.g. Hunt the Wumpus, Mouse Maze, Trivia

Components of Game Narratives

• Inputs

• commands (in the world) -> diegetic or hypodiegetic (stories within stories)

• directives (about the program) -> extradiegetic

• Outputs

• replies -> diegetic/hypodiegetic

• reports -> extradiegetic

• Characters and Related Types

• Player(s)

• NPC

• Other Persons

Game Spaces and Narrative Architecture (Jenkins)

• Evocative Spaces

• Enacting Stories

• Broad goals/conflicts

• Localized incidents (micronarratives)

• Embedded narratives

• Game as an information space discovered, structured, and restructured by

the player

• Emergent Narratives

• Constructed by the player

Games and Narrative Levels (Frasca)

Level 1: representation and events ("what happens")

Level 2: manipulation modes ("what the player can do")

Level 3: goal rules ("what the player must do to win")

Level 4: meta-rules ("what player modifications to the other three levels are

allowed")

Constructing the Story

The Hero’s Journey (Campbell)

• Three parts to the journey:

• The Departure: the hero is called to adventure

• Someone is in need of aid, and the hero is called upon to help

• The Initiation: the hero undertakes a journey (physical or spiritual) to reach

the goal that will secure the needed aid

• The hero undergoes a process of change

• The Return: the hero accomplishes their task, and aid is rendered

• The hero receives some reward

The Detailed Journey

• The Departure:

• The Call to Adventure

• Refusal of the Call

• Supernatural Aid

• The Crossing of the First Threshold

• Belly of The Whale

• The Initiation:• The Road of Trials

• The Meeting With the Goddess

• Woman as Temptress

• Atonement with the Father

• Apotheosis

• The Ultimate Boon

• The Return:• Refusal of the Return

• The Magic Flight

• Rescue from Without

• The Crossing of the Return Threshold

• Master of the Two Worlds

• Freedom to Live

Character Roles (Propp)

• Main Characters:

• Protagonist (Hero)

• Antagonist (Villain)

• Dispatcher

• Donor

• Helper

• Person Sought-For

• False Protagonist (False Hero)

• Supporting Characters:

• Family Members

• Connectors

Intr

od

uc

tio

n

# 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Function

Example

Ab

senta

tion

A m

em

ber

of th

e fam

ily a

bsents

him

/hers

elf.

Inte

rdic

tion

An in

terd

iction is

giv

en t

o t

he h

ero

.

Vio

lation

The in

terd

iction is

vio

late

d.

Reconnais

sance

A v

illain

makes a

n a

ttem

pt

to g

et

info

rmation.

Deliv

ery

The v

illain

gets

info

rmation a

bout

the v

ictim

.

Tric

kery

The v

illain

tries t

o d

eceiv

e t

he v

ictim

.

Com

plic

ity

The v

ictim

is d

eceiv

ed

.

Th

e D

on

or

Se

qu

en

ce

# 12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Function

Example

1st

Donor

Function

The h

ero

is t

este

d b

y a d

onor

of a m

agic

al a

gent.

Hero

’s R

eaction

The h

ero

reacts

to t

he a

gent

or

donor.

Receip

t of A

gent

The h

ero

acq

uires t

he u

se o

f th

e m

agic

al a

gent.

Guid

ance

The h

ero

is le

d t

o t

he o

bje

ct

of searc

h.

Str

uggle

The h

ero

and

villain

join

in c

om

bat.

Bra

nd

ing

The h

ero

is b

rand

ed

.

Vic

tory

The h

ero

defe

ats

the v

illain

.

Liq

uid

ation

The in

itia

l mis

fort

une o

r la

ck is

liq

uid

ate

d.

Th

e H

ero

’s R

etu

rn

# 20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Function

Example

Retu

rnThe h

ero

retu

rns.

Purs

uit

The h

ero

is p

urs

ued

.

Rescue

The h

ero

is r

escued

fro

m p

urs

uit.

Unre

cogniz

ed

Arr

ival

The h

ero

, unre

cogniz

ed

, arr

ives h

om

e o

r els

ew

here

.

