Reviewing my Dissertation Proposal

Now that I've got my mark back for my dissertation proposal, I need to read the feedback, and clear up any uncertainties that the teachers may have about my dissertation.

Timeline:

At the moment, the timeline is set out in a very basic manner. As I decide on the theme and story setting, I should be able to make the timeline more focused.

The Form of the Style Guide:

I think that the style guide will be best suited to a digital form, as it will be much easier to show to employers that way. I would like to have at least one physical copy though, time and printing budget allowing! I want to use the dissertation to practise my Photoshop and digital painting skills, but I would still like to create some pencil drawings. If I still create a digital style guide, then I can scan the pencil drawings, but keep the physical copies to put in my portfolio.

Size and Scale:

I haven't narrowed down the specifics of the section of gameplay/story that I will be focusing on yet. The last few weeks I have been focusing my blog posts on researching story techniques, such as the Hero's Journey. This is to help me decide what section of a story would be best to focus on. In the next few weeks I expect to decide on a basic story idea, and then start to focus on one section of it.

The Hero's Journey: 12 of 12 - The Return with the Reward

Now the story is over, and the hero returns to his ordinary world to resume life as normal. The player gets to see the hero enjoy the benefits of the reward, and the story is over. This is the last stage in the circular story form. The story returns completely to its starting point so that comparisons can be drawn between the hero before and after.

However, a neatly tied-up story is not always desirable. Sometimes it is nice to leave a few questions open. One of the most popular forms of ending for a story is the “new beginning.” In this type of ending, the story continues in the imagination of the player long after the game is completed. The player is left asking, “What happens next?” and the way is left open for a continuation or sequel.

The Hero's Journey: 11 of 12 - The Resurrection

The resurrection is the point in the story at which all outstanding plot threads are resolved. Any problems or consequences from the retrieval of the reward are (for the most part) resolved here. Does the story resolve itself? Are there any questions left unanswered? Is this an oversight on the part of the designer, or are they deliberately left open for the sequel?

The resurrection is the final set of tests the hero faces before being able to enjoy the hard-earned reward fully. In conventional stories, the is comparable to the last-minute plot twist: Just when you think the story is over and the hero has won, the enemy resurfaces briefly for a final stand before dying.

Another purpose of the resurrection is so that the player can see clearly how the hero has evolved throughout the story. Has the hero changed? More importantly, does the hero have the answer to the question posed by the story?

The resurrection might also be in the form of an internal revelation for the character that the player might not have foreseen – a trick ending: “No Luke, I am your father.”

The Hero's Journey: 10 of 12 - The Road Back

With the reward won, the hero now has to prepare for the journey back to the ordinary world. The experience of the adventure will have changed the hero, and it might be difficult (if not impossible) to integrate successfully back into the ordinary world. Most games leave this part to a final cut scene.

The Hero's Journey: 9 of 12 - The Reward

After the ultimate shadow is defeated, the reward can be claimed. The reward can come in many forms – and not all of them are positive. Sometimes the reward can be a negative option, something the hero would rather avoid but cannot, or simply was not, expecting.

The reward is more often than not, a positive one, even if it might not seem that way to the player. For example, for a hero that has endured a long and painful cycle of continual death and rebirth, the ability to finally die and join his lover in the peace of eternal sleep is an ideal boon.

Many games end at this point. Some of these show the remaining story as a final cut scene. For other games, this is merely the beginning of the final phase.

The reward doesn't have to be the same one that the hero set out for at the beginning of the story. The important thing is to make sure that the reward reflects the effort expended in reaching it. Nothing falls flat more than an insignificant reward.

The Hero's Journey: 8 of 12 - The Ordeal

The ordeal is the ultimate test: the fight with the nemesis. This is the culminating battle of the story. Until now, the hero might have dealt with some serious tests, but this is the real thing. The stakes are high, and the final reward is at hand.

During the ordeal, you might try to cement the player's bond with the hero further. This is sometimes achieved by making it appear as if the hero is almost defeated, before fighting back from seemingly impossible odds to defeat the enemy.

In the ordeal, the hero faces the ultimate shadow. Defeat means failure, final and absolute. Victory means claiming the reward and ultimate success. However, sometimes achieving victory is possible in many ways and at many levels, not all of them immediately obvious. For example, in some cases it could mean deciding whether to fight the ultimate nemesis.

The Hero's Journey: 7 of 12 - The Approach to the Innermost Cave

After the succession of tests, the hero hero approaches the innermost cave. This is the core of the story, where the hero will find the reward he seeks. Mostly this is toward the end of the game, but sometimes it occurs almost exactly in the middle.

