: Re: How do I involve my audience with my story? I am writing for a video game, and I have noticed that there is a gap between plot and gameplay. Most times there is a plot to a story, but

@Michele605

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Tell your story through gameplay, not just through cutscenes. Include as much of the character development as you can in the gameplay animations and mechanics. Examples:

In an RPG, make a character's battle abilities match well with their personality. For example, a helpful, caring character might have healing abilities. Or, use this in a deeper way, allowing a character's abilities to foreshadow their eventual development.
Include characters' personalities in your gameplay animations. If someone's clumsy and unsure, don't make them suddenly epic in battle. A picture's worth a thousand words: awkward-looking sword swinging can define a character almost instantly.

Most importantly, though:

Lay out levels in a way that forces, for the sake of solving the puzzle, a character to do something. Bonus points if the "something" is traumatic and the player feels the necessity.

Check out Ico; they integrate of story and gameplay very well.

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