For The Hidden Park, we wanted to make players feel like they were moving through a narrative that had direction and purpose. We wanted people to feel secure participating in what for many would be an entirely new experience. If the story was too open, young players might become lost and frustrated, not knowing where to go or what to do next. So we chose a story that is clear and straightforward.
Many writers over the centuries have attempted to identify fundamental structures that run through narratives. Teachers of storytelling often frame their theories using shapes to describe the common underlying dynamics of successful narratives. Aristotle began by tracing a story from the beginning, through the middle, to the end. This classic three act structure implies a linear approach to storytelling where the narrative proceeds from a premise to arrive at a conclusion. Contemporary theories often refer to a narrative arc. People like Syd Field, Christopher Vogler and Michael Bhatty employ all sorts of shapes to frame storytelling. Some people find these concepts useful, others not so much. But when you’re writing a GPS game, these ideas take on a new dimension.
One of the really fun things about writing The Hidden Park was being able to physically map the narrative shape over the landscape. Many of the pathways that we plotted actually physically drew an arc through space. While this was satisfying at some theoretical level, it also became important for storytelling. We didn’t want people to double back over territory they had already covered and we didn’t want people to cross back over their path. The Hidden Park is a simple linear narrative and it was important for that to be reflected geographically. We wanted to create the feeling of physically moving forward through the story.
As GPS gaming evolves, it may be desirable to maintain a consistency between the shape of the narrative and its position in real space. Where a detective story leads the protagonist around in circles, a GPS mystery may literally lead the player back to where they started. Often in a story, a writer wants to revisit a particular theme and reveal something new to their audience. By requiring a player to physically return to a location, their path will trace the intricate folds and layers of sophisticated storytelling.
This could never be a hard and fast rule – they don’t exist in storytelling. But for writers dealing with narratives that map themselves onto physical landscapes, it’s probably worth considering the consistency between the shape of the narrative and the player’s path. For a simple story, like The Hidden Park, this was easy to achieve. As GPS games attempt to weave more complex tales, things are going to get more challenging.