“What Happened Here?” Environmental Storytelling

1. Matthias Worch and Harvey Smith GDC 2010, San Francisco “What Happened Here?” Environmental Storytelling

2. Before We Get Started • Please silence your cell phones • Please fill out your comment cards • Download slides for comprehensive written notes • Richard Rouse III: "Environmental Narrative: Your World Is Your Story" Friday, 9:00am - 10:00am, Room 125 (North Hall)

3. Session Overview • Part 1: Game Environments • Part 2: Environmental Storytelling  • Part 3: Practical Techniques for Traditional Environmental Storytelling • Part 4: Systemic Environmental Storytelling • Part 5: Conclusions and QA

4. Part 1 • Game Environment • Definition

5. Game Environment Definition • Constrains and guides player movement through physical properties and ecology • Uses player reference to communicate simulation boundaries and affordance • Reinforces and shapes player identity • Provides narrative context

6. Bioshock A decadent new year’s eve party gone wrong

7. Physical Properties and Ecology Constrains and guides player movement through physical properties and ecology.

8. Communicate Affordance Sign points out alcohol Tickets point towards register Environments communicate via familiar player reference

9. Communicate Simulation Boundaries Can I cut a rug? No. Environments communicate via familiar player reference

10. Reinforces Player Identity The environment reinforces player identity

11. Reinforces Player Identity

12. Narrative Context The environment provides narrative context

13. Environmental Storytelling

14. Part 2 • Environmental Storytelling • Definition

15. Working Definition Staging player-space with environmental properties that can be interpreted as a meaningful whole, furthering the narrative of the game.

16. Association of Elements A man is tying his shoes Breaks the lace Screams and curses Throws shoe out window The audience understands that he doesn't really, really hate that shoe

17. Association of Elements “Relies on the player to associate disparate elements, interpreting them as a meaningful whole.” But film fails to define this for games in a practical sense Movie audiences watch...directed gaze Players explore

24. Dead Gold Fish - Chain of Events

25. Environmental Storytelling "Fundamentally integrates player perception and active problem solving, which builds investment."

26. After The Flood

27. Interpretation

28. Interpretation "Invites interpretation of situations and meaning according to players' views and experience." • Designer had intentions, but believes in player interpretation • See also: Jordan Thomas, "White Space” • Speech given at Teeside University, UK

29. Telegraphing

30. Telegraphing • Aids the player in navigating • Space by telegraphing.

31. Environmental Storytelling Relies on the player to associate disparate elements, interpreting them as a meaningful whole. Fundamentally integrates player perception and active problem solving, which builds investment. Invites interpretation of situations and meaning according to players' views and experience. Can help the player navigate an area by telegraphing.

32. It’s active It involves the player, who brings his own experience The act of interpretation gains personal meaning Jean Piaget articulated learning mechanisms Play, discovery and interaction are key to learning Investment by doing, participating Why Is This Compelling?

33. The player is pulling the narrative, which makes it self-paced, less expository The player is active participant in an internal dialog Like gameplay, a dialog between player and game Familiar world, self reinforced More complete, more immersive Why Is This Compelling?

34. Why Is This Compelling?

35. Fallout 3: Child slaver den Lounge tables near dance poles Manacles A teddy bear Wow, terrible conclusion  The Law of Closure (Gestalt Psychology) "Understanding Comics" What is important is what happens between the panels Why Is This Compelling?

36. Implying a Larger World "What changes Guard_03 from an abstract obstacle into a person? Did someone get hurt in this alley? What does the innkeeper do with his free time? Answering these questions transform the game space into a coherent world. Meaningful narrative is inferred by players if you give them cues but leave them the space to imagine." Steve Powers, Disney

37. Part 02 Summary • Relies on the player to associate disparate elements, interpreting them as a meaningful whole • Interpretation is compelling • Fundamentally integrates player perception and active problem solving • Builds investment • Invites interpretation of situations and meaning according to player's views and experience  • The Law of Closure • Helps the player navigate an area by telegraphing

38. Part 3 • Practical Techniques for Environmental Storytelling

39. Practical Techniques • Establish a discernible chain of events • Ensure that event engages the player • Echo the world at large • Create characterization • Minimize disconnects between the player's possible actions and pre-scripted setups

40. Chain Of Events Establish a discernable chain of events!

41. Chain of Events Left 4 Dead Whiteboard

42. Puzzle Structures "Making Your Players Feel Smart: Puzzles As User Interfaces" (Randy Smith, GDC 2009)

43. Chain of Events • Try authoring puzzle structures for your environmental storytelling setups • When placing pieces of set dressing, figure out how pieces of set dressing connect • Cup of coffee • Offset chair • Trail of donut pieces • When necessary, create visual links • Bloody footsteps

44. Player Opinion • Ensure that event engages the player!

45. Player Opinion ATMs are associated with money Represent Savings! Water to remind us of setting Splicers = Social ideals gone wrong • Ensure that event engages the player!

46. Player Opinion Event is open to interpretation More than just a creative death moment! Event examines player actions Creates player opinion Money pickup is contextualized • Ensure that event engages the player!

47. Echoes "Echo The World At Large" • Key to the ATM example • "The event reinforces Bioshock's larger theme of societal decay" • Without this evocative premise, the storytelling moment wouldn't be nearly as effective

48. Echoes

49. Backstory + Event

50. Echoes • Environmental storytelling moments should draw from the story premise: • Self-reinforcing loop • Premise spawns events, events remind player of premise