The Power of Narrative: Engaging Players with Replayable Storytelling

Games are designed to be replayed, from the classic arcade mentality to modern live service games. However, what makes a game replayable from a design perspective can often be at odds with narrative. As a narrative-focused developer, Inkle co-founder Jon Ingold emphasized that the point of narrative is to engage players' minds, rather than simply entertain them. Inkle's games, such as 80 Days, Heaven's Vault, and Overboard, are known for their highly replayable narrative-focused design. Ingold stressed that narrative doesn't rely on loops, but rather on setup, payoff, and surprises. He also cautioned that AI is not the solution for richer narratives, as it can generate meaningless content that lacks connection to the rest of the game. Instead, Ingold advocated for making narratives skippable, allowing players to experience the story in their own way. One method for creating richer narratives is to make them ambiguous and complex, but Ingold warned that this can risk frustrating players. He cited Gene Wolfe's definition of good literature as something that can be read and re-read with increased pleasure, and argued that this principle can be applied to game writing. Ingold also emphasized the importance of banter and characterful dialogue in creating memorable and engaging narratives. Inkle's games, such as 80 Days and Heaven's Vault, use banter and dialogue to tell their stories, without relying on cutscenes or lore pickups. Ingold concluded that the key to replayable storytelling is to create games that can be played and replayed with increased pleasure, rather than simply trying to generate infinite narrative content. By focusing on connection and engagement, developers can craft games that players will want to return to again and again.