When the reward is at the end of the game, the journey back is ignored. The retrieval of the reward is the high point of the journey, and the return is assumed. This is useful when you don't want the player to have to double back on themselves.

When the reward is close to the middle of the game, the focus is on the journey back – retrieving the reward is only half of the story. The hero still needs to get himself and the reward back to the ordinary world. The journey back should be well integrated into the game, and should be significantly different to the outward journey.

The traditional use for this story element is to help prepare the hero for the ordeal ahead. This is done by a number of means, including doing reconnaissance, gathering information, checking or purchasing equipment, or mentally preparing and girding loins for the coming tasks.

The Hero's Journey: 6 of 12 - Tests, Allies, and Enemies

Crossing the threshold was the hero's first test. This next phase is often the longest phase of a game story and makes up the bulk of the game, and involves throwing many more similar tests at the hero.

In this phase, the hero ventures forth into the special world and meets many of the character archetypes on the journey. The vast majority of character archetypes in games tend towards allies, shadows, or tricksters. If a player is alone against an alien onslaught, then a hero is surrounded by shadows. Games that are slightly more complex will often provide allies, that serve to give the hero a brief respite between series of tests against progressively more powerful shadows. They exist to replenish the hero's spirit and resolve. In some cases, tricksters and shape-shifter archetypes will take the form of false allies, who turn out to be shadows after all.

More complex games will use many more character archetypes in this phase of the game, and use them repeatedly, and in varying combinations.

The main purpose of this phase is to test and prepare the hero for the grand ordeal that lies ahead. The hero needs to get accustomed to the unfamiliar new world. During the increasingly difficult tests, the hero will forge alliances and make enemies. Sometimes opportunities to make new allies or enemies will be limited, or predestined. Often, the majority of characters that the hero meets are already enemies, and there are few allies.

The Hero's Journey: 5 of 12 - Crossing the First Threshold

Once the hero accepts the call to adventure, they need to commit to the adventure, by crossing the threshold from the safety of the ordinary world into the dangerous and strange world of the quest ahead. This is not always an optional step. For example, if the hero awakes in a strange place with amnesia they will be forced into the adventure against their will.

The hero must mentally prepare themselves for the adventure ahead, before they cross the threshold. The hero will often have fears and concerns, but will begin the adventure despite them. This is a good time to bond the player with the hero by creating a sense of concern for them. The threshold guardian archetype often comes into play here. This could be manifested as the hero's own misgivings, the fear of the hero's companions, a warning from the enemy who the hero seeks to defeat, or any combination of these.

When the first threshold of adventure is crossed, there is no turning back. The next phase is entered, and the adventure into the special world truly begins.

The Hero's Journey: 4 of 12 - The Meeting with the Mentor

If the call to adventure is seen as the catalyst to the story, then the meeting with the mentor serves to give direction, and create an impulse and motive where previously there were none.

The mentor does not always have to be a single character. The cliché is that the mentor is a wise old man, but it doesn't have to always be the case! The mentor doesn't have to even be a character – it can take the form of a past experience, a library, television, or any other source of information. It is not important who or what fills the role of mentor, as long as the information the hero needs is provided.

The Hero's Journey: 3 of 12 - The Refusal of the Call

The refusal of the call is where the hero rejects the call to adventure. This can be on a small scale, such as a moment of personal doubt, or a brief rebellious outburst on the part of the hero. Generally in computer games there is no refusal of the call, especially when there is only one call. The refusal of the call is usually reserved for games that place more of an emphasis on story.

If multiple quests and subquests are offered, then the game has to allow for multiple refusals. As long as the main quest is taken care of, some of the smaller quests can be ignored without any serious penalty. If the hero is given two or more calls that conflict simultaneously, then it automatically creates dramatic tension. A well-known example is the choice between good or evil. The player's actions determine which call has been refused.

In some cases, the refusal of the call can be seen as a good thing, if the quest involves undertaking actions that would result in unpleasant consequences, such as killing innocent people.

The Hero's Journey: 2 of 12 - The Call to Adventure

The call to adventure is when the hero first becomes aware that they are going to need to leave the safety and stability of the ordinary world to enter the special world of the adventure ahead.

It is very hard to surprise the players, as they already know that they are going to be entering a special world. Therefore, it is often best to use this expectation to build up the player's anticipation and excitement. This suspense needs to be short-lived however, as player's want to play a game, not sit around and wait to play it.

