Narrative Design in Skyrim

It can be difficult to differentiate between writing dialogue and writing a game. While writing a game and designing a game go hand-in-hand, there is a certain expertise that comes with meaningfully integrating a story with the gameplay. This expertise is what is called narrative design. When the writer is integrated with the design team, it becomes their responsibility to unify the story of the game with the gameplay in a way that makes the player's immersion in the story flow seamlessly from conversation to puzzle to combat to exploration to what have you.

I've cited many examples of narrative design in this blog, but Reddit user OccupyTamrielhas put together these Imgur albums documenting amazing examples in Skyrim. These examples demonstrate the power of narrative design when used correctly. Telling a story in a game is not just about navigating branching dialogue; it's about using the tools available to you as a designer, such as item placement and environment design, to immerse the player in your story.

Album 1
Album 2