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Differences?
Author
My friend and I are having an argument: Is plot creation different from storytelling? In case "plot creation" wasn''t clear (I''m not sure if it is or not; I can''t quite come up with a correct term as of yet, and "plot creation" was what he used) I''m talking about coming up with a basic plot or synopsis of a story. My side of the argument is that they are quite different, whilst being in somewhat of an interdependent relationship. I good idea for a story will not make up for bad storytelling, and vice versa. If you have both, great for you. If not... Well, I''m not sure about that, hopefully your game''s gameplay will help dampen the effect. His side is basically the opposite; that having either of them will amount to a coherent, well-told, well-developed story. Although the answer may depend on the circumstances at hand, is there an answer which is usually right?
Story telling is the act of telling the story, it concerns word use and feel and others aspects as well. For example, I could take the plot outline for a Terry Goodkind story and write it myself, but the story won''t be the same as if Goodkind told it. Plot creation is just planning really, story telling is taking that plan and bringing it to life.
Well, story-telling and are definitely two seperate concepts, and you're right that both are necessary for a good story-driven game.
The critical point, though, is the closely bound relationship between plot and story itself. "Story" to me refers to the actual packaging of the plot... the details, the tone, and of course the plot itself, among other things.
In literature, the story of course comprises dialogue, the writer's technique, and provoking mental imagery through the words. In verbal story-telling, the story (aka the "package") includes the way the story-teller speaks, and even body language. With verbal story-telling, a story often varies each time it is presented, because even if the words are the same, the way the words are expressed can change. With a game, the story includes much more -- the art in the game tells a part of the story, and so does the ambient sound, and the dialogue, and the music.
"Plot" is merely the flow of the story. A perfectly acceptable plot could be:
A fly enters the room.
A man tries to swat the fly, but the fly is too fast.
Finally the man swats the fly.
The man is proud of himself, and he doesn't see the woman opening the door.
The man runs into the door, falls over and hits his head and dies.
The fly was only stunned, it flies back out the door again.
The irony is there, but it's not very interesting... it would never hold an audience. A good author would take this plot and tell a story with it, including lots of vivid imagery, detailed explanations of what's happening, and probably a sense of urgency. The author would also cleverly and subtlely point out the irony at the end.
But no matter how good the author is, its unlikely the plot above would ever work for a game. It's debatable whether there's even enough interesting content for a short story without really dragging the thing out, again despite the talent of the author.
Moral of this story: A great story requires a great plot, but a great plot alone isn't worth the paper (or hard drive space) it's written on.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
[edited by - irbrian on October 9, 2002 2:01:25 PM]
The critical point, though, is the closely bound relationship between plot and story itself. "Story" to me refers to the actual packaging of the plot... the details, the tone, and of course the plot itself, among other things.
In literature, the story of course comprises dialogue, the writer's technique, and provoking mental imagery through the words. In verbal story-telling, the story (aka the "package") includes the way the story-teller speaks, and even body language. With verbal story-telling, a story often varies each time it is presented, because even if the words are the same, the way the words are expressed can change. With a game, the story includes much more -- the art in the game tells a part of the story, and so does the ambient sound, and the dialogue, and the music.
"Plot" is merely the flow of the story. A perfectly acceptable plot could be:
A fly enters the room.
A man tries to swat the fly, but the fly is too fast.
Finally the man swats the fly.
The man is proud of himself, and he doesn't see the woman opening the door.
The man runs into the door, falls over and hits his head and dies.
The fly was only stunned, it flies back out the door again.
The irony is there, but it's not very interesting... it would never hold an audience. A good author would take this plot and tell a story with it, including lots of vivid imagery, detailed explanations of what's happening, and probably a sense of urgency. The author would also cleverly and subtlely point out the irony at the end.
But no matter how good the author is, its unlikely the plot above would ever work for a game. It's debatable whether there's even enough interesting content for a short story without really dragging the thing out, again despite the talent of the author.
Moral of this story: A great story requires a great plot, but a great plot alone isn't worth the paper (or hard drive space) it's written on.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
[edited by - irbrian on October 9, 2002 2:01:25 PM]
So when someone complains that a movie is all suspense or action but no plot, it means the images on the screen are only meant for visual entertainment, and there is no underlying story to help carry the movie?
Much that a game can be all action and imagery with no plot, unless you consider your character successfully making it to the next level alive a plot element.
Starcraft though, had a complex plot that involved the player in almost every spin by requiring him to help resolve the situation or made him a witness as the plot unfolded during the action. The game play itself, though, wasn't really plot driven but more mission based.
Am I on the right track there?
Sorry, I know we're talking about storytelling and plot, not just the existence of plot.
[edited by - Waverider on October 9, 2002 2:33:05 PM]
Much that a game can be all action and imagery with no plot, unless you consider your character successfully making it to the next level alive a plot element.
Starcraft though, had a complex plot that involved the player in almost every spin by requiring him to help resolve the situation or made him a witness as the plot unfolded during the action. The game play itself, though, wasn't really plot driven but more mission based.
Am I on the right track there?
Sorry, I know we're talking about storytelling and plot, not just the existence of plot.
[edited by - Waverider on October 9, 2002 2:33:05 PM]
quote: Original post by Waverider
So when someone complains that a movie is all suspense or action but no plot, it means the images on the screen are only meant for visual entertainment, and there is no underlying story to help carry the movie?
Much that a game can be all action and imagery with no plot, unless you consider your character successfully making it to the next level alive a plot element.
Starcraft though, had a complex plot that involved the player in almost every spin by requiring him to help resolve the situation or made him a witness as the plot unfolded during the action. The game play itself, though, wasn''t really plot driven but more mission based.
Actually, if someone complains tat there''s no plot to a movie, they are probably lying.
That is, I have never seen a movie in my life didn''t have ANY plot at all (well there was ONE that seemed to be plotless for the first 50 minutes, after which I turned it off). But I have seen a great number of films where the plot was so weak or contrived, that it was obvious that the film was made for the sake of the action and stunts or visual effects. This is what people usually mean when they say that the film "has no plot."To reinforce my point about Story, though, remember that one film I mentioned above that didn''t follow a plot for the first 50 minutes? It DID have a story. The story was about a bunch of guys in a ship in outer space who hang out, play cards, smoke a lot, talk to their robot, and occasionally go on watch.
Again, Story is NOT the same thing as Plot. Story is the DELIVERY of the plot and all its details, plot is merely the general flow of events.
Brian Lacy
Smoking Monkey Studios
Comments? Questions? Curious?
brian@smoking-monkey.org
"I create. Therefore I am."
This topic is closed to new replies.
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