Unfo

und

ed

Cla

ims

A fals

e h

ero

pre

sents

unfo

und

ed

cla

ims.

Diffi

cult T

ask

A d

ifficult t

ask is

pro

posed

to t

he h

ero

.

Solu

tion

The t

ask is

resolv

ed

.

Recognitio

nThe h

ero

is r

ecogniz

ed

.

Exp

osure

The fals

e h

ero

or

villa

in is

exp

osed

.

Transfig

ura

tion

The h

ero

is g

iven a

new

ap

peara

nce.

Punis

hm

ent

The v

illain

is p

unis

hed

.

Wed

din

gThe h

ero

is m

arr

ied

and

ascend

s t

he t

hro

ne.

No

tes:

•12–14 c

an a

lso o

ccur

as a

blo

ck p

rior

to t

he 8

–11 b

lock;

•23–24 a

nd

25-2

6 c

an a

lso o

ccur

prior

to 1

9;

•17 c

an o

ccur

betw

een 2

5 a

nd

26.

Th

e B

od

y o

f th

e S

tory

# 8 8a 9 10

11

Function

Example

Villain

yThe v

illain

causes h

arm

to a

fam

ily m

em

ber. -

OR

Lack

A fam

ily m

em

ber

lacks o

r d

esires s

om

eth

ing.

Med

iation

A m

isfo

rtune is

mad

e k

now

n, th

e h

ero

is d

isp

atc

hed

.

Begin

Counte

raction

The h

ero

(seeker) a

gre

es t

o c

ounte

raction.

Dep

art

ure

The h

ero

leave

s h

om

e.

Chara

cte

r Functio

ns

Introduction

#

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Function Example

Absentation A member of the family absents him/herself.

Interdiction An interdiction is given to the hero.

Violation The interdiction is violated.

Reconnaissance A villain makes an attempt to get information.

Delivery The villain gets information about the victim.

Trickery The villain tries to deceive the victim.

Complicity The victim is deceived.

The Donor Sequence

#

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

Function Example

1st Donor Function The hero is tested by a donor of a magical agent.

Hero’s Reaction The hero reacts to the agent or donor.

Receipt of Agent The hero acquires the use of the magical agent.

Guidance The hero is led to the object of search.

Struggle The hero and villain join in combat.

Branding The hero is branded.

Victory The hero defeats the villain.

Liquidation The initial misfortune or lack is liquidated.

The Hero’s Return

#

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Function Example

Return The hero returns.

Pursuit The hero is pursued.

Rescue The hero is rescued from pursuit.

Unrecognized Arrival The hero, unrecognized, arrives home or elsewhere.

Unfounded Claims A false hero presents unfounded claims.

Difficult Task A difficult task is proposed to the hero.

Solution The task is resolved.

Recognition The hero is recognized.

Exposure The false hero or villain is exposed.

Transfiguration The hero is given a new appearance.

Punishment The villain is punished.

Wedding The hero is married and ascends the throne.

Notes:

•12–14 can also occur as a block prior to the 8–11 block;

•23–24 and 25-26 can also occur prior to 19;

•17 can occur between 25 and 26.

The Body of the Story

#

8

8a

9

10

11

Function Example

Villainy The villain causes harm to a family member. - OR

Lack A family member lacks or desires something.

Mediation A misfortune is made known, the hero is dispatched.

Begin Counteraction The hero (seeker) agrees to counteraction.

Departure The hero leaves home.

