Character Development and Storytelling for Games, 3rd Edition
- Length: 426 pages
- Edition: 3
- Language: English
- Publisher: CRC Press
- Publication Date: 2022-11-18
- ISBN-10: 0367248980
- ISBN-13: 9780367248987
- Sales Rank: #0 (See Top 100 Books)
This is the third edition of Character Development and Storytelling for Games, a standard work in the field that brings all of the teaching from the first two books up to date and tackles the new challenges of today. Professional game writer and designer Lee Sheldon combines his experience and expertise in this updated edition. New examples, new game types, and new challenges throughout the text highlight the fundamentals of character writing and storytelling.
But this book is not just a box of techniques for writers of video games. It is an exploration of the roots of character development and storytelling that readers can trace from Homer to Chaucer to Cervantes to Dickens and even Mozart. Many contemporary writers also contribute insights from books, plays, television, films, and, yes, games.
Sheldon and his contributors emphasize the importance of creative instinct and listening to the inner voice that guides successful game writers and designers. Join him on his quest to instruct, inform, and maybe even inspire your next great game.
Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents Preface to the Third Edition Acknowledgments About the Author Introduction PART I: Background CHAPTER 1 ◾ Equations CHAPTER 2 ◾ The Story Remains the Same Aristotle and those Other Greeks Aristotle Unity of Time Unity of Place Unity of Action Homer Sophocles Aristophanes Jung's Collective Unconscious Campbell's Hero's Journey Primary Sources From The Great Train Robbery to Birth of a Nation The Language of Drama and Film Universal Themes Drama Conflict Character Cut Scenes PART II: Creating Characters CHAPTER 3 ◾ Respecting Characters Three Dimensions The Physical Character The Sociological Character The Psychological Character Character Progression Growth Development The Pivotal Character The Player-Character Is the PC Meant Only to be Controlled by the Player, or is it Meant to be the Player? Is the PC Original, or Based on a Character From Another Medium? How Much does the Player know About the Character? How Much does the Character know About the Player? If the Player-Character Needs Certain Skills, Must the Player Have them, Too? If the Player Can Control More than One Character, how does this Affect the NPCs and Storytelling? Major Characters Minor Characters and Extras Avoiding Stereotypes CHAPTER 4 ◾ Character Roles The Character's Role in Story Populating the World Commentary and Gossip Living Useful Lives The Player-Character Revisited (Protagonist) Villains (Antagonists) Mentors Sidekicks Servants and Pets Merchants Trainers Quest Givers CHAPTER 5 ◾ Character Traits Mobility Controlling the Space Physical Skills Professions Race Sex Character Emotion Characters in Opposition Conflict Orchestration Memory Revealing Character Through Action CHAPTER 6 ◾ Character Encounters Perception Perspective (First Person Versus Third Person) Dialogue Dialogue Systems Canned Speeches Canned Conversations Mood Meter Attitude Chart Iconic Choices Topic List Highlighted Text Dialogue Menu Natural Language/AI-Based Conversations Entrances and Exits Time Place Action Return Visits Relationships Factions The Player-Character and NPCs TGT Full System TGT Simplified System Trust (Distrust) Respect (Disrespect) PART III: Telling the Story CHAPTER 7 ◾ Once Upon a Time Building a Home for Characters Story or Game: Which Comes First? Original Material Adaptations from Other Media Epilogue Sequels Finding a Style that Fits Linear Versus Nonlinear Avoiding Clichés CHAPTER 8 ◾ Respecting Story Willing Suspension of Disbelief The Fourth Wall Revisited The Trap of Cut Scenes The Trap of Too Much Backstory The Trap of Letting Players "Discover" the Story Verisimilitude Expressionism Symbolism Consistency of the World Setting Weather Scope and Scale CHAPTER 9 ◾ Bringing the Story to Life Foreshadowing Point of Attack The Obligatory Scene Crisis, Climax, and Resolution Reversals Arcs Exposition in Action CHAPTER 10 ◾ Games: Charting New Territory Characters Revisited Puzzling Developments Quests Tasks and Errands Matrix Quests Quests and Missions Types of Quests Rewards The Story Up Till Now CHAPTER 11 ◾ Story Anatomy Heart: Player Emotion Mind: Sharing the Theme Funny Bone: Roflmao! CHAPTER 12 ◾ Editing Collaboration Adapting to the Engine you End Up With Stopping The Bleeding when you Cut Levels and Areas Polishing Dialogue Copy Editing CHAPTER 13 ◾ The Roots of a New Storytelling The Odyssey The Canterbury Tales Don Quixote de La Mancha Mozart, Game Designer Charles Dickens and Publishing in Parts Saturday Morning at the Movies (Movie Serials) Dennis Wheatley's Crime Dossiers Daytime Soap Operas Episodic Television CHAPTER 14 ◾ Modular Storytelling The Yoke of Narrative Traditional Story Forms in Games Traditional (Linear) Branching (Linear Thinking) Web (Simple Nonlinear) Relinquishing Control Modular (Nonlinear) Nesting Modules Systemic Storytelling Structuring Chaos Adventures in a Nonlinear World PART IV: Games People Play Today CHAPTER 15 ◾ Game Types Clickers Action Adventure Multiplayer Mods Role-Playing Simulations Strategy CHAPTER 16 ◾ Game Genres Melodrama Fantasy Science Fiction War Espionage Crime Mystery Horror Romance Western CHAPTER 17 ◾ Storytelling in Virtual Worlds Computer as Game Master Thousands of Heroes Ongoing Story The Trap of Episodic Structure Revealing Story True Multiplayer Quests Crowd Control Variety Hiding the Numbers Empowering Emergent Storytelling Footprints in the Sand CHAPTER 18 ◾ Storytelling in Small Games Star Trek: Infinite Space Indiana Jones Adventure World The Lion's Song Freud's Office Close Conversation CHAPTER 19 ◾ Storytelling in Applied Games Abstraction Story Structure Balance Sustained Narrative Footprints on the Page Dealing with Textbooks The Sky's the Limit PART V: Reflections CHAPTER 20 ◾ Postlude: Endgame Index
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