Silent storytelling principle?

[Tentacles]

This is something I've recently heard about. As fascinating as I find the concept, how would something like this be accomplished in something like a visual novel?

I guess one way I could think of it, would be a mostly dialogue approach. And then background design tells much of the story that isn't said directly. For example, different story paths have different background designs that tell the story slightly differently than if you have been told the narrative directly.

But that's one way I guess.

It's giving me a lot to think about I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

[Laiska]

I haven't heard of this. Could you explain a bit more about it?

[Kailoto]

I haven't heard of this. Could you explain a bit more about it?

I'm mostly judging based off what I've seen (I did a quick Google search to corroborate), so some parts might be off, but I think it's close enough.

When it comes to interactive experiences, the best definition of the silent storytelling principle is the convergence of mechanics, atmosphere, and narrative - each of which is usually designed separately. When a story is felt rather than told, it means that the narrative is embedded into the very actions and setting of the game. Cutscenes, dialogue, and internal narration are used sparingly; collectibles, atmospherics, and emergent mechanics carry most of the weight.

There's actually quite a few games nowadays that follow a similar design. They usually involve a silent protagonist and a lore system where bits of information about the world and the characters are scattered about as collectibles and whatnot. I think the most recent game I've played with this design was Teslagrad; it's a physics/puzzle/platformer that tells a story through artistic rendering of the setting and collectible scrolls that depict the history of Teslagrad. Nothing is told to you directly, and you could conceivably beat the game without knowing the whole story. Another recent example would be Gone Home, which I haven't actually played yet, but understand enough about its gameplay to know it fits in this category.

As for how it would work in a visual novel... that's a tough question. The only mechanic in most VNs is choice, both internal as well as from dialogue, and you'd have to be really creative to separate that from "telling" the story as opposed to evoking it. You would probably have a better bet with atmospherics - strong illustrative and musical direction can easily convey a story without needing to explicitly state it - but you could also use those atmospherics in tandem with typical storytelling to create something just as unique.

Anyways, that's mostly just conjecture. It does seem like a promising facet of VN design, though.

[Tentacles]

I might have to try this. It seems like having this principle and having say fifty thousand word novel would be hard. It will probably end up more like a short story with a novel length run time.

I'm tempted to try screen writing, if for no other reason than it seems like the principle is more easily conveyed visually. Like for horror, parts of the house is run down. You here voices in the basement, and an old weeping willow has a rotting gallows rope on it. The sky has four moons, and the neighborhood swing set has become rusty. So it may convey some sort of very slight fantasy world.

[SundownKid]

That kind of reminds me of Dark Souls. Well, you'd probably need to have an adventure game to get the most out of it. I doubt it would work in a visual novel, which is technically all story.

[trooper6]

That kind of reminds me of Dark Souls. Well, you'd probably need to have an adventure game to get the most out of it. I doubt it would work in a visual novel, which is technically all story.

On the other hand, visual novels are a form of adventure game as well. I could see something like Gone Home done as a visual novel. It would have to be modified to take advantage of the 2D nature of Renpy, but I think it could be done. Especially if dialogue is fair game. Or scraps of paper found on the ground that advance the story. Or creative use of sound.

I think it is definitely doable.

[SundownKid]

That kind of reminds me of Dark Souls. Well, you'd probably need to have an adventure game to get the most out of it. I doubt it would work in a visual novel, which is technically all story.

On the other hand, visual novels are a form of adventure game as well. I could see something like Gone Home done as a visual novel. It would have to be modified to take advantage of the 2D nature of Renpy, but I think it could be done. Especially if dialogue is fair game. Or scraps of paper found on the ground that advance the story. Or creative use of sound.

I think it is definitely doable.

True, but then it wouldn't really be a "visual novel" in the true sense of the term, it would be a "visual novel x adventure game" where you could navigate through rooms in a house. But yes, it could work in that manner through use of imagebuttons and the like.

[verysunshine]

That kind of reminds me of Dark Souls. Well, you'd probably need to have an adventure game to get the most out of it. I doubt it would work in a visual novel, which is technically all story.

On the other hand, visual novels are a form of adventure game as well. I could see something like Gone Home done as a visual novel. It would have to be modified to take advantage of the 2D nature of Renpy, but I think it could be done. Especially if dialogue is fair game. Or scraps of paper found on the ground that advance the story. Or creative use of sound.

I think it is definitely doable.

True, but then it wouldn't really be a "visual novel" in the true sense of the term, it would be a "visual novel x adventure game" where you could navigate through rooms in a house. But yes, it could work in that manner through use of imagebuttons and the like.

What do you mean by "a 'visual novel' in the true sense of the term"? Things like audio logs or Gone Home-style diary entries are not part of the traditional visual novel format, but they could be used to great effect. If Finnigan's Wake can be a book, something like Analog: A Hate Story, with its diary entry format, could be considered a VN. At the same time, a VN with few visual novel elements would be like a stealth game where most of the enemies can be punched through. Hmmm... it would be an interesting exercise trying to figure out how to classify a project with this concept. The concept itself is brilliant. I want to try it out.

[trooper6]

It seems the "Silent Storytelling Principle" concept comes into discourse from this YouTube video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-07yKAbfG8o

The maker of that video defines silent storytelling as "silent storytelling is where you unravel the story through your actions rather than having someone explain it to you." He uses Gone Home and Shadow of the Collosus as examples. For the maker of the video, diegetic explanations (like sister Sam's diary entries) don't count as silent storytelling...because that is still someone telling you something rather than you finding out through your actions.

