The discourse surrounding narrative in video games is often characterized by broad, sometimes nebulous praise. Awards ceremonies and reviews frequently laud titles for having a ‘great narrative,’ yet this commendation rarely delves into the specific mechanics that make a game’s story truly resonate. For AdHoc Studio’s creative directors, Nick Herman and Dennis Lenard, this very ambiguity is a core issue plaguing the industry’s approach to storytelling.<\/p>\n
During a presentation at the GDC Festival of Gaming, Herman and Lenard delivered a pointed critique: a compelling game narrative begins not with intricate plot design or branching pathways, but with fundamentally good writing. While this may seem self-evident, their argument directly challenges a prevalent industry trend that often prioritizes ambitious creative scripts, non-linear structures, or cinematic presentation over the raw quality of the words themselves.<\/p>\n
Lenard illustrated this point by drawing a comparison to other narrative media. In television and film, audiences are notoriously unforgiving of productions where the overarching plot may be intriguing, but the dialogue is weak or unconvincing. A poorly written line can instantly break immersion and undermine even the most original premise. In gaming, however, this standard has historically been more flexible. Players often tolerate\u2014or are even conditioned to overlook\u2014stilted exchanges, expository dumps, and shallow character interactions, provided the gameplay loop or the novelty of the story’s structure is engaging enough.<\/p>\n
For AdHoc Studio, this discrepancy in expectation points to a larger, systemic problem. The term ‘narrative’ has become an all-encompassing umbrella that often obscures more than it clarifies. It can refer to environmental storytelling, non-linear plot structures, player choice and consequence, cinematic cutscenes, or the quality of the scriptwriting. While all of these are valid narrative tools, Herman and Lenard argue that none, in isolation, guarantees a good story. The industry’s frequent conflation of these elements means that a game praised for its ‘narrative’ might be excelling in cinematic presentation while its core writing remains lackluster.<\/p>\n
The studio’s philosophy is rooted in a more fundamental principle. Instead of focusing first on constructing a complex plot, the foundation of a great narrative lies in crafting memorable dialogue and strong prose. “You need to write memorable words,” Herman stated. “Memorable words mean memorable characters, and memorable characters mean memorable relationships that people will actually care about.” This human-centric approach posits that players invest in worlds through the characters that inhabit them. Without authentic, well-written characters to form emotional connections with, even the most elaborate and conceptually brilliant plot risks feeling hollow and impersonal.<\/p>\n
This philosophy is not merely theoretical but directly informs AdHoc’s development process. The studio, known for titles like *The Wolf Among Us 2*, consciously inverts a common development pipeline. Rather than building an expansive, complex plot and then populating it with characters to serve that plot, the team begins by focusing on rich, engaging personalities. They invest in defining distinct voices, motivations, and interpersonal dynamics within a simpler, more focused story structure.<\/p>\n
The idea is that the moment-to-moment interactions between these well-defined characters become the primary engine of the narrative experience. This focus ensures that the story remains compelling regardless of its structural complexity. A simple linear narrative populated by fantastically written characters who engage in meaningful, believable dialogue can be far more impactful than a sprawling, choice-driven epic where every conversation feels functional and flat. This methodology allows the narrative to sustain itself through the strength of its character writing, making it resilient and engaging even when stripped of elaborate branching or cinematic spectacle.<\/p>\n
In an industry that frequently celebrates scale, player freedom, and technological marvels, AdHoc’s stance is a deliberate recalibration. They posit that strong writing is not just one component among many; it is the single most important aspect for fostering genuine player investment. A complex script with hundreds of branching possibilities is of little value if players are not captivated by what the characters are actually saying in each of those branches. The writing is the interface through which the player understands the world, relates to its inhabitants, and finds meaning in their actions.<\/p>\n
The danger, as highlighted by Herman and Lenard, is that the pursuit of narrative innovation\u2014through complex mechanics or presentation\u2014can sometimes come at the expense of foundational writing quality. A game might boast an unprecedented number of story outcomes or photorealistic cutscenes, but if the dialogue fails to resonate, the entire narrative construct can feel like an elaborate but empty shell. Players may admire the architecture of the story but feel no emotional connection to its interior.<\/p>\n
This principle is evident in games across genres that have achieved lasting narrative acclaim. Many titles celebrated for their stories share a common thread: exceptional writing that gives depth to their characters. Whether in a tightly focused indie experience or a large-scale AAA adventure, the moments that linger in players’ memories are often intimate exchanges, revealing monologues, or perfectly delivered lines of dialogue\u2014not merely the plot twists or the scale of the world.<\/p>\n
The argument presented by AdHoc Studio carries significant implications for how games are developed and critiqued. It suggests a need for more precise language in discussing narrative success, distinguishing clearly between writing quality, structural ambition, and presentational polish. For developers, it advocates for allocating resources and talent to the writing process with the same rigor applied to graphics or game mechanics. It means hiring skilled writers, involving them early in the design process, and treating the script not as a secondary asset but as a primary pillar of the project.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Herman and Lenard’s message is a call to elevate the craft of writing within game development. It is a reminder that before a narrative can be complex, interactive, or cinematic, it must first be well-written. The words on the page\u2014or in the code\u2014are the bedrock. By refocusing on this essential element, the industry can create stories that don’t just impress with their scope or innovation, but truly connect with players on a human level, forging the memorable relationships that define the most enduring gaming experiences.<\/p>\n
As the medium continues to mature and audiences demand more sophisticated stories, the distinction between narrative ambition and narrative execution will only grow sharper. The legacy of a game’s story is often written not in the grandeur of its plot, but in the quiet power of its words and the authenticity of the characters who speak them. Prioritizing that foundation ensures that the stories games tell will resonate long after the credits roll, proving that emotional depth, forged through excellent writing, remains the ultimate marker of narrative success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AdHoc Studio directors argue that strong writing, not complex plots, is the key to compelling video game narratives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":89305,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cards.overcentral.com\/cards\/en\/30979.png","fifu_image_alt":"AdHoc Studio Directors Advocate for Strong Writing Over Narrative Complexity in Video","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-videogames"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cards.overcentral.com\/cards\/en\/30979.png","fifu_image_alt":"AdHoc Studio Directors Advocate for Strong Writing Over Narrative Complexity in Video","fifu_redirection_url":"https:\/\/thegamepost.com\/tag\/adhoc-studio\/","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/89305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/overcentral.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}