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| Video Game Storytelling |
Video
gaming has come a long way. Once upon a time Pac-Man raced around an
uncomplicated maze. The gamers great quest was to get the little guy to swallow
all the beads before being eaten by a ghost. It was mindless fun, but hardly
epic storytelling. Times have changed. Video games now can contain large casts
of characters complete with complicated backstories. With avatars, the players enter
through a fictional portal to become actual participants in a digital realm.
Evan
Skolnick has produced a very readable guide to the storytelling involved in the
creation of these worlds. The book is divided into two parts. Part I is called
Basic Training and includes a solid wrap-up of writing techniques. He makes the
case that conflict is at the heart of every story and includes very clear
explanations about such things as transitions, plot points, and exposition.
Each description is punctuated with examples from video games. I found the
chapter on believability particularly interesting as he discusses character
consistency and when and how to break the rules.
Part
II, The Trenches, delves into some of the nitty gritty of video game
storytelling. The book does a thorough job detailing all the different facets a
writer must consider in order to create believable story, character, and
environment. Skolnick also addresses the team aspect of working with concept
artists, programmers, musicians, along with the audio engineers who produce the
sound effects. He includes a useful example of a character description document
needed by team members to maintain consistency during development.
This
is well-thought out and well-crafted book. I liked the layout and extent of
material covered and would recommend it to anyone interested in developing
video games or simply writing in general.
Picky
Quibble
This
has nothing to do with the content matter, but take a gander at that cover. Whoever
approved the blah design should be ashamed. Video gaming revels in vibrant
colors and excitement. This cover looks like it was done by middle schoolers in
a summer camp class taught by volunteers at an underfunded community center.
Don’t be dissuaded from a purchase. While the cover is terrible, the contents
are well worth it.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in
exchange for a review.
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