Mindmap: Game Design as Narrative Architecture

Examples

Environmental Storytelling

Pokemon seems to use Environmental Storytelling. Each new installation of the game takes place in a whole new region with it’s own unique set of wild Pokemon, cities, and gyms.

Evocative Spaces

I used to play this game called Spongebob: Battle for the Bikini Bottom. It didn’t tell self contained stories, but rather it drew on existing elements of the Spongebob universe.

Enacting Stories

I used to play Supersmash Brothers Brawl and there was a story mode. The story mode was made up of small missions/quests that you had to complete. In a sense, these were all micro-narratives that contributed to the overall narrative.

Emerging Narratives

Animal Crossings seems to be a game that uses Emerging Narratives. It has a sandbox feel to it and the players are allowed to create their own stories. The game, in essence, authors the environment.