Character Functions

THEPARADIGMWORKSHEET

The Story:

ACT I ACT II ACT IIIACT I ACT II ACT III

First Half Second Half First Half Second Half

Dramatic Context Dramatic Context

Plot Point I Plot Point II (approx. 20-30) (approx. 80-90)

SET-UP CONFRONTATION SET-UP CONFRONTATION RESOLUTIONRESOLUTIONCopyright ! 2000 Syd Field

Midpointabout page 60

The Basic Screenplay Paradigm (Field)

25% 75%

50%

17–25% 67–75%

Storytelling for Games (Sheldon)

• Five Major Modes:

• Linear

• Branching

• Controlled Branching

• Web

• Modular

Linear Storytelling

Story Step

A

Story Step

B

Story Step

C

Story Step

D

Story Step

E

Story Step

F

Story Step

G

Linear Storytelling Example:

Portal

Branching Stories

Story Step

C4

Story Step

D4

Story Step

E4

Story Step

F4

Story Step

B3

Story Step

C3

Story Step

D3

Story Step

E3

Story Step

A

Story Step

B2

Story Step

C2

Story Step

D2

Story Step

E2

Story Step

F2

Story Step

G

Story Step

B1

Story Step

C1

Story Step

D1

Branching Stories Example:

La Pucelle Tactics

Controlled Branching

Story Step

B3

Story Step

D3

Story Step

A

Story Step

B2

Story Step

C

Story Step

D2

Story Step

E

Story Step

F

Story Step

G

Story Step

B1

Story Step

D1

Controlled Branching Example:

Grim Fandango

“Web” Stories

Story Step

C4

Story Step

D4

Story Step

E4

Story Step

F4

Story Step

B3

Story Step

C3

Story Step

D3

Story Step

E3

Story Step

A

Story Step

B2

Story Step

C2

Story Step

D2

Story Step

E2

Story Step

F2

Story Step

G

Story Step

B1

Story Step

C1

Story Step

D1

“Web” Stories Example:

Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

Modular Storytelling

Perm. 10

Dyn. i

Perm. 13

Dyn. i

Perm. 15

Dyn. i

Perm. 3

Dyn. i

Perm. 6

Dyn. i

Perm. 9

Dyn. i

Perm. 12

Dyn. i

First

Story Step

Perm. 2

Dyn. i

Perm. 5

Dyn. i

Perm. 8

Dyn. i

Perm. 11

Dyn. i

Perm. 14

Dyn. i

Final

Story Step

Perm. 1

Dyn. i

Perm. 4

Dyn. i

Perm. 7

Dyn. i

Modular Storytelling In Action

Perm. 3

Dyn. 3

Perm. 6

Dyn. 4

First

Story Step

Perm. 2

Dyn. 2

Perm. 5

Dyn. 5

Perm. 1

Dyn. 1

Perm. 4

Dyn. 6

Perm. 3

Dyn. 6

Perm. 6

Dyn. 5

First

Story Step

Perm. 2

Dyn. 1

Perm. 5

Dyn. 2

Perm. 1

Dyn. 3

Perm. 4

Dyn. 4

Player A Player B

Modular Storytelling Example:

Far Cry 2

Resources Cited

• The Characteristics of Game Stories:

• Montfort, N. Twisty Little Passages : An Approach to Interactive

Fiction. The MIT Press. (2003)

• Jenkins, H. “Game Design as Narrative Architecture” - in

Wardrip-Fruin, N. and P. Harrigan, First Person: New Media as

Story, Performance, and Game. The MIT Press. (2004)

• Frasca, G. “Simulation versus Narrative: Introduction to

Ludology” - in: Wolf, M.J.P. and B. Perron, The Video Game

Theory Reader. Routledge. (2003)

• Constructing the Story:

• Campbell, J. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton Univ.

Press. (1972)

• “Monomyth.” in Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (accessed June 23, 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth

• Propp,V. Morphology of the Folktale. Univ. of Texas Press.

(1968)

• Proppian Folktale Outline Generator v1.0. Online at:

http://www.stonedragonpress.com/wicca_201/

vladimir_propp/oral_tradition_00_a.html

• Field, S. Screenplay - The Foundations of Screenwriting, Third

Edition. Dell Publishing. (1994)

• Sheldon, L. Character Development and Storytelling for Games.

Thomson Course Technology PTR. (2004)

• Game Videos:

• Portal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSxmDIqI62k

• La Pucelle Tactics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IelsVROEsGo

• Grim Fandango:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtOMCJByp2c

• Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvdC6AOqu8U

• Far Cry 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Nn3N9GSSsg

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