Game Project 2: The Elsworth Curse
Woah! Two months go by fast. My course Game Project 2 has wrapped up, and I am pleased to announce that the game I've been working on together with my group members for this course is now finished!
On this project, I was one of the writers.
Establishing a core narrative for a game is incredibly important, and I was excited to explore a game within a historical setting while playing on classical tropes from historical fiction and horror.
In this game dev blog post, I'll be discussing my process of working on The Elsworth Curse.
Beware spoilers of the game!
Characters & Diversity In A Historical Setting
Diana Westchester, The Receptionist of Elsworth Manor
As this game revolves around a family that has existed for generations, it is important to highlight the fact that this is a game set in a historical setting. During Game Project 2, there were many discussions about representation and diversity in video games, and how we as a group wanted to approach the subject with our game.
In the early stages of development, it became apparent that having a game within a historical genre would pose a problem when it came to diversity and representation of characters.
We had to ask ourselves one important question:
How do we stay true to a genre without including social injustice that treats minorities dishonorably?
We found our answer to be ignoring history. In the same manner as Netflix's Bridgerton.
However, we decided to ignore the nasty bits of human history altogether. Bridgerton does allude to racial injustice in the show, but we wanted to ignore it entirely. Why? Because in the end, our game's story is about a dysfunctional family whose actions lead to terrible consequences.
Besides, what place does racism have in a narrative about spooky aristocrats and ghastly hauntings in a manor-turned-hotel? Answer: It doesn't.
We made our decision, and the wheels were set in motion! This, of course, gets us to the second part of my earlier question; staying true to the genre (and ultimately tropes) of historical fiction.
Jack Elsworth, The Golden Boy of The Elsworth Family
When I think about historical fiction I think of Bridgerton, Pride & Prejudice, and The Great. The genre that is historical fiction often has rich characters painfully unaware of their privileges, a long line of royal ancestry, and maybe even a secret bastard child whose existence is ignored the majority of the time.
Now, I know these are overplayed tropes, but they are SO fun!
Think about it: the fancy ballrooms, the wealthy lady trading skillful insults with another aristocrat, and the gossiping of someone's secret affair. All with pizzazz, too! What's not to love?
Besides, in the end, the point of creating a game set in a historical setting and then ignoring social injustice boils down to one point: creating immersion in a fantasy. This was our goal as a group and I hope that we have managed to create a world where the player is entertained while exploring a setting that plays on the famous tropes that historical fiction is known for, while also honoring the characters and the genre authentically.
Writing Different Voices
Shaun Wool, The Scaredy Paranormal Investigator
As a writer, I feel that one of the greater challenges we face is writing different voices for characters. As individuals, we've only got our voice, right? We are who we are, and the way we speak as well as how our mannerisms show are unique to each individual. You have to invent a brand-new person and become somebody else so that your writing feels credible and in character. In a way, I would almost describe it as role-playing. Just, you know, in your head.
When I write characters, I often try to think of how I would act if I were a specific character. I would imagine this is also the way actors work. What would I say in this particular situation? Would I have any catchphrases? Do I blink weirdly? Should I blink weird? Is that who my character is, a weird blinker?
Otto's Cursed Book
I often like to read the dialogue out loud. I act them out not just with my voice but sometimes with my body, too! I do my best to bring the characters to life in a way that isn't just reading them inside my head.
Sometimes it even helps to look at stereotypical personalities and behavior people have with certain professions. I'm talking the good ol' gym bro or the receptionist with polite yet formal language.
Or you reference people you know and yourself, like how you wrote down your feelings in your diary at age 10. Or stab them down, if words weren't good enough. (Sorry, diary.)
Now, while your writing is your writing (and the person/people you're collaborating with), there is another aspect that is easy to forget:
A player who has never read anything from the story before playing the game will interpret the dialogue and writing completely differently.
The player doesn't know the things you do about the story. If the player doesn't make a certain connection between two important characters, well, then you have to rewrite and change things up.
I would argue that this is, in essence, our blind spot as writers. Writing from a perspective of not knowing is writing from the perspective of the player.
It makes your brain work for it as there are so many things to think about. And then there's the matter of adding details and hints explaining the story without giving too much away too soon, or not making it obvious enough for the player that they miss the most vital parts of the narrative.
It is a truly delicate matter to balance. But this is also part of the fun when writing a story, specifically for a game.
