This week in class, we went over the dramatic elements in games. There are many aspects that contribute to it such as the characters, story, progression, music, environment and mechanics. They all make games have a tension or challenge to it and adds more depth to the story. To me, characters felt the most important in that list because they make up the most of any narrative story. It’s important to give them personalities, make them relatable, and show development as the story progresses. Without characters, games won’t be able to tell the whole story in an entertaining or interactive way.

Going off that, we were assigned to bring in cards and create a story using them. My group had Pokémon cards, and by looking at the character traits and color we quickly created a story from it. After, we discussed that it’s easy to create a story in your mind, and just slot the given characters into the narrative structure. We all share the same value of a hero saving the day, so we add the friendly/popular looking one as the protagonist, and the ugly/scary one as antagonist. To flesh it out, we add more dramatic elements like history, personality traits and relationships between the characters.

Another interesting example we had was our next playthrough with the game Virginia (2016). From what we played, it’s a linear story about an agent working with her partner on a case. Unlike other narrative games, the visuals and graphics were cartoony and blocky, there’s no dialogue, slow gameplay, and we’re limited to just what the story provides, no exploring or finding secrets. All these contribute to making the game feel mysterious and unsettling, but also unique and beautiful. As players, all we can focus on are the characters and the environments, without the worry of obstacles or mechanics. We noticed that a majority of the other characters are white males, so it gives a feeling of loneliness and singularity. This overall is another reason why characters are important to the dramatic element. There’s no dialogue or objectives in this game, so we had to look to other characters for help through their actions, facial expressions, and personalities. We also follow the main character we play as if we’re living her life too. We see her morning routine, flashbacks of her getting the job as an agent and share her concerns about other characters. We can even look back at previous games like Half Life or Firewatch. It’s the characters that explains what’s happening in the game, helps players identify/recognize, and what’s their personal situation in the story.