British screenwriter and game designer Alexis Kennedy wrote an article on Gamasutra about how not to tire a gamer with information about the game world. Kennedy is known as the author of the browser quest Fallen London and the “bagel” Sunless Sea.
Sunless SeaHow to make a good description of the game world
Kennedy’s main advice: Don’t start working on a game by writing a detailed history of the game world. The abundance of information tires most players. It is better to build a picture of the world gradually.
“If there are five nations in your universe, but the player encounters only two in the story, it is better to omit information about the other three. Leave space to add this data later, if necessary,” writes Alexis.
How to talk about the game world
Keep descriptions to a minimum. For example, a story about the Fallen London setting fits in five sentences. From them, the player learns that, a) he is in Victorian London, which b) for strange reasons turned out to be underground, but c) life in the city continues and d) a dark ocean stretches around him. This information is enough to start the game.
Make the gamer interested in the details of the game world. To do this, they need to influence the gameplay. For example, the player is likely to miss a long legend about werewolves and the moon curse. But if the hero is bitten by a werewolf and the curse reduces the characteristics of the character, the gamer will look for a way to get rid of the scourge and read the legend.
Avoid obvious and well-known cliches in the description of the world. Perhaps you would like to tell a story about the mountain kingdom of dwarves who, in pursuit of treasures, awakened an ancient dark force. But in this case, your imitation of Tolkien will be too obvious. If you really want to quote a professor or other classics, don’t do it head-on.
Describe the world on behalf of the characters living in it, taking into account their views and characters. This will add credibility to the world and its inhabitants.
Sunless SeaAllow the player to find out the details of interest from the NPC himself.
The NPC’s answer to the question “Tell me about the northern part of Darkburg” is perceived better than in-game help with the same information. This approach helps to better prescribe characters and ignites the curiosity of the player.
Break the description of the world into fragments and scatter them around the plot. Small details can be placed on the loading screens. The presentation of information through dialogues with NPCs helps to reveal the events and details of the plot from several sides.
If something doesn’t stick, use lampshading. This is a technique when the author specifically draws the gamer’s attention to a controversial element in the story. With the help of lampshading, you can explain to the player a discrepancy or a weak point in the plot. Resort to this technique only as a last resort.
If possible, try to replace the text with graphics. Tell the history of the world not only with words, but also with drawings, engravings, frescoes and other images. This is well realized in the opening credits to the series “Game of Thrones”. There is very little text in it, but the viewer learns a lot about the lands of Westeros from graphics and animation.
How not to talk about the game world
Describe the world as if you have memorized the questions and are answering them in class. For example:
Player: Tell me about this city.
NPC: Darkburg is the capital of the Twilight Kingdom. It attracts merchants from all over the world. But many are concerned that fewer visitors will come to us because of the upcoming war with Shadowville.
Make a stamp description similar to dozens of existing ones. For example:
NPC: Hundreds of years ago, the Dark Lord Alpha single-handedly seized the power of Beta and plunged the lands of Gamma into endless darkness. Finally, the wise magician Delta endowed his best student Epsilon with the power of Zeta. Epsilon made her way to the heart of the dangerous kingdom of Eta and defeated Alpha with her Zeta. Peace reigned over the lands of Theta. But now there are dark rumors about dark deeds inside the black heart of Eta. In the peaceful village of Iota, you don’t know anything about it, but soon you will have to hit the road to…
To describe the world of the game out of a false sense of duty.
In the development of games, a lot is done only because their authors decided that it was necessary. Because if everyone does that, then they should. For the same reason, independent developers begin any press release with the phrase “we are pleased to announce”. In short, if you don’t need a description of the world, don’t waste your time.
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