Journey of a Game Designer - Part I

A Young man awakes in filthy tavern.

“Where am I?” he says, lost and confused.

Just next to his bed he sees a frankenstein like monster covered with scars. The young man notices the creature’s lips are sewn and his gaze is empty, as if its soul had gone. The creature give a quick glance at him and resume taking notes, he is writing with a large feather on a scroll. A floating skull suddenly emerges from behind the zombie-like creature.

“Awake at last! Let’s go my friend! We have a lot to do! And no time to waste!”

“I don’t understand… Am I dreaming or something? Because speaking with a skull is like… insane right?”

Despite the lack of skin an muscles. The young man can feel how bad he hurt the skull with this unfriendly remark, his bulging eyes are now fixed on him.

“I wouldn’t have expected such bad manners from someone like you… but wait don’t tell me your amnesiac or something? You do know why you’re here right?”

The young man shrug.

“Hey… absolutly not…” he says

“For all I know, I must have drink a lot, and I’m trapped in a silly dream…”

Skull doesnt’ seem to pay attention and suddenly take off and fly in circle in the small room.

“Damn.. this means… a new story has started, but this time…this time this is different. It has to…” Skull continue to circle around the place, and whispers and moans unintelligible words to himself.

“Hey! Is everything ok … Mr. Skull ?” asks the young man

Skull stop and stare at him.

“Ok, I now wonder if you are genuinely lost or…truly an idiot... I bet on the former.”

“You’re not in a dream ! You’re in a story… In your story I may add… in which you’re obviously the protagonist I’d say, maybe even the main character !”

Morte. Planescape Torment. 1999

“Hey…what do ..”

Skull interrupts him and hover towards his nose, his jaws wide open.

“Hush! let me speak cuz’ we don’t have much words left before the scene is finished, And a lot is at stake here…So let me ask some questions”

Young man nod silently.

“Do you remember anything before you landed in this tavern?

Young man shakes his head.

“No, it’s weird, it’s like I’m blank, I… I…don’t even know my name…” he adds.

“Ok . Could make sense, and must be part of the hook”, says the Skull out loud. “Misteries and stuff, you must have a terrific backstory fore sure… and we will have to figure it out later”.

Skull shouts at the zombie like creature.

"Hey Nameless, bring me some candles please, I can’t see well in that dark without my glasses.

The big zombie moan and shrug and put his notes aside. Few seconds later, he is back with a large red candle covered with welted wax. 

Skull give a closer look at the young man.

“Damn… your’e right ! you’re flat and blank… it’s so rare to see such a shallow character… such emptiness, such vacuity. You have kind of… character flaw disease... but much worse…”

“Let me check. No description, no background, no motive, no… Something is really wrong here. It Must be part of maker design, but this is nonsense!”

“Is that serious .” Asks the young man.

“Dunno…In short, You are a young man with no memory lost in a world you don’t understand. You’re kind of blank, not emotions, no desire... an empty shell.

Young man frown.

“Are you finished ? No needs to be rude, it’s not that common either, to see a floating skull in a relationship, or whatever it is with some gigantic zombie, even for an amnesic blank shallow man like me!

Skull eyeball’s pop out their socket.

“Don’t change the subject ! Beside Nameless is NOT a zombie, long story that explains He has this face only sledgehammer could love... AND HAS!”

Skull calm down and his eyes shrink back.

Nameless. Planescape Torment. 1999

“Anyway, this superficiality of yours, is not you’re fault it’s part of the story design, must be a reason. I’m sure you will grow later, and become a more… more… you’ll become someone… deeper. And well for now…we have more pressent matters, we must discover your goal, and fast.

“A goal ? Why is that”

“First Rule : No goal, no story ” he tells

“And no story.. no ..Us. I don’t want to disappear, plus, If we can figure out why you are here, it may changes everything in this world.

The young man seems puzzled.

“I may be flat and shallow character but I wonder.. how is that you know such things… about stories, worlds, and such”

“Well, to put it short…I’m cursed, I have true sight and I can see things…through the veil that hides the rules and procedures that shape our worlds. I can see through creators designs. And I can tell you these sadistic beings named game designers and writers are no good at all… they play with us like cats do with mice for their own satisfaction. They kill, they betray, the feast on our suffering, and there so few we can do to overcome what they throw at us.

“Wow that’s… intense”, replies young man.

