GAME WRITER vocabulary
Antagonist
The character that opposes the main character. In games, this character is the main boss.
Anti-Hero
An anti-hero is a protagonist who doesn't contain the typical heroic qualities that we have come to expect from narrative leads, but we are still asked to sympathize with. Kratos from God of War is an anti-hero. So is Joel from The Last of Us.
Caricature
A caricature is a broad or very stereotypical character, verging on a send-up. They are not "believable".
Character Arc
In a story, most protagonists undergo some kind of transformation or change. This is usually referred to as their ‘arc’ or ‘journey’.
Fatal flaw
In classic literature, a fatal flaw is an imperfection, issue or prejudice that can potentially lead to the character's downfall. In games, the flaw is usually an issue that the character has to work through over the course of the experience, like Kratos taking responsibility for his past in 2018's God of War. It is usually tied to the arc of a character.
Flat characters
A two-dimensional or flimsy character; someone that feels lifeless or has no depth
Goals
What is the character pursuing? What do they need to achieve? The character goal can be a conscious thing ("I need to find the treasure") or it can be subconscious ("I need to find closure with my ex"). Either way, the character pursuing that goal drives the story forward. In more complex narratives, a character might have an external or conscious goal as well as an interior or subconscious goal, and often those two things will be at odds.
Inner conflict
An inner conflict is a psychological battle that a person is waging with themselves. For example, in The Last of Us, the character of Joel struggles with his affection for Ellie versus his desire to end the Infection.
Narrator (and Unreliable Narrator)
The narrator is the person who tells the story, often via voiceover. Sometimes that character is the protagonist, but not always. Most games don't have narration, but there are a few who have employed the device, such as Dragon Age 2 and The Stanley Parable.
NPC
Non-player character. Typically, any character who appears in the game who is not the player
character.
Objectives
In games, the goal is usually broken into smaller objectives that the player pursues. Sometimes an objective is a physical location ("reach the castle"�) and sometimes it is a task ("defeat the dragon")
Player Character
The character the player embodies, who is virtually always the protagonist of the story. Typically, a game will only have one player character, although games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Broken Age feature multiple player characters.
Protagonist
In story terms, the protagonist is the principal character in the story and the one who usually drives the action. In games, the player character is usually the protagonist.
Stakes
What happens if the player doesn't achieve their goal? What is at threat if they fail in their task. Stakes can tangible (mankind is wiped out) or intangible (I am humiliated).
Trope (or archetype)
A trope is a familiar storytelling device. It is often used pejoratively. For example, the "damsel in distress" is a trope. So is "deus ex machina".
