10 Tips for Building Engaging Storylines in Video Games

Meet Rajput
3 min readMar 24, 2023

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If you’re making a video game, you want to make sure players stay interested in the story. But how do you write a story that’s so good, they’ll forget to eat their chips and guac? Here are 10 tips for writing an engaging video game storyline that’ll keep your players hooked!

  1. Have a great idea: First things first, come up with a really good idea. Maybe it’s about aliens, or time travel, or cats that can talk. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something players will love.
  2. Make some cool characters: Characters are like the spice that makes the story flavorful. Make them interesting, funny, or just plain weird. Give them personalities that people will connect with, and they’ll want to see what happens to them.
  3. Create some drama: A good story needs some drama to keep things interesting. Think of a problem your characters have to solve, or an obstacle they need to overcome. This will keep your players engaged and rooting for your characters.
  4. Give players choices: Players love feeling like they’re in control. Let them make choices that affect the story. Maybe they can choose what their character says, or which path to take. The more choices they have, the more invested they’ll be in the story.
  5. Pace yourself: Don’t just throw all the action in at once! You want your players to stay interested, so pace out the story with exciting moments and slower moments. That way, players can catch their breath and get to know the characters.
  6. Create a sense of urgency: When you add a sense of urgency to the story, players feel like they have to act fast! Put a time limit on things, or make them feel like they’re running out of time. This will keep them on the edge of their seats.
  7. Keep things interesting: Don’t be afraid to throw in some surprises! Maybe there’s a twist in the story, or something totally unexpected happens. Players will love it when they can’t predict what’s going to happen next.
  8. Use the video game medium: A video game is not like a book or a movie. You have all kinds of cool things you can do with the gameplay. Use it to your advantage! Maybe your players need to solve puzzles to advance the story, or they have to defeat a boss to get to the next level.
  9. Stay focused: You don’t want to get sidetracked with a million subplots. Stick to the main story, and don’t add anything that doesn’t move the plot along. Your players will thank you for it.
  10. Test and improve: The last step is to test out your story on some players! See what they think, and make changes if necessary. The more you improve the story, the better the experience will be for your players.

In conclusion, writing an awesome video game story takes some work, but it’s worth it when your players are hooked! Just remember to come up with a great idea, create interesting characters, add some drama, let players make choices, pace yourself, create a sense of urgency, keep things interesting, use the video game medium, stay focused, and test and improve. And if all else fails, just throw in some cats that can talk. People love that stuff.

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