Story Structure & Theories
This classic storytelling structure, often called "The Hero's Journey," was popularized by Joseph Campbell.
What is the Monomyth?
A term for narratives that deeply engage an audience by making them feel part of the world.
What is Immersive Storytelling?
In animation and film, this technique involves creating a rough sequence of images to visualize a story before full production.
What is Storyboarding?
This type of storytelling structure presents the story in non-chronological or fragmented ways.
What is Nonlinear Storytelling?
This archetypal character often guides the hero and provides wisdom.
What is a Mentor?
This storytelling model consists of a beginning, middle, and end, often referred to as the setup, confrontation, and resolution.
What is the Three-Act Structure?
The set of rules, geography, and lore that define a fictional universe.
What is Worldbuilding?
This visual storytelling technique involves overlapping multiple images, texts, or videos to create a layered effect.
What is Collage?
A type of game narrative where players can make choices that impact the story.
What is a Branching Narrative?
A symbolic journey across different phases of a character’s development.
What is a Rite of Passage?
In narrative development, this term refers to the transformation that a character undergoes throughout the story
What is a Character Arc?
A 3D game engine used for interactive storytelling and immersive experiences.
What is Unity or Unreal Engine?
A visual technique where an object or symbol represents a deeper meaning.
What is Visual Metaphor?
A structure where players can complete story elements in any order.
What is Open-Ended Storytelling?
A trickster character challenges the status quo and disrupts the norm.
What is a Trickster Figure?
This concept in storytelling is defined as an abrupt twist that changes the audience's perception of prior events.
What is a Plot Twist?
A storytelling method that combines real-world locations with digital content.
What is Augmented Reality (AR)?
This term refers to a sequence of animated images used to test movement and story flow before finalizing production.
What is an Animatic?
A game that uses multiple mediums (such as websites, social media, and in-game content) to tell a story.
What is Transmedia Storytelling?
The psychological theory that suggests certain symbols and motifs exist across all cultures.
What is Jung’s Collective Unconscious?
A protagonist who lacks traditional heroic qualities but is still compelling.
What is an Antihero?
A moment in interactive storytelling where the player cannot control the character, forcing them to observe a crucial scene.
What is a Cutscene?
A film editing theory/effect by which viewers derive more meaning from the interaction of two sequential shots than from a single shot in isolation.
What is The Kuleshov Effect?
When a game’s world reacts to the player’s actions over time.
What is Dynamic Worldbuilding?
The background story and setting of a game’s universe.
What is Lore?