The World as a Character

In video games the narrative of a game world is as fundamental as the game play is. If the player does not believe the world as a character, they cannot become as immersed as they should. Everything should have its place in the World and if something doesn't seem to fit and there is no clear understanding of why it's there, the World starts to become incoherent and a player will disbelieve the game. All loses depth and meaning.

“How is the world a Character?”

“Every story world needs to interact with the story.”

The Narrative world does not solely involve the physical landscape but all that make up the world, the existence of the game. It is another element for the character to interact with. It can guide or hinder the player as well as give them reason and purpose. To be without an established narrative world would result in an insubstantial character; with no history of a home to distinguish them from another and no past to build their morals and sense of purpose. The world moulds every character into what and who they are, like a teacher moulds a student and vice-versa.

For example, if the world of a young boy is war torn and damaged, so quite possibly is that child. Growing up in fear of his life and the lives of those he cares about, he could develop resentment towards those that live differently or those of who have caused the state of the world. Alternatively, he could grow up to be someone with deep compassion for others, valuing every life as he understands, through his own hardships, how precious life is.


“What role does this character play?”

Vladimir Propp, a Russian scholar, analyzed 100 folk tales and compiled a list of keystone character roles which would appear over again from one tale to a next, no matter how different the characters may be.

The 8 roles are:
The Villain – The one who struggles against the Hero.
The Donor – The one who prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The Helper (magical) – Helps the Hero on the quest
The Princess – The Heros reward for their efforts
Her Father – The one who rewards the Hero
The Dispatcher – The one who sends the hero off on their adventure
The Hero – The one who reacts to the dispatcher and villain.
The False Hero - Disrupts the Hero on their adventure by making false claims.

If we were to assign the Narrative world one of the 7 possible roles, it could be the role of the Donor as is the case in most Role Playing Games where the character discovers objects amongst the environment or it could be the role of the Villain as is the case in the game Catherine by Atlus – in which the player must beat the environment.


“What makes the world coherent”

Consistency and Signifiers help establish a coherent world. An easy way to quickly lose coherency in a game world is by being inconsistent. If the world is set in the past like Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series is, having items which are so obviously modern such as a car or a machine gun, when every other element is conforming to the style of that period, disillusions the game. In contrast to the city structures, armours and devices of Ancient China, the sight of someone pulling up in a Ferrari firing an AK-47 would be extremely out of place as would the sight of an Ancient Chinese Warlord appearing in the middle of a battlefield on Halo.

“Everything should have its place and reinforce each other”

However, it would not be so obscure to witness if it were balanced out. For example, the clothing style of Dynasty Warriors is somewhat modern and not an exact replica of the Ancient times’ style.


“This is when signifiers play a vital role.” - [Bring up Image]


Women of the Three kingdoms period (the time frame in which the series is set) would not expose so much of their flesh, especially those of the higher class. They would instead wear long, ornate robes that fell to their feet and would completely cover their arms. However, we can see that in order to modernize the game and make playing the female characters more appealing to the male market, the female fashion is redesigned to be revealing. Despite this, we still accept the outfits as coherent assets due to the signifiers in the form of the use of colours, embroidery and accessories.

[Analyse Image]

By keeping the same style of cut in the outfits and including the previously mentioned elements of the Chinese style, the time period is automatically signified regardless of its lack of accuracy.
It’s not only through the sights the player sees but also the sounds they here. Dynasty Warriors is a very active hack and slash style of game and a lot of the music is either oriental or techno and as energetic as is what is required of the player.

During cut-scenes which take place in a battle camp, we hear a few sounds of usually men talking in the background, a fire burning, horses whinnying and so forth, setting the scene of the calm before the fight. Again, this is consistent for the time period in which the game is set. The oriental music places us in Asia while the more natural sounds signifies the time period or, at the very least, an understanding that the world is not one of modern technology. Were the game set in modern times, we may hear the background sounds of men talking and possibly fires burning but the horses would, in most cases, be inconsistent and would be replaced with the sounds of engines and machinery.

[second slide]

In my own project, ZORK: The Remnants, the world is a vital character and for some players, may be the only other character they’ll interact with depending on choices they make through the game. If the world of ZORK is not completely coherent, the game would make little to no sense and would be indistinguishable and lack any depth.

The player determined character wakes up and is completely alone. There’s no one to tell the character what has happened, what time it is or what they should be doing. This is where the world takes on several of Propps Roles.

“The Dispatcher”

Through signifiers, the narrative world informs the character that the Earth is abandoned but he is possibly not alone.
After an introduction sequence showing the player why the character is where they are and the game play starts, the player sees 10 pods in the room from the sequence, including the one they themselves have been asleep in. While many of the pods are still sealed and the player is not able to work out how to open them, some have already been opened and are now empty. Although it is somewhat subtle, this is the Narrative Worlds first message to the player that there are other characters to meet. However, as the player explores the building trying to find a way out, there are a number of corpses and signs of damage to the building. This informs the character that there has been some kind of disaster. These elements prompt the player to look for other life as well as discover what has happened. Proceeding through the game, the player discovers the state of their city; damaged and over grown with foliage. Out in the city, there are no sounds of daily life such as cars or even chatter. All that the player can hear are the sounds of nature. Instantly, the player becomes aware that the city has been through some sort of apocalyptic ordeal and has been left abandoned. They are left with the choice of finding other survivors and uncovering the truth about what has happened or to simply accept what is and attempt the challenge of surviving in the world.

“The Villain”

The world is constantly providing challenges against the character and hindering their chances of survival. As time has passed, animals have adapted to the new environment and now roam free amongst the city. As it has been a long time since humans have been around and some animals are naturally aggressive, not all animals will take well to the sight of a human wondering the streets. While some will be docile, others may try to attack and make a meal out of the player.
The landscape and environment is also a hindrance to the player. Unstable terrain obstructs the player from reaching places as well as throwing them off of course. The night-time makes the environment even more so of a challenge. As much as it would benefit the player, it would be inconsistent of the narrative world for there to be working streetlights when there is no one around to maintain the power supply. If the player wants light and warmth at night then they must seek out shelter and battery or fire powered sources, else risk the chance of falling into a pit.

“The Donor and the Helper”

The narrative world is not completely against the player though. It does provide resources for the character as well as gives the character shelter and comfort. Amongst the rubble, the player can find tools and resources like knives, clothes, and food. Natural rivers and wild animals take care of the players’ basic needs and through deeper exploration; the player may discover more substantial aid such as a tool for communicating with the people that escaped the Planet.

Without the world taking up these roles, the character would be aimless. There would be no reason for their action as they would now know where to begin if they are not aware of what their aim is.