3. It's Based on a Story
So many first year students confuse storytelling with gameplay. It's an understandable mistake, especially when you consider how epic computer and video games have become in the last few generations. Look at the kinds of advertisements the industry puts out to promote its games.
Overwhelmingly, they focus on characters, situations, and stories to sell the product, as opposed to specific gameplay elements. To confuse the issue even more, one need only to look at the library of games for the Wii based on third-party IP to see this story obsession in action: The Ant Bully, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Happy Feet, to name a few cringe-worthy examples.
It's no wonder then that students confuse storytelling with gameplay -- it's the sizzle in the steak that advertisers know they can sell. But a good story does not a game make.
At the heart of every game is a group of core mechanics, the things the player can do in the game. With a strong enough set of central mechanics, a game is still fun even without a story. Think back to some popular games from the 1980s: Centipede, Yar's Revenge, Super Mario Bros., Tetris. These games have limited narrative elements, if any at all. Yet despite a profound lack of story, they're still fun.
Providing an adequate context can be a tricky thing, and students would be better suited to focus on more abstract games if they wish to become successful designers. Abstract games like checkers and mancala are so effortless and elegant in their design, and that simplicity has contributed to their near universal appeal throughout history. By studying the fundamental mechanics in abstract games, students can ensure a solid foundation upon which to build their epic tales. A thousand years from now, game players may not understand what it means to be an Italian plumber, but they'll still be playing chess and go. Put another way, which game do you think has the best chance of survival over the next hundred years, Halo or sudoku?
Stories work best is in their ability to provide a context for what the player does. The story should answer the question, "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" It's the frosting that makes good cake even more delicious. For example, without GLaDOS' clever voiceovers, Portal is still a fun game. Throw in that extra layer of storytelling, and suddenly you've got a game of the year.
Furthermore, story can add an emotional weight to a game, making it more relevant to players. The Final Fantasy series is an excellent example. Without the emotionally driven, high fantasy tales at the heart of these games, they are still decent enough role-playing games. But the well-crafted stories that provide a context for the weapons, characters, stats, and combat have created a top-notch franchise. In this way, story answers the question, "Why do I care?"
When student game developers say their game is "based on a story," they're usually neglecting what makes a game a game. For fledgling designers, it's far more important to start with solid mechanics, as opposed to stories.
Learning From Other's Mistakes
Students make very reasonable mistakes. All of them are committed out of a genuine love for the things they enjoy about games: combat, story, the differences in genres. In time, perhaps these ideas might become commonplace, but for now, they are pitfalls best avoided.
David Sushil is an instructor of game and simulation programming at DeVry University in Orlando. A version of this article originally appear on his web site.
