Philosophy of Narrative Design
by Andrew Shvarts, Head of Design
Andrew is the Head of Design at Candlelight Games and has worked as a games writer and designer for over 14 years.
What is Narrative Design?
Narrative Design is the intersection of gameplay and story. It often refers to the structure of a game’s writing and the way its plot is presented. I’ve always felt that was an imperfect definition, however, missing the fundamental ways narrative can shape the experience of a game as a whole… even one with as little writing as the arcade classic Space Invaders
See, when the legendary designer Tomohiro Nishikado was developing Space Invaders in the early ‘70s, he quickly landed on the mechanics of shooting waves of approaching enemies, but not the theme of, well, space invaders. Instead, the earliest iterations of the game had the players firing against a rival army of soldiers. While the mechanics worked, the theme did not. Shooting waves of humans felt wrong and uncomfortable, even in its most pixelated form. It was only after seeing Star Wars that Nishikado had the inspiration to change those soldiers into comical squid-like aliens, and gaming history was made.
Screenshot of Space Invaders on iOS
I love that story because it highlights how fundamental narrative design is, even in a pixelated arcade shooter. By changing a few pixels, Nishikado transformed the visceral emotions it evoked and the story it told, however minimally.
Narrative Design isn’t just writing or plot structure. Rather, it encompasses the entire emotional experience of a game, which in turn defines the game itself. Narrative Design is the emotion a game evokes, the self-expression it offers the player, and the empathy it engenders. Narrative Design is the core of Candlelight Games, and the heart of the journey we hope to take you on!
Narrative Design is Emotion
When we founded Candlelight Games, we asked ourselves, what matters most in our games? And right away, we all agreed on one key word: emotion. We want to create games that make our players feel, make them fall in love, laugh their hearts out, cry tears of heartache and tears of joy. Gameplay, mechanics, art and writing, all of it flows downstream from a single question of “What do we want our players to feel, and how do we do it?”
Narrative Design is Self-Expression
When it comes to interactive storytelling, there are dozens of different philosophies around what matters most. Is it complexity? Consequence? Scope? Is it better for players to go broad, offering a vast range of paths for the player to take, or deep, offering fewer options but with far more consequence?
At Candlelight, we think what matters most in interactivity is self-expression. The choices we make in our lives define who we are, what we value, what we fear, and what we want. So too should the choices in our games. By letting players shape their characters and stories, we also let them express an aspect of themselves. When crafting an interactive moment, we ask ourselves “What does this choice allow the players to express about their characters? What does it allow them to express about themselves?”
Narrative Design is Empathy
Games can thrill, move, distract, and entertain, but they can also be powerful tools for learning and experimentation, for trying on a new perspective or having a new experience. At Candlelight, we see fostering empathy as the central responsibility of narrative design, the driving mission behind the stories we tell. It’s vital to us that our games are inclusive spaces, worlds where everyone is welcome.
Narrative Design is Candlelight
If there is one common thread that unites everyone at Candlelight Games, it’s that we all believe in the boundless potential of story. And we hope you’ll come along on our journey!