The call to adventure comes in many forms. It is often the catalyst or trigger that sets the storyline in motion. In some stories, there are multiple calls to adventure, and the player must decide how to prioritise them, and which to ignore completely.

The call to adventure can often be personal to the hero themselves, and can involve family or friends being in peril. However in some cases, an external event is the call, such as a large scale grand event.

Temptation can also be used as a call. Generally, games use greed as the main source of temptation. Using sexual temptation tends to result in poor games that are often very distasteful. Greed is a much safer angle to take.

Sometimes the call comes in the form of a message from a herald. The herald does not necessarily have to be an ally of the hero, and can reappear as other character archetypes later, such as the mentor or the shadow.

Sometimes the call to adventure can be less explicit. This can be the result of an emotional void, or lack of knowledge on the part of the hero. The call to adventure is also not always optional for the hero – a player can choose whether to play or not, but the hero isn't necessarily given a choice.

The Hero's Journey: 1 of 12 - The Ordinary World

The beginning of the story. The hero's background is introduced, and the player becomes acquainted with the hero's normal existence.

This serves to provide a contrast with the not-so-mundane world that the hero will enter in the game. The introduction to the ordinary world often uses a prologue. This normally comes in two forms:

• Explains the events that have happened to the hero so far, setting up the context for what is about to happen.
• Provides a snippet of the special world, either by covering past events in the special world that are about to collide with the hero in the ordinary world or by foreshadowing an event to come.

The hero's backstory ideally shouldn't be shown all at once. It is best to reveal their background and motivations gracefully. It is more rewarding for the player if they have to work a bit to figure it out, as the player feels like they have achieved something in uncovering the story.

Foreshadowing is a powerful storytelling technique and therefore, unsurprisingly, is a common occurrence in stories. For example, in Half-Life, when the dimensional rift opens, Gordon gets a glimpse of strange alien landscapes and beings. This serves as a taste of things to come, and one which is unbeknownst to Gordon at the time.

Bosses in games often appear briefly throughout a level, before the big boss fight actually happens. Foreshadowing is so effective because it contrasts the special world against the ordinary world. This confuses the player, which makes the player more susceptible to mental suggestion, which in turn makes it easier for the player to suspend disbelief.

The “Ordinary World” section of the story is where the motivation and reasoning behind the hero being who they are can be introduced. This section is where the hero is introduced to the player. It is crucial that the player can identify with the hero, or the player has no reason to play the game. There are many ways to get the player to identify with the hero, but playing on the player's emotions is perhaps the most effective way to do it. In classical literature, the reader can often empathise with the hero through their flaws, or mental or physical wounds, even if they are not extreme enough to get them admitted to an asylum. A hero's inexperience in a new job is something fairly normal, but something that players can easily identify with.

Planning the Theme, Storyline and Setting: Storytelling and Narrative

My blog posts slowed a bit, as I was busy with my proposal, but now that's been handed in, so it's time to get stuck into some more research!

Computer games will generally have a story attached to them, of varying depth. Some games, such as Space Invaders, may only have a one-liner to explain the story: "Aliens are invading Earth, and only you can stop them." In these types of games, the story is largely unimportant, as the story has no effect on the gameplay itself; the player's imagination takes care of any narrative needs. On the other end of the spectrum, adventure games such as Grim Fandango and Discworld Noir have engaging storylines that are as complex and meticulous as any novel.

In Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design (2003), Rollings and Adams state that "The use of stories in games is a fundamental part of game design." and that the vast majority of games "are much improved by the addition of a story".

While my dissertation will require me to decide on a storyline for my game, to give it context, I will not go into great detail with it, as creating a full story will take far too long to be part of a dissertation, especially when the story itself is not the main focus of the dissertation. The aim is to pick a section of the story to create the style guide for. The best place to start, is by researching a story pattern called the Hero's Journey.

The Hero's Journey is a pattern that can arguably be observed in many narratives. This pattern was described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949). The steps in the Hero's Journey are as follows:

• The ordinary world.
• The call to adventure.
• The refusal of the call.
• The meeting with the mentor.
• Crossing the first threshold.
• Tests, allies, and enemies.
• The approach to the innermost cave.
• The ordeal.
• The reward.
• The road back.
• The resurrection.
• The return with the reward.

In some cases, some of the steps would add nothing to the game, so are glossed over. For example, sometimes the player actually wants to be a hero that is ready for anything, so the refusal of the call would not be appropriate. Games don't always have to conform to reality, as long as the game itself is consistent.

In my next blog posts I will explain the steps of the Hero's Journey in more detail.