How To Write A Story

C How To Write A Good Game Story
Posted on August 6 2012 by Derk in Blog•Jump To Comments

Stories are an essential part of games. Surely there are games that don’t seem to have a story –
but if you look closer, you see that they actually have a lot going for them.
Look at chess – chess doesn’t seem to have story. But if you look at it closely, it has characters, a
world, progression, and a plot. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end. Even little pawns have
an adventure and a transformation ahead. It’s all-out war, with conflict, death and victory. There
are kings, queens, even horses. I say chess has a story, dammit.a
Another example is Angry Birds. The story of Angry Birds is very short. Is it a story at all? Yes.
The birds are on a mission. They hate the guts of these pigs. The Angry Birds story is one of
thievery, sacrifice, parenthood, and ultimately revenge.
Stories are essential. In games there are heroes and villains. There is conflict, there is an
imaginary world. We need to provide players with stories to give them context as to what they
are doing.
With that in mind, here is my process for writing stories.
How to write good stories for games

Step 1: Create the world
The story starts with the world. Geography is important, and it gives you a whole range of ideas
to work with.
Some questions to ask yourself:
• Which continents does this world have?

• Which cities are there?
• Who lives here?
• Are there interesting landmarks?
• What could spawn conflict in this world?
• How did the nations come to their current form?
• Are there contested borders?
• Do people have enough resources? (food, water, wood etc)
• What technologies exist? (magic? teleportation?)
• Are there specific cultures?
• Is there free trade? Freedom of religion?
• What kinds of governments are there?
• Are people thriving or struggling in this place?
When you have the world set up, you can use it as a guideline for your characters’ backstories.
The world will also be your point of reference for any future games you might be making in the
same “universe”. Think hard about this step, and the rest will be much easier.
Step 2: Create the characters

The characters are the most important asset. A good character is someone the player can relate to.
This means that he or she is “human” (even when they’re not). What makes someone “human”?
They have flaws, a history, and somewhere deep down they have good intentions, no matter how
messed up they are.
Characters are constructed. They have emotions, assumptions about the world, goals, likes and
dislikes, enemies and friends. But most importantly, they have a history. This is where you start
the construction.
Ask yourself the following questions:
• In what environment did they grow up? (Link this to the world design!)
• What were they like at age 5? At age 15? 30? 50?
• Do they have particular skills? (Use this for your game mechanics!)
• Were there life-changing events in their past?
• What is their personality like? How would they react in specific situations?
• What do they look like?
Note that we start in the past. The events and environments shape a character, and this in turn
determines their personality. Then, and only then, do we define the looks.
(Note that I am guilty of defining the looks first. This is the easiest mistake to make.)
(Also note that if you are a man, it is very easy to forget to add women in your game. I am guilty
of that too and I am ashamed of it. So please add women. And let them talk to each other.)
Step 3: Write the Grand Storyline

The grand storyline is the overarching conflict. You probably don’t want to reveal this in your
game all at once, but with little bits. In the case of Momonga, we are stepping into all-out war,
with the momongas at the center of it. But when you play the game, you only see a tiny little bit
of that grand story. You see Momo’s village under attack, and you see that Panda rescues him.
The true scope of the adventure is still hidden, and that gives us plenty of opportunity to raise the
stakes and introduce new characters and obstacles.
The Grand Storyline should tie in with the World design. A great way is to ask these questions:
• Which nations / rulers are in conflict?

• What is the history of these nations?
• What is the role of the hero in the grand scheme of things?
• Is there an event (in the past or future) that shakes up the world?
• Which unknowns are revealed along the way?
• How are different characters plotting and clashing?
A beautiful story to take as an example is Game Of Thrones. The books and series alternate
between lively “close-ups” of the main characters. You see them breathing and bleeding, and you
get to know them. But every now and then, there are events that shape the course of history.
These events should be mapped out in your Grand Storyline.
Step 4: Write the Game Story

When you have your world, your characters, and your Grand Story, it is time to take a tiny little
piece of all that fluff. It is like framing a photo so that only a little bit is visible. You zoom in, and
leave things out. Only tell the things that are important.
A good checklist for writing the dialogue and in-game story:
• Is this moving the story forward?

• Is this revealing something of a character?
• Can a third-grader understand it?
It’s a simple checklist, but every line needs to follow these rules. And that can be tough to
accomplish.
That third one may be a bit controversial. After all, not all games have to be kindergarten
material. But please, pretty please, keep things simple. One line on screen at a time. No fancy
words. No extravagant grammar. Simple punctuation. A guy from Popcap gave a great speach at
GDC 2012, about the dialogue in Plants vs Zombies. He called it the “sophisticated caveman”.
Write as though someone from the ice age would say it – except without the grunting and
skullbashing.
This is not because your players are stupid. It is because they are impatient. And when you write
lines that they can understand at a glance, they will pick up on the story even though they skip
through the dialogue. They might even forgive you for throwing words at them.
Step 5: Make the Storyboard

Yay, we get to draw now! The next step is to make the storyboard and show your teammates how
it should all look on screen. There is not much to be said here, but storyboarding is an art in itself
and it takes some skill to communicate cutscenes clearly.

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C How To Write A Good Game Story

Posted on August 6 2012 by Derk in Blog•Jump To Comments

With that in mind, here is my process for writing stories.

How to write good stories for games

Some questions to ask yourself:

• Which continents does this world have?

Step 2: Create the characters

Ask yourself the following questions:

Step 3: Write the Grand Storyline

• Which nations / rulers are in conflict?

Step 4: Write the Game Story

A good checklist for writing the dialogue and in-game story:

• Is this moving the story forward?

Step 5: Make the Storyboard

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