What is narrative weight and how game designers can manipulate it to add value to certain elements
What is narrative weight and how game designers can manipulate it to add value to certain elements
What is narrative weight and how game designers can manipulate it to add value to certain elements
By Game World Observer
December 16, 2022
Summary
Usually, the greater the narrative weight of the event, the more significant it is to the players.
It's the designer's task to match the narrative weight of events with their significance and players' expectations.
The high narrative weight of small events elevates them and the game as a whole in players' eyes.
In Playrix's new game Family Hero, the developers have also taken the path of increasing the narrative weight.
Game designers should first spend their time increasing the weight of significant events.
Narrative weight in TTRPGs Tabletop RPGs are essentially RPGs. So I usually borrow the approximate narrative weight from my favorite video game RPGs and roll with it in my D&D campaigns.
You'll be able to manipulate the weight to increase/decrease event's significance in the player's eye.
Reference
Game World Observer. (2022, December 16). What is narrative weight and how game designers can manipulate it to add value to certain elements. Game World Observer. Retrieved January 17, 2023, from https://gameworldobserver.com/2022/12/16/narrative-weight-in-game-design-witcher-3-mass-effect