On Tuesday's class (2.16.2010) we talked about The 5 Problem about Interactive Storytelling. This recalled me some of Japanese Adventure Game (Visual Novel) I played. Some of them seems to have found “The keys of Interactive Storytelling”.
Here is an example
The Company is “Key”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_(company)
The Game is “Air”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_(visual_novel)
Why the Japanese Adventure Game Domestic?
Because most of them are Gal game (Girl Game or Dating Sims) that usually end with pornographic scenes.
Actually, this kind of game is different from pornography, because they don’t just sexually satisfy the player but also psychologically. They let the player, most of them are Otaku[1], experience the feeling of “Be in love”.
But let the player fall in love with a game character is hard, so those game designer gradually developed the keys to player’s heart. This bunch of keys also included the 5 keys of Interactive Storytelling.
Later some developer used the keys their found as a new way of storytelling, changed their focus from romance to family, friendship, science fiction, fantasy fiction, mystery novel or even horror fiction. For example, “Phoenix Wright” is also a Japanese AVG (Visual Novel).
What’s special about “Air”
Games weren’t considered art, because they can’t make player cry
—Don Marinelli
1. “Air” is considered “tear bomb”. Players cry a lot, regardless age and gender.
2. Air have 9 story lines and 212 choices
3. Air has Unity.
4. Air has one Ending
5. The Ending is a tragedy
6. The tragedy is acceptable (In fact, it’s also kind of a happy ending…)
How “Key” Do This
Air is divided into three chapter—Dream, Summer, and Air—which serve as different phases in the overall story.
But the player doesn’t know that at first.
Entering the Game
When Player first entered the Dream Chapter, it just looks like another Japanese AVG.
Basically, in the first chapter “Dream”, play can choose from three heroines. Each heroines have a good ending and bad ending, depend on a number of choices they made.
Player thinks they have a hundreds of free choice and three story lines to pick. But they didn’t know notice a giant invisible hand has already put them into a linear story line.
Player will meet the main heroine Misuzu on the first day, Monday July 17, 2000. On the next day player will also meet the second and third heroine, Kano and Minagi. But due to the first impression, the player will probably stick to Misuzu.
The story automatically goes in to a bad ending if the player chose Misuzu line first.
As time goes by, the friendship between Misuzu and player gradually increased, in the mean time Misuzu continuously dreamed about sky. Every time after that dream, she gets a little weak. In the end, player has to leave Misuzu so that the relationship between them can stop increasing. Hopefully, Misuzu will stop that dream and get better.
The game goes back to title
Now the player finished the first storyline with a little sad, unsatisfied and curious. Player knows that is a bad ending, that is not how the game ends, and will restart the game.
There is not too many repeating problem going on here, because player meet the second and third heroine on the second day. They just repeat the first day, almost only 1% of the game.
In the next two rounds, player will avoid getting close to Misuzu, and start to know about the other two heroines. The game will give player a little clue about Misuzu’s weird dream and an ancient legend behind it.
Reenter the Misuzu line
With a hope that these clues might help Misuzu, player goes back on July 17, 2000 and starts the Misuzu line again. This time player can choose to keep staying with the sick Misuzu and take care of her. Player tried each and every method to cure Misuzu but Misuzu’s illness get even worse. In despair, player used the magic power passed by his ancestor with his last hope to save Misuzu…
The game goes back to title…but the title is different.
Enter the Second Chapter
Player knows that they did something right because the game responded to them with a new title screen.
The second chapter Summer, reveals events that occurred in the summer of one thousand years before the Dream, taking place in the Heian period (794-1185). There is no choice in this line. After player went through the Kannabi Line, they found out the origin of all these weird things is an ancient curse.
Last Chapter
In the last chapter, player broke the curse right before Misuzu’s death…
The story leaved an open ending of metempsychosis.
The True Structure of “Air”
As you can see, player has to restart the game 5 times to complete the game. But every “restart” is a different story. The studio “Key” actually thought about the “Restart” and delicately planed player’s experience.
If we string all 5 story lines, we got a linear story.
Player found the problem - Looking for clue - trying to solve the problem - found the origin - solve the problem
3 Keys of Interactive Storytelling
1. Problem 1: Unity
Key 1: Every story line serves as different phases in the overall story
2. Problem 2: Combinatorial Explosion
Key 2: Every story line only two ending, bad ending and good ending, depends on the choices they made.
3. Problem 3: Multiple Endings Disappoint
Key 1: Every story line serves as different phases in the overall story
4. Problem 4: Not enough verbs
Japanese AVG (Visual Novel) don’t have this problem…
5. Problem 5: Time Travel Makes Tragedy Obsolete
Key 3: A profound tragedy with a hopeful open ending
Questions?
1. Q: Every story line only has 2 ending? Do the choices really matter?
A: I guess, in Key’s game like “Air”, there are 3 kinds of choices.
1. Choices doesn’t affect the ending
2. Choices to test the player how much they care about the character.
(The game will add up the result to decide which story line the player goes.)
3. Crucial Choices
(If player doesn’t make the right choice, the story goes into the bad ending.)
[1]Otaku: a person who may be socially awkward but who is also intelligent and may be fairly "normal" aside from their interest in certain typically 'geekish' pursuits (video games, comic books, computers, etc.)
