Game Writing and Design Guide Notes #1 - Story Structure and Workflow

Control, show, explain; do not weaken the protagonist; use dialogue to convey information

Control, Show, Explain

A game’s story should be deeply integrated with its mechanics. The more you can convey narrative through gameplay itself, the better – do not just show it, let it be playable.

In other words, give narrative control to the player. For example, instead of a CG cutscene showing the player defeating an enemy, hand control to the player and let them do it. The experience is more immersive and impactful.

Narrative delivery can be divided into three types: control, show, and explain.

Using “the player needs to blow open a door” as an example:

• Control: let the player perform the action through gameplay
• Show: present the action directly with CG or staging
• Explain: have characters or text describe “blowing the door open”

From a production cost perspective, these usually increase step by step; but for player immersion, they decrease step by step. In practice, combine them based on the situation instead of relying on only one.

Do Not Weaken the Protagonist

When players enter a game, they usually know nothing about the world, rules, or background, but the protagonist may not be the same. Many games end up dumping a lot of background info on the player, leading to a common pattern: the protagonist becomes “the most clueless person,” while everyone else keeps telling them what to do next.

(This is why “amnesia” shows up so often in games.)

This approach weakens the character and makes players feel passive and powerless. Nobody likes being ordered around all the time. If the narrative constantly has other characters commanding the player to “go there,” “find this person,” or “bring that item,” the experience quickly turns into mechanical fetch quests that are hard to get invested in.

A better approach is to let the character the player controls act proactively, not just passively accept tasks.

In other words, replace “passively asking for info” with “actively stating a need.” For example, instead of having an administrator come find the protagonist, set it up so the protagonist seeks the administrator because time is running out. That makes the motivation more natural and helps players feel agency.

Of course, this is not a one-size-fits-all rule and should be adjusted based on genre and worldbuilding.

Use Dialogue to Convey Information

Dialogue can move the plot forward, deliver information, shape characters, or even plant foreshadowing – it has almost unlimited possibilities.

But always remember one thing:

Most players, at every moment they are reading dialogue,

are waiting –

for the “Skip” button to appear.

So the text needs to be informative and readable. A quick 3-second scan example:

I need to go to the store. My batteries are dead, and I need to check my balance at the ATM.

I should go to the ATM first. I think I am being monitored and need to buy some batteries. Better use the ATM at the store and make sure the balance is enough, so I do not get embarrassed at checkout.

Avoid stacking necessary information too directly in dialogue, and stay sensitive to context.

Keep dialogue tight, avoid long cutscenes. If you can show it, do not lecture. If you can let players act, do not just demonstrate.