Hello everyone,
Recently - during my research in Deus Ex and it's repeated area of New York Hell's Kitchen - I've noticed a technique or approach towards embedded narrative beyond simply providing text information.
Often times - when we talk about embedded narrative we look at either the Environment itself - or things like diary entries or audio logs for instance. Whilst Deus Ex definitely makes use of objects that convey text information - such as Newspapers, Books, Data-pads and E-Mails - there is further insight in the way this information is portrayed.
When you find something written in a newspaper, you might assume that the information you are reading is wide-spread. At least more wide-spread than if the information you've read was found in an e-mail. This is something that is worth thinking about and reflecting on when you are creating your own embedded narrative elements - as it offers more depth and gives the player a better sense of the story world itself.
Having multiple embedded elements pointing and reinforcing one another could serve to be an effective and often interesting means to allow players to form a narrative. Providing them with not only multiple perspectives on the same information - but also different mediums [Newspapers for instance being public, whilst an e-mail is private] can help players form a narrative more effectively, and possibly an even more interesting narrative!
Until next time,
Dylan
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