This document discusses narrative design in the video game Horizon Zero Dawn. It begins by providing context on the role of narrative designer in video game development. It then examines the 4-layer model of narrative design proposed by Thomas Grip and Adrian Chmielarz. The document analyzes the specific narrative design of Horizon Zero Dawn, including the producers' goals of a female protagonist fighting machines on a post-apocalyptic Earth. It discusses how the narrative designer imagined the game's history, created a compelling protagonist, and paced out revelations to drive players through the game.

1. Narrative Design, the case of “Horizon Zero Dawn”
Nelson Zagalo, Universidade de Aveiro
Aveiro, 29 novembro 2017

2. “Narrative Designer is a role in
contemporary videogame
development first seen in 2006 when
the video game publisher THQ began
hiring for the position.”
Stephen Dinehart

3. 1992 1993 1996 2000

4. “Poetics” devised the first principles for the art of
analyzing stories through their form instead of
content, thus creating the base for which appeared
in the 20th century as formalism, later as
structuralism in the form of a narratology, and now
is giving us this so called Narrative Design.
He defined Tragedy as made of “six parts”
plot (mythos)
character (ethos)
thought (dianoia)
diction (lexis)
melody (melos)
spectacle (opsis)

5. Narrative Design of StoryWorlds
Narrative Design of Alternate Realities
Narrative Design of Interactive Storytelling
Narrative Design of Virtual Worlds
Narrative Design of Videogames
It can have game parts involved, it can have educational purposes, it can have
artistic objectives, but for what concerns this discussion we care only about
processes using Narrative as the central information structure.
Narrative as an Information Structure

6. Layer 1: Gameplay
Layer 2: Narrative Goal
Layer 3: Narrative Background
Layer 4: Mental Modeling
A first proposal on the domain, by game developers, which is interesting, and can even serve for a
first discussion on the game design approach to narrative design.
However this proposition does not acknowledge all the complexities around the development of
the Storyworlds Experience, and leaves outside all the non-game experiences
One of the first narrative design models: “4-Layers”
by Thomas Grip and Adrian Chmielarz

7. Usability
The system must be functional, and understandable
Sensory
The artefact builds an experience, game based, artistic based
or cultural based.
Significance
The artefact has something to tell, expresses an idea.
What do we need to model StoryWorlds

8. A formalist view of StoryWorlds
Usability
Functional
Universal
Systemic
Efficient
Feedback
Clarity
Sensory
Emotional
Cultural
Flow
Visceral
Behavioural
Reflexive
Significance
Story
Moral
Conflict
World
Characters
Events
Content
Form

9. Narrative Design Approach to Storyworlds
Storyworld
Significance
Story
(Fabula)
Form
(Discourse)

10. Narrative Design
a. Message
Made of a Theme, surrounded by a Lore, moving towards a main Conflict.
b. World
The Context made of settings and objects. Connects all parts.
c. Characters
Personality, Presentation and Actions. Connects events and world.
d. Events
The narrative nodes that build the plot. Connects form and content.

12. If we were looking into usability
Defining the UI and the UX for the actions (fight, craft, mount, etc,.) to
be performed by the user

13. If we were looking into sensory
Defining the game design (mechanics, goals, rules, pace).

14. The Narrative Design of HZD

15. Producers goal:
“female protagonist fighting machines on a lush Earth far in
the future”
Narrative designer task:
“a) imagine an entire history for this strange new world”
“b) create a character who’d be compelling to play”
“c) give her a deeply personal reason to go questing across the
world”
“d) make sure her personal quest put her on a collision course with
the biggest mysteries of the world”
“e) pace out the (quite intricate) answers to those mysteries so each
revelation left players wanting more, driving them on to the end of
the game”
a. the Message
John Gonzalez
narrative designer of HZD

16. The Theme
Humans beaten by machines (Sci-fi)
The storyline
“In a lush, post-apocalyptic world where nature has
reclaimed the ruins of a forgotten civilization, pockets of
humanity live on in primitive hunter-gatherer tribes. Their
dominion over the new wilderness has been usurped by the
Machines – fearsome mechanical creatures of unknown
origin.”
Main conflict
Survive and find answers to solve the mystery behind
the world presented.
a. the Message

17. a. the Message
Horizon Zero Dawn | Aloy's Journey - E3 2016 Cinematic Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JPXzcJh_oI

18. Who
Good humans, bad humans, and intelligent machines
Where
In a post-apocalyptic future, in our planet Earth.
When
In a time when humans have no knowledge of the technology surrounding them.
What happens
Bad men seem to know how to control machines and turn them against good humans,
our hero community.
Why?
Who are those machines? Why are they there? How has that happen? How does
machines get energy? Why humans can’t control the machines?
a. the Message

19. Settings serves to build the context for the
Conflict
Each space has specific architecture, specific
landscape, with atmospheric changes (sun, snow,
rain), day and night.
a. the World

20. Objects connect the character with the Conflict
The most relevant for the storyworld are the objects containing
ideas about the world, like books, text pages, mobile devices with
audio recordings or holograms, digital screens, but even old
collectibles like vessels or signage.
a. the World

21. a. the Characters
Personality
Builds a direct connection with the essence of Story, with
the player having opportunities to refine it. Defines her
communication verbal and non-verbal (Aloy is curious,
untameable but sensible).

22. a. the Characters
Presentation
Builds the bridge to the World. Defines how do
we get to know her, throughout the game.

23. a. the Characters
Actions
Defines the Events and consequently the Story. Again the
player can choose the skills to invest and define it.

24. a. the Events
Narrative Nodes
It works to realize the plot and
represent the story. The
events are interdependent
with Character’s actions and
Story message.
In HZD the plot is non-linear
and open. The nodes get
presented through three
different levels of relevance:
Global, Tribal and Individual.

25. a. the Events
A B
C1
C2 D2
D1
E
Global
Tribal
Individual
Quest map

26. How was it created
HZD was a PlayStation 4 exclusive
Cost
over €45 million, very cheap when compared to the €250
million of GTA V, or even the €80 million of another
European videogame “The Witcher 3”.
Workforce
At peak, 250 persons, plus 100 outsourced in China for
assets. Through the entire production duration: 20
persons
Duration
6 full years

27. Narrative Design
The complexity behind the building of these artefacts is only manageable
through teams of producers, which lead leaders in each area (programming,
technology, design, art, sound, narrative) responding to a greater
organization of people.
Narrative design is an highly difficult task in these AAA projects, because it
needs to maintain meaning meaningful throughout the entire categories of
assets, spaces and time, and more problematic through a web of power
hierarchies inside the command of organization.
However, narrative design relevance is major, because it is the main driving
force behind player motivation to go until the end. Videogames have a
natural problem with being able to deliver complete experiences to its
receptors.

28. Narrative Design, the case of “Horizon Zero Dawn”
Nelson Zagalo, Universidade de Aveiro
nzagalo@ua.pt
http://nelsonzagalo.googlepages.com
http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.com