CS Essay Focus - Narratives in Games

My focus for this Contextual Studies 2,000 word report is to be looking at narratives in games and how this has changed games and how they are developed over the years. There is no doubt that the use of narratives in games has had a substantial impact on how we play and interact with games, but looking back through the years we can see where it all began, and its development. I will be looking in depth at the background of game narratives right from where it all began with the smallest and most simplest of games. Then looking up the timeline you can see a slow increase in the inclusion of a narrative, with the first major one in 1983 with text based adventures following a plot line. The use of narrative then became more prevalent with the increase in technology, with games such as 'Suer Mario Brothers' and 'The legend of Zelda' being released. These games, although being driven by the gameplay have extremely strong narrative structures, even though very simple. They both follow the 'save the princess' story arch.

I then want to look at games such as 'Final Fantasy' and 'Pokemon' as early examples of both narrative driven games, and Transmedia storytelling. Also, I will look at other examples such as 'Resident Evil'. This is also where I want to explore the films industry and games. Games narratives have become so advanced and immersive that they have been transformed into films. 'Resident Evil' is a brilliant example of this.

To finish off the report I wanted to address the recent advances in storytelling in games, mainly the impact of interactive storytelling. This type of narrative is in almost all of today's games in some way. This type of storytelling gives the player the opportunity to create their own path, and have a different outcome every time. This makes the story unique to the player and makes it feel much more realistic. Examples I am particularly interested in looking into are 'Heavy Rain', 'Mass Effect' and 'Fallout'.

It is safe to say that the inclusion of narratives in games has been a successful step in the development of games. Without stories in our games they aren't nearly as immersive or realistic. Nowadays, a games narrative can have a major impact on how it sells, and gamers even buy a game just for its story, just like a film or a book. In my report I hope to get across the importance of narratives in games.