Hello! Welcome to the final lesson in our first module, Foundations of Storytelling.
In our last lesson, we investigated how conflict acts as the engine of plot, driving the story forward through a cycle of goals and obstacles. We saw that this progression creates a path for the characters and the audience to follow.
Today, we're going to zoom out and look at the different shapes that path can take. This lesson addresses the learning outcome: Compare the effects of linear and non-linear narrative structures on the audience/player experience. We'll explore the difference between telling a story in chronological order versus jumping around in time, and most importantly, we'll examine how interactivity in video games creates entirely new possibilities for narrative structure. This is a vital topic for your goal of writing for both film and games, as it touches on one of the fundamental differences between the two media.
What is Narrative Structure?
At its simplest, narrative structure is the order in which you present the events of your story to the audience or player. The three main families of structure are linear, non-linear, and interactive.
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Linear Structure: This is the most common and intuitive structure. The story is told chronologically, from beginning to end, like a straight line (A → B → C). This structure excels at building clear cause-and-effect relationships and straightforward momentum. The vast majority of mainstream films follow a linear structure.
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Non-Linear Structure: This structure presents events out of chronological order. The story might start at the end, jump back to the beginning, and then fill in the middle. It's like taking the events of a linear story and shuffling them like a deck of cards.
To get a firm grasp on the what, why, and how of non-linear storytelling, the following video offers a great introduction.
How to Write Nonlinear Stories (Writing Advice)
The video 'How to Write Nonlinear Stories' by Brandon McNulty clearly defines non-linear narrative and explains the creative advantages and potential pitfalls of using it.
Please watch from the beginning (00:30) to 02:03. Focus on the definitions of linear vs. non-linear, the reasons a writer might choose a non-linear structure (the advantages), and the risks involved (the disadvantages).
As the video explains, non-linear structures aren't just a gimmick. They serve specific purposes and have distinct effects on the audience:
- Creating Mystery and Suspense: By showing an effect before its cause (like a character in peril at the start of John Wick), you make the audience ask "How did we get here?"
- Revealing Character: A character's jumbled memories or flashbacks can give us direct insight into their psychology and past trauma.
- Generating Thematic Meaning: Juxtaposing two moments in time can create powerful connections. Think of Pulp Fiction, where events are reordered to explore themes of chance and redemption.
The main challenge is clarity. A poorly executed non-linear story can confuse the audience and kill the narrative's emotional momentum.
The Interactivity Factor: Film vs. Games
In film, whether the structure is linear or non-linear, the path is fixed. The audience is a passenger. The storyteller has complete control over the sequence of events.
In video games, this changes. The introduction of interactivity means the player is no longer just a passenger; they can be the driver. This distinction is the single most important difference when comparing narrative structures across these two media.
How does this potential for player agency affect storytelling? An excellent article from UX Planet discusses how game designers have had to rethink traditional narrative models imported from film.
Storytelling in Games as compared to Film
The article 'Storytelling in Games as compared to Film' explores how the interactive nature of games forces a different approach to narrative structure compared to the static three-act structure of cinema.
Please read the subsection titled 'Narrative Structures' within Chapter 3. Pay close attention to why the three-act structure is often a poor fit for games and how alternative models, like the episodic structure of TV dramas or the agency-focused design of open-world games, are often more effective.
The key takeaway is that in games, narrative structure often needs to be more flexible. As the article states, "Game stories are NOT structure." Instead of forcing a rigid plot, many successful game narratives focus on:
- Player Agency: Giving the player a sense of control and impact on the world.
- Character: Creating compelling characters that the player wants to spend time with.
- Episodic Arcs: Structuring the story in smaller, self-contained chapters that fit shorter play sessions but build into a larger whole, much like a season of television.
A Spectrum of Interactive Structures
"Non-linear" or "interactive" in gaming isn't a single concept. It's a spectrum, with different approaches offering varying levels of player freedom and creating different player experiences. Let's look at a few common models.
Playing the Plot: How Choice-Based Games Bridge Movies ...
To understand the practical differences between these models, we'll consult the article 'Playing the Plot: How Choice-Based Games Bridge Movies ...'. It breaks down the narrative styles of several major developers in the choice-based genre, giving us a great vocabulary for different interactive structures.
Read the sections on Supermassive Games, Telltale Games, and Quantic Dream. For each one, analyze how player choices actually affect the narrative. Then, read the 'What works and what doesn't work' section for Don't Nod ('Life is Strange') to see how the connection between player choice and the final outcome affects the player experience.
Based on this, we can identify several distinct models:
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Linear with Major Branches (or "String of Pearls"): The story has a fixed beginning and end, but the middle consists of several key plot points that can be tackled in a flexible order.
