Creating a Narrative Environment - Choice and Consequence in Single Player Games

Abstract

This paper discusses the methods by which branching narratives and sandbox style environments are employed within games to create emergent narratives, concluding that whilst they both offer plenty of opportunities for developers, they are also often prohibitively expensive and complex to incorporate.  There are also some major caveats raised regarding the constraints that must be levied on the game in order to keep control of a complex interactive narrative.