the rhizome is here to stay

Since the introduction of the concept of storylet by Emily Short, the narrative design community had a concrete word to describe small narrative fragments that can be recombined by a narrative engine to generate unique stories and situations.

This narrative architecture, unlike more linear ones, integrates very well with gameplay.

It’s no coincidence that among the first messages on the mailing list were variables and state.

These two elements are the glue between gameplay and narrative, as they allow both systems to make decisions together.

If there is a narrative architecture that has ideal characteristics to combine with game design, shouldn’t we always use it?

Yes and no: we need to analyze the difficulties it presents, the cons, as it is not necessarily ideal for all types of interactive narrative experiences.

What we do need to understand is that, whether we like it or not, this is a reality that writers will have to get used to: rhizomes are here to stay.