I think Facetime might be an example of Silent Storytelling as SnomaN Gaming defines it...and certainly I think the principle can be done in VNs. Basically? Show don't tell.

[Tentacles]

Yea that was the video I was eluding to. Basically the way I see it being done is showing more through art and scenery, letting that tell as much of the story as dialogue.

I do know in 'traditional' gameplay they advise storytelling as story experiencing. How they define this isn't really all that distinct from just being an excellent storyteller in my opinion.

[TheKiwi]

I think it could work very well in a more serious type of VN. While I can't help the conversation on the Gone Home front, as I haven't played it, I have played other games that utilize this.

In a visual novel sense, route branches could use this principle very well. A route where you help someone with their business because of money problems, for example, would be very different in the other route. In "Money Route", you are told the problems and strive to fix them. In "Other Route", the store could start looking a bit worse for wear as time goes on. Dimmer lights, less items on the shelves, etc. If it doesn't go out of business by the end of the route, it's just a small detail that people who played the other one would really take notice of. Otherwise, it would be foreshadowing the issues that the store has up until its revealed that it had to close.

[Vogue]

This is absolutely possible in a VN. It's actually possible with nothing but words, too. In The Yellow Wallpaper, you witness the narrator's descent into madness. Not because she tells you that she's going mad, but because you see her narration become erratic and obsessive.

That kind of reminds me of Dark Souls. Well, you'd probably need to have an adventure game to get the most out of it. I doubt it would work in a visual novel, which is technically all story.

Certainly, Dark Souls is go-to for a game that lets the player explore this facet of storytelling through gameplay, but it's not like DS only reveals omitted information through gameplay. The first example that comes to mind is Maughlin the Armorer in Dark Souls 2. When you first meet him, he's skittish and humble. But after you buy a few pieces of armor from him, he becomes arrogant and dismissive. You could argue that buying items from him constitutes gameplay, but the same effect would be easy to achieve with a simple line of text. E.g., you run into another character that's like 'oh yeah I've been shopping at his store' or whatever. The player is left to wonder why he's become arrogant, and they then have to piece together the truth on their own without being told. It's easy to achieve the same effect in a visual novel.

For the maker of the video, diegetic explanations (like sister Sam's diary entries) don't count as silent storytelling...because that is still someone telling you something rather than you finding out through your actions.

I disagree. The important information isn't the content of the diaries, it's the reality of the home situation for Katie. For example, reading a balled-up rejection letter for the Dad's third JFK novel serves the purpose of allowing the player to realize on their own that the Dad has become a schlock-writing weirdo, which is driving his wife away from him. That's the story, not his failure as a writer.

Pretty much all good fiction does this to some extent. It's just a matter of withholding and then doling out the right information.

[trooper6]

For the maker of the video, diegetic explanations (like sister Sam's diary entries) don't count as silent storytelling...because that is still someone telling you something rather than you finding out through your actions.

I disagree. The important information isn't the content of the diaries, it's the reality of the home situation for Katie. For example, reading a balled-up rejection letter for the Dad's third JFK novel serves the purpose of allowing the player to realize on their own that the Dad has become a schlock-writing weirdo, which is driving his wife away from him. That's the story, not his failure as a writer.

Pretty much all good fiction does this to some extent. It's just a matter of withholding and then doling out the right information.

Well I agree with you, I was just pointing out how narrow of a definition the video maker has of the term he seems to have coined. I think his definition is needlessly narrow...but I mentioned it because since it seemed the OP got the definition from that video they might also be operating from that narrow definition.

I tend to be more flexible in my definitions of things.

[Vogue]

For the maker of the video, diegetic explanations (like sister Sam's diary entries) don't count as silent storytelling...because that is still someone telling you something rather than you finding out through your actions.

I disagree. The important information isn't the content of the diaries, it's the reality of the home situation for Katie. For example, reading a balled-up rejection letter for the Dad's third JFK novel serves the purpose of allowing the player to realize on their own that the Dad has become a schlock-writing weirdo, which is driving his wife away from him. That's the story, not his failure as a writer.

Pretty much all good fiction does this to some extent. It's just a matter of withholding and then doling out the right information.

Well I agree with you, I was just pointing out how narrow of a definition the video maker has of the term he seems to have coined. I think his definition is needlessly narrow...but I mentioned it because since it seemed the OP got the definition from that video they might also be operating from that narrow definition.

I tend to be more flexible in my definitions of things.

Oh, word. Didn't actually watch the video until now, so I didn't realize that you were paraphrasing his definition in opposition to your own.

Also, side note. There are way too many of these half-baked game design analysis youtubers around these days. Repeatedly stating the obvious and rambling about 'game feel' does not a game designer make.

[trooper6]

Oh, word. Didn't actually watch the video until now, so I didn't realize that you were paraphrasing his definition in opposition to your own.

Also, side note. There are way too many of these half-baked game design analysis youtubers around these days. Repeatedly stating the obvious and rambling about 'game feel' does not a game designer make.

Oh I agree with that. I was made exceptionally crazy around the Mass Effect 3 hullabaloo. So many people made videos explaining why the game was the worst...and they used a bunch of "analysis" that proved they had no analytical skills at all.