![]() The Iceberg theory is highly relevant to video games. The iceberg was substantial, but I could see most of it, and that deprived it of its majesty. As it was, by the end of the game my sense of wonder was diminished because I knew too much. It makes one wonder how much more compelling Horizon Zero Dawn’s history might have been, had the designers been more frugal about sharing it. The enigmatic NPCs and bosses of Soulsborne games demonstrate how terse storytelling and worldbuilding can provoke curiosity and wonder, where voluminous details might fall flat on the player. This lesson is forgotten in The Last of Us 2, which painstakingly fleshes out character backstories, leaving little to the player’s imagination. What likely transpired in those years adds nuance to his character without taking away the mystery. Each colossus is a story unto itself.Įven among more conventional games, characters that aren’t completely drawn out tend to stick - Joel from The Last of Us is a good example much information is lacking on how he spent the two decades between losing his daughter and meeting Ellie. The unintelligible language contributes to the otherness of the experience. Dilapidated structures hint at a once-great civilization. The expansive, carefully crafted, almost-lifeless world suggests untold depths. Shadow of the Colossus omits with purpose. As Hemingway cautions:Ī writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing. But as you roam the deserted ruins of a once-great civilization hunting down colossi, awe, loneliness, guilt and a sense of foreboding become your constant companions. The dialogue would not fill more than a couple of pages. The game’s core narrative can be related in a handful of sentences. Yet they capture your imagination and tell soul-stirring stories that are pondered by gamers to this day. Ueda’s games have no known language and little dialogue, and very few characters. Video games are unique in that they can use interactivity to communicate with the player on an empathetic level. Fumito Ueda is known to describe his approach as “design by subtraction”. No set of games exemplify minimalist storytelling like those of Team Ico. The iceberg theory transcends writing - it is a potent idea in other storytelling media such as movies or television.īut how does the theory apply to video games? Quite well, it turns out. The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. At its heart, the iceberg theory is a philosophy of minimalism. What is left unsaid, the bulk of the iceberg that remains underwater, lends the story gravitas and strengthens the feelings experienced by the reader. ![]() Only the tip of the iceberg should make it onto the page every word should be used sparingly. The iceberg theory, coined by Hemingway, is a powerful and influential idea in literature.Ī writer should deeply understand the characters and underlying themes of a story, but they shouldn’t spell them out for the reader. The secret of being a bore is to tell everything - Voltaire
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