Seria Ludo - Ep. 05: Mechanics of Narrative

Ep. 05: Mechanics of Narrative

07/23/20 • 74 min

In this episode, Joel and Tim discuss some of the mechanics of how games tell narrative. We dip into the importance of immersive detail in games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Witcher 3, and Firewatch, the pulled-back scale of strategy games like Frostpunk and Xcom, and touch on some of the emergent storytelling that happens in games like One Hour One Life and Xcom. We also touch on ways indie games can match the expansiveness of detail often found in AAA titles.

Previous Episode

Ep. 04: Intro to Narrative

Tim and Joel discuss the games they've been playing recently, and start digging into the topics of narrative in games, and some of the games that have done it best.

Next Episode

Ep. 06: Mechanics of Narrative Pt. 2

In this episode, Joel and Tim continue to discuss the mechanics of storytelling in games. We look at some of the specifics of why mechanics are important with an in-depth look at FTL vs. Some Distant Memory and Long Journey Home (25:15). We look at the way the deep and engaging gameplay of Return of the Obra Dinn makes the story that much more engaging (40:00). We discuss how Far Cry 5 has good gameplay undermined by an actively bad story and setting (46:00). And we begin discussing the "anthology" style of storytelling and the narrative branching mechanic in the Witcher 2 and 3 (54:00). We close with a plug of Riot Ribs and Trump's federal assault on Portland. Update: the organizers behind Riot Ribs have requested that donations instead be forwarded to Don't Shoot PDX -- if you're local go here, otherwise check out this list of where they recommend sending donations.