Narrative Theory Series
Themes & Tropes
Designing Games & Interactive Stories
Themes
In a narrative, a theme is a central idea or message that is conveyed through the story. It is often a universal truth or insight into human nature that the work is trying to explore or comment on. Themes can be revealed through the actions, words, and thoughts of the characters, as well as through the plot, setting, and atmosphere of the work. They can be subtle or overt, and may be expressed directly or indirectly. Some common themes in narratives include love, loss, power, identity, and coming of age.
The animation Winterthur illustrates nicely the idea of using a theme in your narrative. Here the theme is time, but time is an abstract concept, and its abstraction is illustrated by having a gray ghostly entity represent time.
Since the theme is a Generalization About Human Nature. It is important that your narratives invoke generalizations about life that are more universal, since this is typically what keeps us engaged at a deeper level. For example, horror films are often based on the general theme of The Will to Live. Blood and gore, slashers and body parts, etc. might all be part of the genre, but what really is of interest at a root human level is watching the characters tap into instinct to survive.
A road movie, as another example, isn’t about driving cars, but will usually involve themes of Freedom or Self Exploration. So as you design your narratives, keep in mind what general themes you are invoking and try to make them clearer so as to engage your audience at more of a depth level.
There are several ways that themes can be revealed or discovered in films and games:
Through the actions and decisions of the characters: The choices that characters make and the things they do can reveal their motivations, values, and beliefs, which can in turn reveal the themes of the work. For example, in the game “The Last of Us,” the theme of the value of human life is revealed through the main character’s decision to protect and care for a young girl, despite the dangers they face.
Through the dialogue and conversations of the characters: The words and discussions of characters can reveal their thoughts and feelings, which can help to uncover the themes of the work. For example, in the film “Her,” the theme of the dangers of technology and the importance of human connection is revealed through the conversations between the main character and his artificial intelligence operating system.
Through the setting and atmosphere of the work: The time, place, and overall mood of the work can contribute to the themes. For example, in the film “No Country for Old Men,” the desolate, lawless setting of the American Southwest helps to convey the theme of the brutality and futility of violence.
Through the plot and events of the work: The events that take place in a work can reveal its themes. For example, in the game “Firewatch,” the theme of the importance of communication and connection is revealed through the developing relationship between the main characters, who are isolated in a national park.
Tropes
While tropes have their origins in literary theory– they are after all often called ‘figures of speech’ or ‘rhetorical tropes’– they of course can function visually as well. There is no definitive list, but there sure are a lot of them, often with complicated names of Greek origin. Some of the main ones are:
Simile: A comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Metaphor: A comparison of two things without using “like” or “as.”
Metonymy: The substitution of one term for another that it is associated with.
Synecdoche: The substitution of a part for the whole, or the whole for a part.
Zeugma: The use of a single word to refer to two or more different things in the same sentence.
Personification: Attributing human characteristics to nonhuman things.
Prosopopeia: A figure of speech in which an absent or imaginary person is represented as speaking or acting.
Apostrophe: A figure of speech in which a speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person or a personified object.
Erotema: A rhetorical question asked for the purpose of emphasis or to assert strong conviction.
Hyperbole: Extreme exaggeration for effect.
Meiosis: The use of understated language to downplay the significance or magnitude of something.
Litotes: An affirmation through the negation of the opposite.
Anthimeria: The use of a word from one part of speech as a word of a different part of speech.
Catachresis: The use of a word in a way that stretches its meaning beyond the bounds of its usual usage.
Aporia: A figure of speech in which a speaker expresses doubt or hesitation.
Aposiopesis: The breaking off of a thought before it is completed, often used to indicate hesitation or uncertainty.
Paradox: A statement that appears to be self-contradictory or absurd but may actually be true.
While the study of tropes has its origins in literary theory, tropes are not restricted to any particular medium such as text and words, and so one can have visual and sonic tropes as well. Examples of how these tropes work in various media can be found through diligent web searches using DuckDuckGo (because in this book I have referenced far too many Google products and thus need to provide some counter-balance to the implicit monopolistic tendencies of my example hunting).
Related Articles
Narrative in Analog & Digital Media
Narrative Continuity vs Poetic Montage
The Structure of Narrative Time
The Fourth Wall & Direct Address
Fact, Fiction & Narrative Contestation
Character Interactions and Narrative Progression
Agency in Interactive Narrative
Bibliography & Further Reading
- A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design by Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark
- A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
- Advanced Game Design: A Systems Approach by Michael Sellers
- An Introduction to Game Studies by Frans Mayra
- Basics of Game Design by Michael Moore
- Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made Blood, Sweat, and Pixels: The Triumphant, Turbulent Stories Behind How Video Games Are Made by Jason Schreier
- Board Game Design Advice: From the Best in the World vol 1 by Gabe Barrett
- Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: an Encyclopedia Of Mechanisms by Geoffrey Engelstein and Isaac Shalev
- Character Development and Storytelling for Games by Lee Sheldon
- Chris Crawford on Game Design by Chris Crawford
- Clockwork Game Design by Keith Burgun
- Elements of Game Design by Robert Zubek
- Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
- Fundamentals of Game Design by Ernest Adams
- Fundamentals of Puzzle and Casual Game Design by Ernest Adams
- Game Design Foundations by Brenda Romero
- Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton
- Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design by Ernest Adams and Joris Dormans
- Game Writing: Narrative Skills for Videogames edited by Chris Bateman
- Games, Design and Play: A detailed approach to iterative game design by Colleen Macklin and John Sharp
- Interactive Narratives and Transmedia Storytelling, by Kelly McErlean
- Introduction to Game Systems Design by Dax Gazaway
- Kobold Guide to Board Game Design by Mike Selinker, David Howell, et al
- Kobold’s Guide to Worldbuilding edited by Janna Silverstein
- Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design, 2nd Edition by Scott Rogers
- Narrating Space / Spatializing Narrative: Where Narrative Theory and Geography Meet by Marie-Laure Ryan, Kenneth Foote, et al.
- Narrative Theory: A Critical Introduction by Kent Puckett
- Narrative Theory: Core Concepts and Critical Debates by David Herman, James Phelan, et al.
- Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, Fourth Edition by Mieke Bal
- Practical Game Design by Adam Kramarzewski and Ennio De Nucci
- Procedural Storytelling in Game Design by Tanya X. Short and Tarn Adams
- Professional Techniques for Video Game Writing by Wendy Despain
- Rules of Play by Salen and Zimmerman
- Storyworlds Across Media: Toward a Media-Conscious Narratology (Frontiers of Narrative) by Marie-Laure Ryan, Jan-Noël Thon, et al
- Tabletop Game Design for Video Game Designers by Ethan Ham
- The Art of Game Design, 3rd Edition by Jesse Schell
- The Board Game Designer’s Guide: The Easy 4 Step Process to Create Amazing Games That People Can’t Stop Playing by Joe Slack
- The Cambridge Introduction to Narrative by H. Porter Abbott
- The Grasshopper, by Bernard Suits
- The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, by by Marie-Laure Ryan, Lori Emerson and Benjamin J. Robertson
- The Routledge Companion to Video Game Studies by Bernard Perron and Mark J.P. Wolf
- The Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory by David Herman
- The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten
- Unboxed: Board Game Experience and Design by Gordon Calleja
- Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know about Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick
- Writing for Video Game Genres: From FPS to RPG edited by Wendy Despain
- Writing for Video Games by Steve Ince
- 100 Principles of Game Design by DESPAIN
