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Turning a Linear Story into a Game: The Missing Link between Fiction and Interactive Entertainment The quest
for more cinematic games is turning into a huge commercial prospect. To
continue its development, the game industry needs to broaden its audience
to include new segments, like casual gamers and women who are not generally
attracted to current videogame offerings. Luring them requires gameplay
that takes its cues from what they already know: cinema and literature. Many people
believe that games will never be able to tell a story the way a movie
or a novel does, largely because interactivity limits the control a scriptwriter
has over the story. This article argues that the games are very close
to recreating the experience of watching a movie and offers a few tips
for designing games that capture the look and feel of the cinema.
Creating a Cinematic Experience The defining traits of fiction —theme, characters, script and production— are well known. These traits are common to any fiction, whether a novel, a play, or a motion picture. The idea of production might be most closely related to the worlds of cinema and theater, but is also appropriate when speaking of a book. A writer employs techniques such as the choice of words, the styling of phrases and the structure of the narrative to unfold a story. The same techniques employed by directors and screenwriters to captivate the audience are perfectly adaptable to video games. How can
games replicate the ambiance, the tension and the sustained pace of a
good piece of fiction? What's the missing link? It's production, coupled
with an appropriate game design. Game developers
can borrow the film director's know-how to improve the choice of cameras,
the editing and in the end the overall credibility of the game's universe.
There are elements of game design that allow a fusion between gameplay
and movie-like content. Finally, game designers need to understand the
defining traits of fiction and how they can be adapted to a game. The
Choice of Shots Some shots
are not always suitable for gameplay. The challenge lies in reconciling
the player's comfort with movie-style cameras. There are three approaches
that can help reconcile shot control with player control:
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Introduction
Features
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