Hi, I’m James. I want to make games. Gaming is quite the entertainment powerhouse, a potential investment cash-cow, but most importantly, it is a story telling medium. People laud the stories of games like the Mass Effect series, Undertale, Metroid , Tomb Raider and Skyrim(… and Skyrim… and Skyrim) among others.
Here is a simple story:
Man saves paramour from irate mutant gorilla by climbing ladders and jumping over obstacles.
(Donkey Kong, Owned by Nintendo. Sourced, in Fair Use, from Wikipedia)
Now you might say, “Jimmy, that’s game-play. That’s not a story”
My reply to that is:
First, don’t call me Jimmy.
Second, you have a protagonist, antagonist a goal and conflict. This is the hallmark any story, For me, game-play is narrative. You can have a story in a game without having an external narrative device. Game-play is narrative.
Here are some more examples:
Two flat paddles in a desperate struggle to prove their superiority in a battle of abstracted ping pong
(Pong. Public Domain, Sourced From Wikipedia)
A hunter, in spite of the humiliating jeers from his hunting dog, attempts to hunt ducks for sport
(Duck Hunt, Owned by Nintendo. Sourced, in Fair Use, from Wikipedia)
Glorified mob errand boy attempts to earn a large amount of money, in between fits of insanity, by doing what he does best… being an errand boy.
(Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Owned by Rockstar Games. Sourced, in Fair Use, from rockstargames.com )
Take one of your favourite games, retro or current, remove the narrative. Take out all the cut-scenes, dialogue choices, FMVs, random documents and audio logs. What do the mechanics tell you about the game? Does the game live or die by the plot added to it (if it has one)? Is it an abstract or concrete narrative?
I like a good story as much as any other bloke, and I always feel there are stories yet to be told. The same old themes and scenes in newer and more exciting ways. And it seems the most intriguing art form to tell such tales (to me at least) is in games.
So join me as I slowly, meticulously and painfully try and make these stories of mine come to life (Oh God help!)
This is HomeKick, and I’m going to make a game.
HomeKick Games 
James, that was very enlightening. I love how you point out the story part of those timeless retro games. The four elements that make up the story of a game (protagonist, antagonist, goal and conflict)—I’ve only played games but you pointing those out made me realize that there is more to every game than meets the eye. Lastly, good luck on your game making journey and I hope I will be able to play one of your games someday.
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