“Anyway, I can sense we all are trapped here for a reason. Nameless and I have waited a long time for you to come and save us from this world”

Young man frown

“So this is your world... this dusty tavern ?

Skull grin and laugh.

“Oh, no ! The world is huge out there. Huge and … broken. We were just waiting for a game designer to fix it. Because This world is pure non sense. Everything is upside down. We ended up here with Nameless and a lot of Characters from different stories, and game worlds.. At first we thought it was kind of “Heaven and Hell” for outcast story characters like us… but I discovered something the other couldn’t see nor understand!

“I’m all ears”, says Young man.

“Listen up.. We are in a broken video game world where all is all messed up. A dark force know as “Chaos and Bad Design” has caused havoc. Characters caught flat disease, a lot died in desert of boredom , some became loopholes drunk addicts and grew overpowered, and other are still trapped in deadlocks. We are plagued by broken difficulty curves, inconsitencies, juste name it. We DO need a savior to fix it, and I prayed for a designer to begin a journey to restore the balance… and you know the best part of this… this savior is you !

“Me ? But I don’t even know my name ? Besides… I know nothing about game design or story design? Sorry Skull, Must be a mistake.

“Nah.. It’s part of the pattern - and my name is Morte, by the way - In term of story design, you’re an orphan. You don’t have the skill yet. But sooner or latter an inciting event will kick you on a journey… you’ll learn skill, you’ll grow, maybe lose a limb, but… and eventually will save us… or not. Will depends on the story maker and the genre… I just hope we are not in a thriller !

“Speaking of…This writer has a very bad English. The way we perceive things through descriptions , the way we speak. Poor grammar, obvious lack of vocabulary. He even used pictures ! It seems so unnatural. Tell me.. You can feel that right ? You feel the maker behinds our back right ? his heavy breath behind our neck ?

“Hum.. maybe… Actually..no.” 

“Damn, you truly have no design nor storywriting skills have you?”

Young man shakes his head.

“Skull, I don’t know what you are talking about. And why the so called writer would do that anyway.. I mean what is the point of writing in a language he “obviously” doesn’t master ?

“Dunno, maybe to target a wider audience, that would make sense. Games, stories.. all is about marketing now you know ? Besides, without audience we have no existence… The wider, the better.

“Anyway, that doesn’t matter. Language or not…this maker as a plan, and we must figure it out.

“So far i know, we are in the beginning of the story, and since we Are in a story… Well, things will go wrong anytime soon.

“What do you mean by.. go wrong ?”.

Morte grins.

“Damn, you’re such a noob ! Hey Maker, was it that hard to bring a genuine game designer / writer in our story for once why an amnesiac noobish as flat as a … ? Ho… wait.. I see… I get it !

More smiles.

“What ?” asks the Young man.

“I can’t tell you. If I spoil, you’ll fail.Sorry, but you’ll have to figure it out by yourself”

“Ok then, So what next ?”

“mmm.. time, word counts.. My guess, we are somewhere near a scene ending….A short story, a novel of maybe a script. Ok. Takes notes “Nameless”.

The frankestein zombie creature scribble some notes.

As Morte speaks to his fellow compagnon. The young man tries hard to gather his thoughts. Why is he here ? Who is he ? Why is it so hard to remember?

He forces memories to surface. And suddenly he has a clear flash.

“Hey ! Pieces of memory came back !” he shouts

Both Nameless and Morte stops and stare at him.

“Last night ! I remember last night. I was playing video game and eating pizza.

“So… you do plays video games, that’s a start ! Good news…but go on please.

“I remember I was excited, I fragged a lot and the “Uber Goose Clan” finally accepted me… But wait… I want to go home ! Linda will ring anytime. I have a date with her !”

Morte is now exited. His eyes randomly rolls in their sockets.

“Great ! You have your story goal ! You want to go home ! And to see a girl. I guess she is beautifull right ?”

“Yes ! Exactly ! She is the most beautiful girl in the world ! I want to be with her !”

Suddenly, the air is charged with electricity and a red glowing portal appears in the room.

“Look, says the young man ! That’s it this must be my way out !”

“No Wait ! You can’t go there !”

“Why ? I want to go home !”

“I’m Sorry Pal… but all scenes must end with a disaster”.

“What do you …? “

But he can’t finish his sentence

Nameless hits him hard with a Club.

Young man collapse.

TO BE CONTINUED...