The Toymaker’s Bequest: a defense of narrative‐centric game design

In response to criticism of video games as a narrative medium, this document discusses the innovative potential of narrative‐centric design where the creator’s authorial voice to tell stories is the driving force of development. Drawing from prior narrative‐centric works and research on narrative in games, this document argues that videogames are not only capable of telling compelling stories, but also that videogames have already established a medium specific method of storytelling that validates narrative‐centric design. Divided into three parts, the first part will offer a brief overview of the value of narrative‐centric games and the unique storytelling potentials of the interactive medium. Part two will review common criticisms against narrative‐centric games such as ludonarrative dissonance, player agency, and systemic design. Finally, using the author’s own development experience of a narrative‐centric game, The Toymaker’s Bequest, part three will discuss the unique design methods and challenges of a narrative‐centric design.针对将电子游戏视为叙事媒介的批评之声，本文探讨了以叙事为核心的设计的创新潜力——创作者用于讲述故事的创作话语权，正是开发进程的核心驱动力。本文借鉴此前的以叙事为核心的相关作品与游戏叙事研究，提出电子游戏不仅具备讲述引人入胜的故事的能力，更已然形成了一种适配媒介特性的叙事方法，这为以叙事为核心的设计提供了佐证。本文共分为三个部分：第一部分将简要概述以叙事为核心的游戏的价值，以及这一交互式媒介独有的叙事潜力。第二部分将梳理针对以叙事为核心的游戏的常见批评，包括叙事与玩法冲突（ludonarrative dissonance）、玩家自主性以及系统性设计等议题。最后，第三部分将结合作者本人开发以叙事为核心的游戏《The Toymaker’s Bequest》的实践经验，探讨以叙事为核心的设计所独有的设计方法与挑战。