game narratives
Interactive fiction plots
Game narratives are the stories told through video games, encompassing plot, characters, dialogue, and world-building.
Unlike passive media, game narratives often branch based on player choices or emerge organically from gameplay: The game narrative shifts depending on which faction you support.
The term covers everything from scripted cutscenes to environmental storytelling discovered through exploration.
- plotStoryline or land parcel
- hero's journeyUniversal story pattern
- immersionState of being submerged
- antagonistOne who opposes another
- choicesAvailable options to pick
lore · consequences · setting · side quests · decision trees · dialogue options · backstory · chosen one · save the world · interactive storytelling · flashbacks · cutscenes · foreshadowing · twist ending · origin story · factions · catharsis · character arcs
- narrative mediainteractive fiction, visual novels, graphic novels, web series, audio dramas
- video gamesFortnite, arcade, consoles, console, action-adventure
- game designmechanics, level design, balancing, playtesting, difficulty
game narrativesliterary fiction
Prose emphasizing craft and depth
oral storytelling · cinematic storytelling · radio drama · television drama · stage plays
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