Session Name: | Death to the Three Act Structure! Toward a Unique Structure for Game Narratives |
Speaker(s): | Tom Abernathy, Richard Rouse III |
Company Name(s): | Riot Games, Microsoft Game Studios |
Track / Format: | Game Narrative Summit |
Overview: | Over the last few decades, almost everyone interested in storytelling has become familiar with the classic three act structure employed by most Hollywood films. Indeed, many would argue that this same three act structure is used in stories of all kinds. Structure is vital in narrative - it's the tool writers use to guide the audience's experience of dramatic events. But not all storytelling mediums use the three act structure. Just as TV developed a structure all its own, story designers for games must develop structures tailored to the unique needs of their story and gameplay. This talk details some of the different structures employed in a variety of storytelling mediums, and explores the unique structural needs of games, providing designers and writers with the tools they need to tell stories as only games can. |