Approachable Narratives in Game Design

Abstract

Though video games have become mainstream in recent years, many game designers and developers continue to consider new players – unfamiliar with common game-design tropes and expectations – as an afterthought. The consequence is that people interested in trying video games may not be adequately introduced to the novel game design of a specific game, or the common gameplay elements of wider genres. Would-be players, frustrated by hastily constructed tutorials, might not complete a game and could miss out on the unique strengths of the medium. This paper considers the goals behind a strong tutorial and reviews many tutorial strategies on how well they meet those goals. It also considers the unique techniques games can use to add narratives, both linear and nonlinear. Some of these tutorial and narrative strategies have been incorporated into an original game, and this paper explains in detail how these strategies were implemented. Finally, a playtesting campaign was used to evaluate the game’s use of tutorial and narrative techniques through the feedback of multiple volunteers. Playtesting revealed the gaps between how players and developers perceive the game and how the game can be improved. This paper presents the techniques used in playtesting and discusses the effectiveness of the playtesting campaign in finding areas for improvement in the game’s design