Using the Three-Act Structure to Build the Framework for Your Gameplay Trailer

The three-act structure divides the narrative into three parts that all lead up to an emotionally cathartic experience. In the first act, the protagonist is introduced in his or her current setting. In the second act, conflict ensues and the protagonist is called to a challenge outside of his or her home. In the third and final act the situation intensifies and builds to a climax with the protagonist finishing as the hero. Sound familiar? The Avengers, anybody? Yes, because it’s one of the most popular screenwriting models used in movies, trailers, books and all other forms of entertainment.

This model works because we like to root for the good guy or the underdog to win. It’s emotionally cathartic when they overcome physical and emotional, yet relatable, challenges that nearly destroy them and become the hero that defies all odds.

Jenova Chen, from the studio that brought you the award-winning emotive game Journey, shared an emotional intensity graph that follows the three-act structure. The important thing to note here is that this graph does not map the protagonist’s emotions throughout the narrative; it maps the player’s intended emotions — how the player wants to feel in each act.

When you are conceptualizing the structure of your trailer, think about what your target audience’s emotional expectations are when watching it from beginning to end. The more you tailor it to how the audience likes and wants to feel, the more interested they can be with the plight of your characters and ultimately with your game.

Let’s see how this plays out in a couple examples, starting with the first Hunger Games movie followed by the INSIDE game trailer by Playdead (the creators of Limbo).

“The Hunger Games” Movie

1. Setting the Stage: Katniss lives in District 12, a place that, although poor and hunger-stricken, is what she calls home — her status quo.
2. Introducing Conflict and Building the Anticipation: Katniss is put into a conflict when her sister Prim is named a contestant of the annual Hunger Games. For the love of her sister, Katniss volunteers to take Prim’s place and eventually makes her way to an unfamiliar and insultingly wealthy place of the polar opposite — the Capitol. This is where she encounters emotional and physical challenges that overwhelm her, change her and nearly defeat her. Will she die? No, thanks to plot armor waha!
3. The Climax: Katniss and Peeta bread are the last contestants but they are so in “love.” The intensity of the movie is at its max. What shall they do? Sacrifice one of themselves to let the other be a hero? Or make an unprecedented choice of killing themselves that defies all rules and expectations of the Games? In the end, they defeat the Games, although unconventionally, and become heroes of both their home and the Capitol.

“INSIDE” Game Trailer

Now let’s see how this three-act structure is used in a short 1 minute 30 second indie game trailer. Watch first before reading on. Don’t worry, it’s not scary.

1. Setting the stage (0:00–0:30): The eerie mood is dictated by the cornfields, sounds of footsteps, an industrial yard in the middle of nowhere, dead pigs and the horizon choked with fog. The boy is contrastingly different — he wears red and walks normally compared to the people in the background. What is this place? What is he doing here?
2. Introducing Conflict and Building the Anticipation (0:30–0:44): We begin to see the boy’s interaction with this mysterious place, and it’s clear that he doesn’t belong here. He’s either hiding or running from something, whether it be a dog, zombie, or giant rolling vessels. The emotional intensity is gradually building as the scenes of the montage change more and more quickly.
3. The Climax (0:45–1:24): The emotional intensity suddenly drops during the transition between Act 2 and 3 when he drops into the water. The footsteps and heavy breathing sound effects are gone, a low eerie brass begins to play, and he’s no longer running or hiding. We are suddenly brought to attention that something lies beyond that window that trumps everything he just experienced in Act 2. As we reach the end of the trailer, our thirst for resolution grows and is heightened because we least expected it (due to the change in pace). We’re left with a cliffhanger that basically revealed nothing, yet it keeps us wanting more.

Some extra tidbits about the trailer: The gameplay is very characteristic of Limbo’s physics-based mechanics and environmental puzzles — run away from enemies, dodge traps, jump over moving objects, pull levers, etc. Notice how they don’t show any of these core mechanics until Act 2. It not only helps build the emotional intensity but it also helps mix in some gameplay elements in an otherwise story-driven trailer.

Broad Utility

The three-act structure is not limited to just movies and trailers. It is applied in some shape and form to all aspects of a game. Music, for one, is the aspect of the game that literally sets the tone and pace, so you have to select and section your music wisely to set the cue for each act to begin and end. Gameplay, as demonstrated in Journey, can also take advantage of the three-act structure.

Final Words

If you’re stumped and have no idea how to structure your game, create a trailer or start and stop your music at the right times, begin the framework with the three-act structure. Plan out what happens in each act and think about how your audience would feel to achieve emotional cathartism in the end.

• Chen, Sande. “Leading By Emotion”. Gamasutra. Link.
• Gartner, Kert. “Making Entertaining and Engaging Video Game Trailers”. blog.kertgartner.com. Link.
• Winkler, Matthew. “What Makes a Hero?”. TED-ed. Link.
• Garrett, Stephen. “The Art of First Impressions: How to Cut a Movie Trailer.” Filmmaker Magazine. Link.