Unlocking Game Story Potential with Narrative Legos

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At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2014, Ken Levine, previously of BioShock fame and currently working on Judas, shared his approach to game design, which he likened to “narrative building blocks.” Levine has consistently stood by this idea, stating that Judas will be built with this concept in mind. Although neither Judas nor BioShock 4 (which may still carry some of Levine’s influence, even though he’s not involved) have been released yet, other developers are encouraged to explore their own versions of narrative building blocks.

Simplifying it further, the Lego narrative philosophy revolves around emphasizing connections between characters and their actions. In a hypothetical RPG scenario mentioned by Levine at GDC, consider an orc blacksmith who has conflicting feelings towards elves and other orcs, and follows specific deities. The player’s interactions with these elements would influence the orc’s behavior towards them. For example, helping elves might make the orc dislike the player, causing him to offer fewer goods in his store, whereas acting against elves would lead to a positive outcome. This philosophy is similar to those found in interactive simulation games, but it places greater emphasis on storytelling.

It’s not surprising that Levine, who contributed to the acclaimed System Shock collection, which significantly shaped the immersive sim genre, holds a special affection for intricate and interwoven gameplay mechanics.

Why and How Other Game Developers Should Use Ken Levine’s Narrative Legos Concept

The Narrative Legos Philosophy Lends Itself to Ever-Increasing Complexity

In Levine’s GDC talk, “Lego” serves as an apt metaphor for what he described. This method allows players to construct increasingly large and intricate structures using seemingly unrelated game components, similar to how one can fashion diverse creations with a collection of Lego blocks. The potential combinations are virtually limitless, with factors compounding upon each other, leading to exponential complexity growth. Notably, it’s the player who is responsible for this escalating complexity, and the gradual, step-by-step nature of these systems ensures that things never become overly complicated.

In Levine’s orc example from GDC, envision a situation where the player forms a connection with the orc character, maybe by defeating a rival elf. The orc might then propose unique, exclusive missions to the player, and these missions could have their own interwoven storylines. For instance, a pivotal choice in one mission could significantly impact the relationship between the orc and the player, either weakening it further or strengthening it. As this branching path unfolds, it leads to more choices, creating a complex web of possibilities until the developer determines an ending point. This structure can be applied to multiple non-player characters (NPCs), offering varied narratives for exploration.

The Narrative Legos Approach Can Be as Simple or Complex as Developers Want

As a gamer, I find the idea of a “Lego-style narrative” intriguing because it doesn’t necessarily demand AAA resources or state-of-the-art technology. If a game world is well-developed, these concepts can be applied – from a high-budget shooter like “Judas,” offering narrative Legos, to a simple indie text-based game. The complexity of the story depends on the number of variables or “Lego pieces” the developer decides to include, and surprisingly, even a few can create a multi-layered tale.

In other words, although it’s uncertain when we might see Judas or BioShock 4, let’s encourage other game developers to adopt the storytelling style similar to Lego games. The gaming industry tends to overlook what truly sets it apart by focusing on linear, big-budget narratives like The Last of Us, and while these are acceptable, games that creatively integrate interactivity into their stories should receive more recognition.

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2025-03-12 17:07