One of the most difficult things to do, in my opinion, is creating a story that people want to actually read or listen to. A lot of people don't want to hear your personal story because it's boring. Other people don't want to hear your story because you don't have any storytelling ability that allows you to make even the most inane and boring details seem important and miraculous. I have found that with creative individuals like writers, storytellers, and film directors, this is one of the most crucial aspects of their career. If you aren't able to tell a convincing and compelling a story you might as well give up before you even begin.
This is why, when I began developing my own video game, I decided I would start with the story. Many things are tied to the story, whether it's the motivations of characters, locations of important events, or even just a minute detail that in the right person's eyes will reveal a foreshadowing of future events.
What are the most crucial aspects of storytelling, then? We can sum these up in six basic questions, and yet the meaning behind them consistently evades many uf us. Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?
Knowing the answers to the questions is only the first step, because then we must have the intelligence to weave the threads between them that bring the story to life. Perspective and prose, descriptions and dialogue must all be weighed equally as harsh to find the proper balance and means to convey a sense of completion within the narrative.
With visual arts such as film and video games, we are given a bit of a crutch to lean on. No longer are lengthy descriptors necessary to move the story forward, but these things often harm the narrative by shifting our focus as storytellers strictly to a dialogue perspective, which narrows the adaptability of the director. Much of the nonverbal communication in the story goes unnoticed by the casual viewer because the director is focusing on the wrong things and throwing off the original vision. A shift in camera perspective can be the difference between the audience getting a clue as to the identity of a secretive figure, or finding a hidden Easter egg buried in the confines of a bookshelf.
This narrative limitation is therefore heavily present in video games, especially when the developer neglects to provide a realistic atmosphere. I myself have fallen into this trap of providing too few contextual clues for players to follow in cluing them in to the wider picture. I have frustrated myself over the minute details, trying to get the best result of each piece of work. It's honestly quite exhausting.
But what rewards are to be had, by making this effort to completely understand the importance of narrative structure in three dimensions? The completion of a story is only the first result. The second is in creating a truly interactive story in which the viewer or player is able to come to the same revelation as the characters alongside them, making a deeper connection to them.
That is the true aim of storytelling. The connection it can create between people.