Functionality, Narrative, & Fluff
The Hotel Pamphlet Doubling As A Tutorial Booklet
The majority of my experience has been with writing in prose, which easily allows for detailed and flowery language. However, this is not often the case when writing for video games. One major takeaway from having worked on this project is that the writing needs to be balanced between functionality, narrative, and fluff.
When I talk functionality, I mean making it clear for the player about what is happening and what the next moment is going to (potentially) be. You also, of course, want to make sure that they know how to play the game.
An example of this was an idea I had for a hotel pamphlet doubling as a tutorial booklet, which I suggested to the group and then later added. I reasoned that I absolutely hate tutorials and always skip them (and then get upset because I don't know how to play the game).
However, a hotel pamphlet doubling as a tutorial is not only diegetic but also handy for the sole purpose of containing short and sweet information, while still staying true to the world the player is in and not breaking immersion.
After all, you are a hotel guest.
The Player Character's Journal
When it comes to the fluff, I'd say that it goes hand-in-hand with the narrative. The fluff is there to help immerse you in the story and make it more alive. You can have the bare bones of a story but it isn't good enough. You can have the sheep but you still need the wool to make a proper sheep! That's why the art of the fluff is so important but must be carefully balanced.
During development, a lot of dialogue had to be cut out or shortened. There were multiple reasons for this. First was that during play-testing, players felt there was too much text to read. The lack of NPC animation also made the player feel they were reading a visual novel (which our game isn't). As a result, we had to implement changes that were consistent throughout the game.
One such implementation was ensuring that the dialogue's architecture in-game allowed the player mental "breaks" during their reading of the dialogues. One way we did this was to section the text so that there wasn't too much to read at once in the text-box. Another way was also placing the majority of the dialogues on the NPC, rather than the Player Character.
This was done in-part as a favor to the Player Character's anonymity, to allow the player to feel like they're playing as themselves in the game, which was a continuous conversation in our group. We wanted the player to therefore be as little opinionated as possible and say as little as possible but still enough to help move the story forward, thus placing the drive of the story in the hands of the other characters.
So in the favor of functionality and player's sanity, the game drives you forward rather than you doing so. However, if the Player Character was an established character, the writing would be entirely different.
Visual Storytelling
Of course, writing is more than just dialogue and diary entries. There is also the aspect of visual storytelling, which is incredibly important when telling a story. This ranges from how characters look to what you find in the game.
A Wooden Horse, One of The Cursed Objects
We had to figure out at one point during development what kind of items the cursed objects would be. We settled on children's toys, which helped also give a hint that there was a child involved in whatever menacing energy was plaguing the hotel.
Same with the family crest, having a slogan, and ensuring that destroying the cursed toys would reveal bits of the crest. Then, which is also part of the game designers' work, adding items in the world that agree with the dialogue.
Like how the receptionist talks about waffles for breakfast, and thus the player being able to find waffles to eat. It is all part of the environmental storytelling.
We also have characters whose visual description was a work between the 2D-artists and us writers. We would discuss certain looks for certain characters, iterate, and compare versions.
All characters have their own personalities, so it makes sense for them to also look different in their posture, clothes, and facial expression. How the character looks like reveals a lot about who they are.
Like how Ser Harwin is dressed very pompous, just like his manners. And how Jack Elsworth looks very ill.
Conclusion
All in all, I had a good time writing for this project and being a part of it in all aspects beyond just writing.
Everyone had the opportunity to contribute beyond their discipline. I got to be a part of helping out the game designers too, and there was always an interdisciplinary collaboration to ensure that we were all on the same page during the development process. We all affect each other in different ways with our work, and coordinating the project was important.
Working in teams is also not always smooth sailing, so learning how to communicate with others is incredibly vital. Still, I feel that this is also just a human experience. We are all different people with different wills and ideas, but learning the tools to navigate the ocean of amazing people with vibrant personalities is a lifelong mission and there is always room for improvement. We're all just people, after all.
In the end, I would say that what I learned the most during this project was understanding where my skills are limited and where I flourish. I learned that rewriting is the best thing you can do in any project. And leaving the text to lie for a few hours, or days, if possible.
The first draft is a first draft, but the final draft is where it’s at.
If you've read this far, thank you. Writing this has also given me a perspective on my work and I am proud of it.
I am looking forward to Game Project 3 when the time comes.
Until next time!
// Monica Iris
