A Story Behind
A story is not enough.
A saga is what we needed.
We often talk about Storytelling, a strategy to add value to all entertainment products, from the most complex to the most ephemeral.
The public, consumers and all the stakeholders involved expect more and more from any product, they are certainly expected to be technically perfect and to give satisfaction in terms of winnings, but this is the basis that we take for granted. Are we sure that this is all it takes?
The WMG creative team has a holistic approach to designing its games, which is why we believe it is important to take care of every aspect, the mechanics and graphics are chosen based on a basic inspiration, a good idea will guide all aspects and departments, a good intuition inspires and generates new insights.
Our “Sam of Ham” is the protagonist of a narrative arc that cannot stop at a single slot, “Sam” tells his story by playing, through a storytelling consistent with the character, each stage or version of it generates spinoffs, expanding the so-called “universe narrative”.
A simple basic plot allows us to model a series of contexts and characters, to deepen their character and thus capture the consumer, to stimulate their curiosity, to accompany them over time to explore a world of possibilities with us. Establishing a story is not an exercise in style, the elements of storytelling contribute to keeping the audience’s attention high, knowingly mixing the components of a story.
The story-arc is an extended narrative line, used in very long sagas of films or comics, in our case of slots, in which the basic plot is the backdrop to the succession of several events, these views taken together will provide a framework: the narrative structure.
Sam a little pig fighting against aliens, geese or zombies to defend his farm.
In this narrative arc the same character changes, evolves and makes us discover new aspects of himself. The duration is not important, its functionality in the general plot is more important.
Within our narrative universe there are plots, episodes, individual products which in series enrich our own story, giving us new creative lifeblood. Once again a good idea leads us towards a path full of possibilities.
Gustav Freytag, an illustrious German writer, presents the construction of a narrative arc by dividing it into five parts: Context, Conflict, Climax, Closure and Conclusion. In general, the divisions also proposed by other creatives and writers have an ancient root, the three acts of the Aristotelian theory at the basis of the myths of ancient Greece:
First Act: Introduction of the characters and context (the graphic theme of a slot).
Second Act: The clash or the challenge (the actual game, the challenge, the bet).
Third Act: The resolution (the win or loss).
Writing a story behind a series of characters and themes is an advantage to exploit, the game acquires depth, solidity, value.
As we told the story, we became fond of the desperate exploits of a little pig, certain that the player will also follow his adventures over time.
Stefano Franceschini, WMG Creative Designer.