- Example: Supermassive's Until Dawn. The overall plot is fixed (survive the night), but your choices determine who lives and dies, creating different paths to a similar conclusion.
- Effect on Player: Provides a strong sense of immediate consequence and tension. Replayability comes from trying to save everyone.
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Episodic with Cosmetic Choices: The main plot points are largely fixed and linear, but player choices alter character relationships and add personal flavor to the story.
- Example: Telltale's The Walking Dead. You can't change the major events, but you decide what kind of person your character is within those events.
- Effect on Player: Creates strong emotional investment and a feeling of role-playing, even if the player doesn't have true control over the plot. The "illusion of choice" can be powerful, but can also lead to disappointment if players realize their choices don't "matter" for the main outcome.
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True Branching Narrative: Player choices create significant divergences in the plot, leading to different scenes, character arcs, and fundamentally different endings.
- Example: Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human. Characters can die permanently early on, and the story continues without them, leading to a complex web of possibilities.
- Effect on Player: Maximizes the feeling of agency and authorship. The story truly feels like their story. The downside is immense production complexity and the risk of some branches feeling less satisfying than others.
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Place-Focused Narrative: This structure de-emphasizes a rigid, forward-moving plot and instead focuses on making the world itself the main point of interaction. The narrative is structured to encourage exploration.
To better understand this last, very game-centric idea, let's watch one more video.
The video 'Narrative Structure for Games' by Craig Perko argues that game narratives should be designed to support the core interactive experience of being in and exploring a world.
Watch from 04:56 to 08:42 to see the contrast between a 'villain-focused' narrative (common in passive media) and a 'place-focused' narrative. Then, watch 13:09 to 15:02 for a breakdown of 'open' versus 'closed' narrative beats, which is a powerful way to think about quest design.
This concept of "open" versus "closed" narrative beats is a fantastic tool for a game designer. A closed beat ("Go here, kill this") simply moves the plot along a linear track. An open beat ("The forest is rumored to hold a secret...") invites the player to explore and interact with the world, making the narrative a driver of gameplay, not just a series of cutscenes.
Test your understanding!
Imagine a story concept: "A journalist uncovers a corporate conspiracy in a cyberpunk city."
Briefly describe how you might structure this story for three different media, and what the primary effect would be on the audience/player.
- As a linear film:
- As a non-linear, non-interactive film (like Memento):
- As a branching, interactive game (like Detroit: Become Human):
Show answer
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Linear Film: The story would unfold chronologically. We'd follow the journalist from the initial tip, to gathering clues, facing threats, and finally exposing the truth in a climactic confrontation.
- Effect: Creates a classic thriller experience with clear, escalating tension and a controlled emotional arc for the audience.
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Non-Linear Film: The film might open with the journalist's apparent death or failure, then jump back and forth in time to piece together how they discovered the conspiracy and who betrayed them. The story's events are fixed, but the audience receives them out of order.
- Effect: The focus shifts from "What will happen next?" to "What already happened to cause this?" It creates an experience of mystery and paranoia, putting the audience in the detective's shoes.
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Branching Game: The player is the journalist. They choose which leads to follow, who to trust, and whether to use stealth, hacking, or persuasion. A key choice might lock them out of one lead while opening up another. Their success or failure could lead to multiple endings: the corporation is exposed, the journalist is silenced, or they are forced to join the very people they were investigating.
- Effect: The focus is on player agency and consequence. The player feels authorship and responsibility for the outcome. The experience is one of immersion and moral decision-making.
Conclusion
You've now explored the final foundational concept of this module: narrative structure. You can see how a simple chronological story differs from one that's been deliberately reordered, and how interactivity in games creates a whole new design landscape.
Key Takeaways:
- Linear Structure provides clarity and controlled pacing, guiding the audience along a single path.
- Non-Linear Structure (in Film) reorders a fixed story to create specific effects for a passive audience, like mystery, thematic resonance, or psychological insight.
- Interactive Structure (in Games) allows the player to influence the path of the story. This can range from cosmetic choices in a mostly linear story to truly branching narratives where the player has significant authorship over the plot.
- The effect of a structure on its audience is paramount. A linear film creates tension, a non-linear film creates mystery, and an interactive game creates a sense of agency and personal responsibility.
Preview of the Next Module:
This lesson concludes our "Foundations of Storytelling" module. You've learned how to actively analyze stories, identify their themes and conflicts, and understand the structures that hold them together.
In our next module, "Crafting the Narrative Arc," we will take a much closer look at the most famous structure of all: the Three-Act Structure. You'll learn how to analyze its components in detail and begin applying these principles to your own story ideas.