Interacting with virtual reality is completely different from traditional games. Even when you're playing a regular first-person game, the interface, voice-over (VO), and occasional camera capture remind you that you're impersonating Booker DeWitt, Adam Jensen, or Indiana Jones. But most importantly, the space between you and the screen reinforces this separation. Booker is there in Columbia, and I'm sitting in my living room, looking at the world through his eyes.
Step into virtual reality and this division disappears – in a strange and paradoxical way. Yes, you feel more like you're inhabiting a world than a fictional character; you don't suddenly acquire their knowledge and memories. When I played Resident Evil 7 in VR, Mia Baker wasn't tripping on Ethan with a chainsaw, she was tripping on me. And at the time I didn't think, “Wow, Ethan is going to get this.” Instead, I wondered why I had chosen this terrible way to spend my Sunday afternoon.
Storytelling in this new medium poses some unique challenges. And after almost ten years at Coatsink, a British game developer with… extensive experience with VRI would like to share some thoughts.
Externalize the protagonist
At its core, a story is about how a character makes decisions. The characters' arc is then conveyed by them making different decisions as the story progresses. How then can this be achieved if the main character is controlled by the player? You can't force that growth or force them to make one decision over another. This problem is not unique to virtual reality, and it is clear that interactive travel is a completely new type of storytelling. But traditionally, stories happen to characters. And in VR you can’t even see the main character’s face.
My solution is to externalize the protagonist: to separate the player (the agent of the gameplay) from the protagonist of the story (the agent of the story). IN Augmented EmpireThe player character Craven makes all the tactical decisions, but the main character of the story is Willa, who transforms from a cold and smug loner into a personable revolutionary leader. IN Shadow Dots you play as Alex, solving puzzles and discovering new worlds (agent of the gameplay), but it is Lorna McCabe who we watch grow from a selfish and entitled boy into a wise and generous adult (agent of the story).
Voice acting for the player character adds an extra wrinkle. Hearing your own character speak can be disconcerting, at least at first, as if there's a ghost nearby or an invading parasite has taken control of your vocal cords. MIB: Most Wanted is Coatsink's first VR game with a talking player character, and the solution we used was to force the player to perform a certain action before hearing him speak. Whether it was pressing a button or activating a neuralizer, this provided a direct connection between input and dialogue. In addition, we recorded two full versions of the scenario so that players could choose their “voice”.
Consider costs
Narration is an important factor when evaluating costs (assuming there is story information to convey outside of gameplay). Text is cheap, but not optimal in virtual reality. Recorded dialogue, you get what you pay for. Rendering characters who then convey that dialogue can greatly expand the possibilities depending on the approach.
Augmented Empire's bird's-eye perspective kept the characters small and low-poly. So we added 2D portraits of the main characters with different facial expressions to highlight the tone. Compare this approach to Shadow Point, which gave Lorna a significant physical presence and lip-synced scenes, but at the cost of more development. In fact, the title dialogue was recorded a full nine months ahead of the rest of the script to give the animation team enough time. Meanwhile, They don't suspect anything a variety of visible speaking characters were introduced: elaborate robots with bold and expressive actions that did not require lip-syncing.
IN Aftermath of Jurassic World we took a different approach. You play as professional thief Sam (gameplay agent) under the guidance of Mia Everett (story agent). But Mia's story is conveyed entirely through voice acting, allowing the art and animation teams to focus on the real stars: the dinosaurs. This was a conscious early decision that had major narrative consequences because, like Campo Santo's Firewatch (2016), it takes time for players to become emotionally invested in someone they never see and whose primary function is to tell you what to do.
Watch the cut scenes
Character interactions are the heart of the drama, and cutscenes are a useful tool that provide rewards and breaks in the gameplay. However, in virtual reality this is not an easy task, and a huge set of questions arises:
How can we ensure that the player is looking in the right direction? Should we teleport them to an ideal position or restrict their movement? At what distance or height does the action take place? Will the player be able to understand the story if he misses something? How is the action structured? What other ways can we attract the player?
There are no right or wrong answers, they are all situational. But they point to one of the great contradictions in writing for the media: spectacle is cheaper than drama. Displaying a standard explosion can be relatively simple. But conveying emotion—having a character speak and emote in front of you—can be extremely difficult.
Solution: Block the cut scene area in advance and determine the number of minutes and words with the image and animation. Then make sure that only the most important and important parts of the story are presented this way. In Shadow Point, these are the most emotional turning points in Lorna's life. In Jurassic World Aftermath they show off dinosaurs.
Build meaningful worlds
Environmental storytelling is a fundamental tool in a developer's arsenal. At its best, the environment conveys lore and backstory and rewards the player's attention. In virtual reality, the environment is immediate and tactile. When you physically move through a fictional space, even the most mundane objects—a cup, a vase—take on new meaning. It's not just a background shade, it's an object that the developers put there for a reason, and that you can view from any distance and potentially pick up and smash.
My advice is to create specific and detailed artist notes that explain the narrative of the place, its meaning, and how we should feel. It is important to note any unusual or unexpected aspects since anomalies convey the most information. If a player is naturally inclined to look for details, those details should say something. Take every opportunity to include some exposition, world-building, or even just a joke.
It all comes down to one simple rule: respect the player's time. Cinema is passive, they play themselves in an empty room. Games require attention and investment. VR games require attention, input, a device attached to your head, and movement in physical space. And once the novelty of living in your new world wears off, narrative satisfaction can be one of your most compelling driving forces.
Respect the license
Writing for established IP involves striking a balance between expectations and innovation. Fans expect to see iconic aspects of the franchise, be it the prominence of specific characters, locations or items, or in-game actions and objectives. Find the alien, neutralize the witness. Fight Megatron, protect the AllSpark.
Tone is critical. In Jurassic World Aftermath, every terrifying predator chase is accompanied by moments of beauty, curiosity, and wonder. MIB: Most Wanted is generally comedic, with moments of fast-paced action and pathos. While the tone is harder to encapsulate than a De-Atomiser that can be held and waved, it is ultimately what makes the experience feel authentic. The music, the art style, the pacing of the gameplay… even the pacing and vocabulary of the dialogue all contribute.
But at the same time, viewers want something new. Whether it's a fresh take on an established mechanic, an original story, or an expression of a specific theme. Each IP has thematic parameters, themes or ideas that the game can potentially explore. You wouldn't expect a Jurassic World game to explore the nature of tyranny or the struggle between good and evil. But Transformers, of course, absolutely. Ultimately, theme is what gives the story substance and what players will take away after the credits roll. So choose a theme that matches your franchise and let it be your guiding light.
