It’s pretty simple, right? Every story has a beginning, middle and end. Easy peasy, piece of cake.
…But what if I told you, the cake was a lie?
Internet memes and and gaming references aside, the meshing of stories and interactive media has been the subject of debate on many an internet forum for decades now, and it’s not likely to die soon.
‘What’s the big deal?’ You may ask. ‘Good games don’t need stories; look at Tetris!’
A fair argument. Tetris, Candy Crush, and Battleship all lack any narrative. Occasionally we’ll be tossed a leading character who walks us through the tutorial, but that’s it.
Just kidding, that’s a lie too.
All games carry a narrative. There’s a story to be had somewhere. While you may not see it, the story is happening right in front of your eyes- erm, in your eyes, actually. Let me explain.
The story actually games the player- and this is something nearly all games have done since the human brain built the capacity to understand non-linear problem solving. Consider this: Conventional storytelling tells us at the very least, that all stories need a protagonist, antagonist, beginning, middle and end.
How does this apply to Tetris? Simple. YOU are the protagonist. The game, on the other hand (specifically the design), is the antagonist. The level has a beginning, middle, end completely dictated by you, the user. From the moment you pick up the game, you’ve started the narrative. Chances are you’ve overcome an obstacle or two while playing (all while yelling about how the ‘Z’ piece has appeared four times in a row and you’ve got nowhere to put the next one) then come to your logical conclusion by the time you’ve put the game down again. Regardless of whether or not you’ve overcome the obstacles presented to you during gameplay, you’ve:
- Started your session, beginning your narrative for the session
- Progressed/failed to progress through the level
- Finished your session, with a big smile or with less hair than you started with
Games, at their very core have always been a form of storytelling. As the industry, with its massive, multi-kajillion dollar titles moves towards a sales model mimicking that of movies and television, the only thing that has changed was how visible those stories have been.
See? Even Tetris had a narrative. It was in you all along.
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