Dramatic Elements Activities The things that make games enjoyable.

Dramatic Elements These dramatic elements make a game enjoyable. Challenge - a demanding or stimulating situation Play - participate in games Premise - set forth beforehand, often as an explanation Character - fictional character: an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction Story - narrative: a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events

Why we Use Dramatic Elements Dramatic Elements should improve the game experience. Dramatic Elements should NOT detract from the game experience. Dramatic Elements should get the players emotionally involved in the game. Dramatic Elements should get the players invested in the outcome of the game. Dramatic elements create a sense of connection for the players and enrich the overall experience.

Activity 1: Plotting a Story of a Game Select a game with a story you have played all of the way through. Plot the story against the dramatic arc. Then answer the following questions. How is the exposition handled? Who is the protagonist? What is the main conflict and how and when is it introduced? What does the protagonist do to resolve the conflict? What causes the tension in the story to raise? What deciding factor brings the story to a climax? What happens in the resolution?

Activity 2: Gameplay and Game Story Now take the same game and plot the gameplay (entertainment value of computer game: , including aspects such as user interface and game design) against the dramatic elements. How is the exposition of gameplay handled? Are the controls and mechanics clearly explained? How is the goal stated and integrated with the main conflict of the story? How does gameplay cause the dramatic tension to raise? What deciding factor in gameplay brings the game to a climax? What happens in the resolution? Do the dramatic elements and gameplay elements help or hinder each other? How can they be integrated to make the game work from an emotional standpoint?

Activity 3: Alternate Endings Take the same game you used for the story assignment 1 and come up three changes to the story or gameplay that you believe would make the two better integrated. Example