The Narrative of Games
Back in September, I realized I needed a new way to unwind at the end of the day instead of scrolling social media or my Netflix queue which has a lot of stuff but not necessarily anything I’m in the mood for!
I started to play video games again.
One, would be the VR based Beat Sabers which I wouldn’t argue for having much of a narrative except the one I create when I decide the order of songs and challenges I’ll give myself, and another would be Dorfromantik which I play on the switch. Dorf reminds me of playing Tetris without the stress of the fast later levels. I find myself moving in and out of focused and diffuse thinking as I “build” with my tiles.
But more often, I love games that have a certain amount of tasks like Animal Crossing (which I still pick up from time to time) and the more recent Ooblets mixed in with a story (I liked Ooblets so much, I ordered a physical copy). Wytchwood also fits into this category. But if you want a really great game that is really just ALL story? Check out Beacon Pines.
While I’m linking to Switch versions, because playing handheld is my preferred method, most of these are available on Steam or on other devices. I played quite a few games along the way that I either didn’t finish or finished but would not recommend as I prefer to share what I love versus what is meh.
The ones that turn me off the most? Where the design is limited. Like a game I played where you had “branching” story lines but they ultimately ended up in the same place and you could only play both of the branches by starting a new game (thus losing your old progress). Or the one where the text was so small on handheld I had to use their build in magnifying glass to play. Really took me out of the gameplay.
While the games are relaxing, they also remind me to really think about what I am designing. Is it accessible? Does the narrative work? Is there more than one way to finish? Etc.
What aspects of narrative and / or gameplay do you consider in your instructional or learning design?
