Using a PC Game as a Stimulus for Your Own Story

Based on “Cliffhanger” short story

First of all..

• Read the story “Cliffhanger”.

• Now, do any of you know where the idea for the story came from?

Did you guess?• The idea for the story comes from a computer

game.

• The writer played a single mission in the game.

• As he was playing the mission, he paid very close attention to:

SETTING PLOT DIALOGUE

CHARACTERISATION ATMOSPHERE

• Then he wrote a first person narrative based on the mission, as if he was the soldier that is being controlled in the game.

Writing and Performing Video Games

• Many games developers spend large sums of money on writing teams.

• Elements like the plot and non player characters (NPCs) are created through collaboration.

• Famous actors are paid a fortune to do the voice acting for characters in the games, e.g. Samuel L.Jackson and Liam Neeson.

On Your Own…

Think about computer games that you play and know a lot about.

• Try to create a list of three games in which one or more of the following elements are important:

SETTING PLOT CHARACTER(S)

Group Discussion

• Your teacher is going to divide you into groups of 3-5 pupils to complete some discussion activities.

• Your group will contain pupils who have all mentioned one game on their list that they all play.

• If you have games on your list that no-one else (or only one other person) plays, don’t worry, as you can complete this task on your own or in a pair.

Group Discussion: Setting

• Where is the game you are discussing set?

• When is it set?

• Is the setting an important element in the games success?

Plot: Cut-scenes

• Many big budget video games spend a lot of moneyon cinematic sequences to introduce the setting, characters and plot of the game. Games also include cut-scenes to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduce enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues. Here are two examples:

• Star Wars The Old Republic - Intro Trailer – YouTube• Sonic Heroes - Team Sonic Cutscenes - YouTube

Setting The Scene:Atmosphere and Setting

1. Does the game that your group is discussing have an opening cinematic sequence to help create atmosphere and introduce the player to the setting?

If so, describe it in as much detail as you can.If not, how do the producers introduce the story elements of the game?

2. Does the game you are discussing have cut-scenes advancing the plot, introducing new settings or characters, etc.? If you can’t remember, it might be useful to look at the cut-scenes at home or on youtube.

Quests and Missions

• Does your game have particularly dramatic, tense or atmospheric missions or quests?

• List the most memorable

game play moments, based

on the experiences of members

of the group when playing the game.

Imaginative Writing: Purpose• The purpose of your writing task is to get you

to turn an experience in the game into a story.

• You have to imagine that you are a character in the game and part of the world (or setting). described.

• By now, you should have discussed the game in detail and identified memorable moments in the cut-scenes or gameplay in general. Imagining yourself as part of the world of a game that you play should be easy enough - the skill comes from describing one such moment or gaming experience in such a manner that you get the reader of your story fully involved in the setting and plot. You also have to make your character believable.

Ways To Approach This Task

You might choose one of the following:

• the opening cinematic sequence• a cut-scene• a mission or quest• an important event (e.g. a party in The Sims)• the first part of the game or the climax/ending• a sequence in which a character explores a

mysterious, scary or dangerous setting

Preparation

• If you choose a cut-scene, watch it a few times. Take a note of dialogue, the appearance and behaviour of any characters and the general look and atmosphere of the setting.

• If you choose to do a mission or quest, you should play it! You might want to pause a few times to take a note of features like dialogue, changes in setting/location, the appearance of characters, as well as important moments in the plot as the mission/quest develops.

• If you have chosen a game that doesn’t involve a mission or quest, e.g. The Sims or other life simulations, you might want to have a party or other random event that is part of the gameplay and take a note of the way it develops – then that becomes the plot of your story. You just have to describe the events from the point of view of your “sim”.