Author: Lauren Brady

As we saw in part one, the evolution of storytelling in games has come a long way since its inception – from simplistic backstories for basic interactive experiences, through to the more compelling ‘Hollywood’ experiences we enjoy today.

The industry has matured, both literally and figuratively. One of 2018’s biggest games was God of War, a half-sequel, half-reimagining of what was once a brutal bloodbath of a series. It still is, but now it has a nuanced narrative that won it many awards for its storytelling. So how did we arrive at this point?

The start of something good

Video Games have moved on significantly from early interactive entertainment in which thinly veiled backstories were intended to flesh out the most basic of visuals. Games now offer richly detailed worlds in which compelling storylines are complemented by stunning visuals. If done right, they can add a whole new layer of nuanced storytelling to your game.

French developer Quantic Dream have become leaders in cinematic game experiences that perfectly blur the lines between Hollywood movies and games. One of their earliest titles, Fahrenheit, was released on both the PS2 and Xbox in 2005. When it was announced, Quantic Dream defied convention, and labelled the game as the first “interactive film”. Indeed, it relied heavily on motion-capture technologies and other techniques first pioneered by the games industry that have become commonplace in Hollywood productions (and have even become standard practice in REALTIME’s own TV & Film division).

The game featured a split-screen camera, a time-based decision system, and a branching narrative – all huge advances for the time and something that would grow in popularity.

Future games from Quantic Dream included ‘Heavy Rain’, ‘Beyond: Two Souls’, and 2018’s ‘Detroit: Become Human’, which further underpinned the advances and importance of successful storytelling in games. The former had multiple main characters that could die at any time, further reinforcing the complex and rich narratives that players could now experience.

Massive effect

At the other end of the spectrum, games like Mass Effect realised everything that BioWare, its developer, had been working towards. They created a sci-fi story that is still regarded by many as a classic 12 years after its initial release. Regardless of what you might think of the end of the trilogy, BioWare crafted a beginning, middle, and end that had some of the most compelling characters ever committed to video game history. And they did it with a huge focus on choice. This wasn’t just BioWare’s story – it was yours.

The decisions you made affected how everyone saw you and how they responded to you. You could choose to be a merciful paragon or a merciless renegade. You chose what to say in conversations and what tough decisions to make. And it had consequences – not all of your team would necessarily make it through alive.

Key to its success in storytelling was the heavy use of cinematics within the game, rendered in-engine to create a seamless experience. Although realising the storyline in-engine remains a key technical challenge, the tools and technologies have continued to advance. Advances in engines like UE4, Unity, Frostbite, and Lumberyard mean that achieving great visual storytelling has become less of a technical challenge and more of a ‘craft’ that is now more reliant on the key talent of directors, animators and VFX artists.

Where are we now?

The democratisation of these technologies has attracted key acting talent like Andy Serkis, best known for his pioneering motion-capture performance in ‘Lord of the Rings’. He brought his talent to the critically-acclaimed Heavenly Sword. Most recently, he was used to demonstrate the advances in facial performance using UE4 technology, to show the extent to which this technology can be used to convey emotion in storytelling.

Advances in in-engine technologies have allowed developers to push the boundaries of storytelling, delivering eerily-accurate digital duplicates and award-worthy, show-stopping performances. However, achieving such an effect can only happen when an understanding of the technical complexities of the technologies is married with successful direction and creativity.

At RealtimeUK, we understand how important story is to not just the game, but the trailer too. Combining compelling storytelling and excellent direction, we have delivered many examples of outstanding work. If you’d like to discuss your next project, get in touch with Dave Cullinane at [email protected].

The user experience should always be the primary driver behind sales. But on closer inspection, traditional car dealerships are failing. Many automotive businesses describe themselves as being in “significant financial stress”. But are they doomed to fail or could virtual technology bridge the gap and bring new life into an old industry?

Marketing and sales teams in the automotive industry have come up against new challenges in putting the customer at the centre of the business in the last decade. Many people seeking a new or used car are not enjoying the buying process of traditional car dealerships. People are put off by the aggressive selling and pressure to make quick decisions. It can generate a certain level of anxiety or discomfort that does sales teams no favours in selling cars.

Virtual reality showrooms

Dealerships are failing to truly showcase a the range/choice and personalization available to customer. Normally, these buildings only have space for several car models or colours. A virtual reality showroom, on the other hand, has limitless space for offering a truly unique user experience.

Consumers have options to customise any make or model in exactly the way they see fit. They can be fully immersed in the car’s experience, without it needing to be in the showroom. This is particularly useful for cars that haven’t even rolled off the assembly line yet.

