Narratives Without Words

ALICE RENDELL

About me

Game Designer Since 2010

IGDA Scotland Board of Directors

Game/Narrative Designer Kobojo

WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT TODAY

Telling stories through:

• Environment

• Gameplay

• UI

• Wordless Conversations

• Valiant Hearts: The Great War

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER MEDIA

Art: Renaissance paintings, Bayeux Tapestry

Music: Four Seasons, Peter and the Wolf

Performance: Ballet, Mime

Characters: Edward Scissorhands, WALL-E

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER MEDIA

Art: Renaissance paintings, Bayeux Tapestry

Music: Four Seasons, Peter and the Wolf

Performance: Ballet, Mime

Characters: Edward Scissorhands, WALL-E

Film: The Artist, The Snowman

NARRATIVE THROUGH ENVIRONMENT

“… it is the physical space that does much of the work of conveying the story the designers are trying to tell. Color, lighting and even the texture of a place can fill an audience with excitement or dread.”

Don Carson, 2000

WHAT DO GAME ENVIRONMENTS DO?

1. Creates player boundaries

2. Define interaction

3. Provides narrative context

4. Drives player through story

ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING SHOULD…

1. Create an atmosphere

2. Propel the story

3. Reinforce the world

4. Be deliberate

5. Provide visual ‘puzzle’ pieces

NARRATIVE THROUGH GAMEPLAY

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY GAMEPLAY?

• Win/Lose conditions

• Game mechanics

• Controls

• Puzzles

• Interactions

USE GAMEPLAY TO…

1. Create stories from gameplay

consequences

2. Mimic character sensations through

controls

3. Reinforce character relationships

4. Communicate character personalities

NARRATIVE THROUGH UI

WORDLESS CONVERSATIONS

A STORY WITHOUT WORDS: VALIANT HEARTS

MANY GAME EXAMPLES

Environment: Bioshock, The Last of Us, Papers Please

Gameplay: Journey, The Novelist, Shadow of the Colossus

UI: Alien Isolation, Fallout, Viva Pinata

Conversations: Abe’s Odyssey, A Bird Story, The Sims

THANK YOU!

Email:

arendell@kobojo.com

Twitter: @alicemrendell

Blog:

madhatterandalice.com

Zodiac: zodiac.kobojo.comANY QUESTIONS?