Many games simply use a block of texts or a cut scene to set up the start of the narrative or a character’s backstory. These can work well but in some ways defeat the entire purpose of using a game to tell a narrative. By including simple and possibly entirely meaningless choices in these cut scenes or text immediately gives the player a sense of agency and connection to the character. This noticeably enhances the player experience and the depth and impact of the story
Example 1: Firewatch[]
In the first minutes of Firewatch, the backstory of your character (Henry) and his wife (Julia) are told to you in a series of sort pieces of text. Each one is left with a small choice that has little to no effect on the later game but it encourages you to have ownership over Henry and Julia’s relationship. You decide how to approach Julia and how to deal with major relationship decisions like her job offer and having kids. It’s not just exposition dumped on to you but rather your story and it really cements that relationship for the player for the entirety of the game.
Example 2: The Mass Effect Series[]
The Mass Effect Series allows the player to create the backstory of their playable character by selecting from two sets of three options at the beginning of the series. Along with the personalized avatar, this customization helps the player to feel connected to their character. They’ve helped to shape Shepard’s life story from before the games’ beginning. This is nice, as it smooths the transition from the when the player initially starts gameplay to when they feel comfortable in the virtual world, where the player does actively shape who their Shepard is. It gives the sensation that they’ve been involved in Shepard’s creation from the start.
Dragon Age
In Dragon Age the world will react differently depending on who you choose to play. Each race and class will create a different backstory for you character. For example, if you picked an elf to start with, people will generally treat you with disrespect due to their history. This really helps immerse gamer into this world they are playing in because the world is reacting to your choices. IL