Emergent SystemsEmergent Systemsas Narrative Devicesas Narrative Devices

The Importance of StoriesThe Importance of Stories

“Man … is the storytelling animal.

He has to go on telling stories. He has to keep on making them up. As long as there's a story, it's all right.

Even in his last moments, it's said, in the split second of a fatal fall--or when he's about to drown--he sees, passing rapidly before him, the story of his whole life.”

Graham Swift, Waterland

How many stories have you told about Halo?

How many of those were about toppling the covenant?How many of them were about messing around with plasma grenades?

We want to tell We want to tell OUROUR stories stories

Emergent SystemsEmergent Systems“Complexity is intrinsically linked to meaningful play. Playing a game is synonymous with exploring a game’s space of possibility. If a system is fixed, periodic, or chaotic, it does not provide a space of possibility large or flexible enough for players to explore through meaningful play”

Eric Zimmerman, “Rules of Play”

“When we’re at our best [as game designers] we can even create systems that allow [users] to set in motion events that we don’t control, can’t anticipate, and didn’t plan for … and that’s when things get really interesting!”

Warren Spector

DefinitionsDefinitionsStory: A sequence of events, preferably structured & compelling.

Narrative: The means by which these events are portrayed or communicated.

Plot: A sequence of events that show causality.

The King died, then The Queen died.= Story

The King died, then The Queen died= Story

OF GRIEFOF GRIEFPLOTPLOT

EM Forster

“A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end … but not necessarily in that order”

- Jean Luc Godard

“My wiener dog has a beginning, a middle and an end, but that doesn’t make him a story.”

- Anonymous

BeginningMiddle

End

Standard Game Narrative (Half Life)

Beginning Middle End

Branching Game Narrative (Mass Effect)

Beginning

Optional Branching Paths

Funnelled Back To

The Middle

More Branches

Small Number

Of Endings

Beginning Middle End

Standard Narrative + Side Quests (Fallout / KOTOR)

(also most dramatic cinema)

Beginning End

?

No Central Narrative (Emergent Games)

So what drives the player?

Middle End

?

The Player’s Own StoryThe Player’s Own Story

“Implicit Narrative”

It happens in comic strips & movies already!

We’re looking for this:We’re looking for this:

Darkness = Danger Coal =

LightMining = Time

Night = Darkness

A Typical Minecraft Story

I need Coal!

I Seal Myself In A Cave And Wait …

The Sun Is Setting!

Coal!Glorious Coal! I have Torches …

I am Secure!

Jenova Chen’s “Flow in Games”Jenova Chen’s “Flow in Games”

Abilities increase over time when playingAbilities = Time

Tension rises with increasing challengeChallenge = Tension

Emergent Game = Chains of Causality

Chains of Causality = Plot

Do Emergent Games Have A Story?Do Emergent Games Have A Story?So …

Do Comic Books Have A Story?Do Comic Books Have A Story?Well …

Do Films Have A Story?Do Films Have A Story?And …

““Closure”Closure”It’s what Scott McCloud called

It’s why there’s a million stories about Minecraft …

… but not so many about Tetris.

The natural desire to see characters and stories in things we recognise and understand.

Looking Forward:Looking Forward:

Emergence is the Essence of Gaming Emergence doesn’t mean No Story

Creating a network of causal eventscan create a compelling plot

Conflict between interactive elementscreates rising tension

Familiarity breeds Closure