Narrative Structures

The three-act structure works on a very linear basis, it follows the story from start to end logically in time. It starts with an introduction to the story, the characters, the basic plot of how it begins. It then continues into act 2 which contains the main bulk of the story, the big event that alters the main characters life, something that changes absolutely everything about how the story is going to end. It contains the most action and end with a point of no return, this means that the character has made a decision that cannot be altered, once you're in, you can never come out. Finally we enter act 3 which is where everything gets solves in a satisfactory, but not necessarily good, way. It wraps it all up in a way that the consumer would be satisfied with.

Examples of this structure include Toy Story 3, where a boy called Andy has been growing up with all his toys since the original film, as soon as he leaves the room, they magically gain life and the consumers receive an introduction to the main characters. As the story develops it enters act 2 and ends with a massive event causing the whole story to change, the point where the day care that they are living in is taken over by this big pink teddy bear who thinks he can destroy the world. Finally the story ends with Andy giving his toys to another young girl who would take care of them and although this might not be the ending that the viewers want, it wraps up all the different events that took place and create a positive resolution.

Non-Linear Narrative

Non-linear narrative suggests that the story flips between timelines and so for example at the beginning it shows a scene from the end of the story, and then shows the beginning. It could also use flashbacks to show different points in the story. It could still use the 3 different acts but in different orders. This means that it would be out of order and show different parts of the timeline in different places.

An example of this structure is "A Way Out", a game which requires two players to cooperatively escape prison using different mechanics. This game however starts with the characters on a plane having escapes the prison which would normally fit at the end. It then uses flashbacks to when they were in prison to tell the story. It also skips between different times of day to show key points in the story.

Framing Narrative

A frame narrative contains a second narrative, it sets the scene for the main narrative. Alternatively it could be a sub-story which takes place within the main plot. Within games it is usually a "sub-quest" or "side-mission" which is optional but could aid you within the main story.

For example, in the Batman Arkham video game series, the games contained a main story line, but also a series of sub-stories which could be completed to gain extra points which could be spent on upgrades for your suit or weapons hence aiding you in the main story. This also appears in games like Fallout 4 and Animal Crossing which have more aesthetic changes on the game.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this will help us to make an informed decision on the best way to structure our story and how the effectively keep our audience involved within the game. This will also help us in the future to decide the best approach for our games.