Environmental Storytelling

Storytelling that occurs through movement and exploration of an environment.

For more on Environmental Storytelling, see articles on Gamasutra<ref name="gamasutra"/>, presentations at Game Developers' Conference<ref name="robertson"/><ref name="smith"/>, and Game Design as Narrative Architecture by Jenkins<ref name="jenkins"/>.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

The Bioshock series, as well as Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas all provide places where things and effects on the environment give hints of what has happened earlier. In many cases there are related things and effects in other places of the game world, and players that find these can piece together possible narratives.

Using the pattern

Diegetically Outstanding Features Big Dumb Objects Environmental Effects Props Landmarks

Consequences

Environmental Storytelling is a way for games to have Narration Structures integrated into Levels and Game Worlds. Players have the Freedom of Choice to engage in these Narration Structures or not, but may have to do Puzzle Solving in order to figure out, or at least guess, what actually transpired.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Freedom of Choice, Narration Structures, Puzzle Solving

Can Modulate

Game Worlds, Levels

Can Be Instantiated By

Big Dumb Objects, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Environmental Effects, Props

Can Be Modulated By

Landmarks

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

<references> <ref name="gamasutra">Gamasutra article about environmental storytelling..</ref> <ref name="jenkins">Jenkins, H. article Game Design as Narrative Architecture.</ref> <ref name="smith">Smith, H. & Worch, M. “What Happened Here?” – Environmental Storytelling. Presentation at GDC 2010.</ref> <ref name="robertson">Robertson, M. Stop Wasting My Time and Your Money: Why Your Game Doesn’t Need a Story to be a Hit Presentation at GDC 2009.</ref> </references>

Acknowledgements

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