In practice, sales teams can realistically demonstrate a specific colour on someone’s dream car, a customer’s idea for a modification that they need to visualise, or even explore different interior upgrade possibilities to potential prospects.

Feeling free

With virtual reality tools, customers in a UK showroom can interact with the vehicle in various scenarios or situations to generate a strong sense of freedom, adventure, and need. Users can virtually test their dream vehicle in the rolling Tuscan hills of Italy or breathtaking Swiss mountains. Even better, these virtual technologies aren’t exclusive to the showroom. Some can be used by customers in the comfort of their own homes, providing a sense of time and user control that a showroom cannot offer.

The bottom line for virtual reality and the automobile industry – companies can create virtual reality experiences to immerse customers into their brand universe. This is much more than a marketing gimmick though; it drives day-to-day sales volumes. Customers will begin to associate an easier buying experience with your brand, keeping them in your brand’s ecosystem for years to come.

The possibilities of virtual reality in the automobile industry are practically limitless. The technology’s applications go far beyond the dealership and help engineers with car conception and employee training. Along with the newly personalised and enjoyable customer purchasing process, these applications all go towards a greater user experience that drives sales in the automobile industry.

Never underestimate the impact your technology can have. Consumers crave a sleek, efficient experience. You can’t afford to have a subpar configurator. That’s why RealtimeUK delivers the best, like our Bentley Bentayga configurator – so you can be the best. Get in touch with me at [email protected] to find out more.

Distilling the history of storytelling in video games into one or even multiple articles is an enormous task. Video games have evolved as a valid art form that stands alongside film and TV in their cultural influence on the 21st century. This, in part, is down to the strength of storytelling that games are now capable of conveying.

They’ve evolved from simple interactive experiences to ones that heavily rely on nuanced narrative to weave their magical worlds. In this first part of a two-part series, we’ll be talking about the evolution of storytelling in video games and the necessity to convey this in making your first impression.

A marriage made in heaven

Long before the advances in graphics and cinematic storytelling, story took the form of text adventure games. 1976’s Colossal Cave Adventure was amongst the first of its kind. Games like this offered a completely different experience to their precursors, such as Pong or Asteroids. There, the gaming experience was limited to the novelty of being able to control a few pixels around a TV screen, with only the slightest of back-story. In the absence of any visuals, more was left to the player’s imagination. It laid the groundwork for interactive entertainment in which previously unexplored fantasy worlds could be woven with complex narratives.

Inevitably, advances in graphical capabilities led to more visual games that attempted to build on these narrative-driven experiences. These included the point-and-click genre, which would go on to host many LucasArts classics, such as ‘The Secret of Monkey Island’ in 1990, or Sierra Entertainment’s more risque Leisure Suit Larry series.

The arrival of the SNES, and its 16-bit graphics, meant that storytelling could slowly ramp up. 1991’s Final Fantasy IV was the most narrative-driven entry yet, with set characters that had their own names, character arcs, and conclusions. All of these successfully melded gameplay and storytelling.

Into the mainstream

Today, storytelling within gameplay has reached the masses. Games have the ability to stir emotion and draw the player into their multi-threaded narrative. Much like the Hollywood ‘tentpole’ blockbuster movie, a strong narrative is just as important as the visuals.

For a while in Hollywood, strong storylines often played second fiddle to the advances in CG, resulting in movies that, while visually compelling, lacked emotional engagement. Games, on the other hand, have always had to work much harder with their storylines in order to make up for the comparatively poor visual experience. However, things have changed and come a long way since the advent of Pong and subsequent text-based adventures. Games perfectly marry compelling storylines with state-of-the-art visuals.

Which is why game developers should always be contemplating the ways in which a game can successfully be distilled into a trailer without giving too much away.

A successful ‘announcement’ or ‘launch’ trailer is one that can convey the complexity and depth of a game’s storyline without spoiling anything. The trailer is a perfect means to tease the viewer – particularly effective if your game is the latest in an ongoing series in which players are already invested in.

What you should end up with is a succinct, pre-rendered trailer that encapsulates the essence of the game. Having a successful trailer – one that encapsulates the storyline with compelling visuals – is a craft in itself and not one that should be left to chance.

But the storytelling doesn’t end there. In the next part, we’ll be talking more about storytelling in video games and the advances in in-engine cinematics.

At REALTIME, we know how important story is, not just to the game, but to its trailers. When we work on a new project, we believe the story is what people will remember. If you would like to discuss working on your next project, please contact me at [email protected].