A perfect analogy of experiencing a good piece of creative writing for video games is a journey. Most stories, including writing for video games, follow a sequential order. Story structure refers to this sequence of events as they play out through the storytelling. With the right narrative skills for video games, you can help ensure that the readers enjoy the experience and understand it.

A well-written story is fun to read as it takes you on an exciting journey. While stories can be about anything, most follow story structure or the sequence of events in a story. When you write a story, it’s crucial to have a good structure, so that readers can understand and enjoy it.

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Like we earlier mentioned, a good story is like an enjoyable journey in an almost all too literal manner. It is common to find writers using the Hero’s journey motif when they write for video games. It is perhaps the most famous story structure, primarily when the subject matter deals with heroic or epic events.

Most of the epics of ancient literature like Beowulf and Gilgamesh and the Iliad and Odyssey follow the format. Not only that many relatively new and modern literary and creative works, including video games, make use of the format. In fact, the motif is so firmly rooted in storytelling that many writers use it in their works without even being aware of it.

The Reasons Behind the Popularity of the Motif in Creative Writing for Video Games

The literary critic who first identified the motif, namely Joseph Campbell, also had opinions on its popularity. He says that it is a proto story. The reason behinds its predominance is due to deep links it has with us as human beings. It tells the story of what it really feels like to be human. Through its association with lore and fairy tales, the structure becomes ingrained to human beings from a very early age is perhaps behind the popularity of the format. Children love to hear the same stories. Thus, the structure gets hardwired into their thinking and exhibits itself as an adult author.

Things to Keep in Mind

However, it is essential to remember that the hero’s journey does not constitute a story. It is better described as a framework that maps out your story progression. You need to adapt it to the particular story you are working on. It gives you vital clues on what should be going on in your story at a particular point in time. The structure provides your account at a specific of ideas for characters, pacing, and other critical story elements. It tells you what is missing from your story. With proper use, the hero’s journey can make up for a genuinely unforgettable storytelling experience that may be as varied as Star Wars to Harry Potter.

Structure of the Motif

There are three primary stages to which a narrative, celluloid, or games design and creative work may be divided into. These are:

• Departure
• Initiation
• Return

Each of these stages is further constituted of more specific events or periods. You can have anything from 10-17 steps in the Hero’s Journey, depending on your story and how you adapt the motif around it. That means may stages of a full 17 stage hero’s journey are optional can be done without.

The 12 Main Stages of the Hero’s Journey

The 12 main stages of the hero’s journey are as follows:

• The Ordinary World
• The Call of Adventure
• Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Crossing the First Threshold
• Tests, Allies, Enemies
• Approach to the Inmost Cave
• The Ordeal
• Reward (Seizing the Sword)
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with the Elixir

Remember not to take things literally and adapt the game development game writing that you do according to your narrative needs. For more information and tips subscribe to our newsletter: