1
00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,740
Imagine a version of Bioshock without cutscenes.

2
00:00:08,740 --> 00:00:12,030
Without Andrew Ryan’s bathysphere Powerpoint.

3
00:00:12,030 --> 00:00:13,730
Without Atlas yapping in your ear.

4
00:00:13,730 --> 00:00:17,180
And without those juicy audio diaries.

5
00:00:17,180 --> 00:00:21,680
Do you think players would still understand
what the game was all about?

6
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,560
Well, I think they’d actually have a pretty
good idea.

7
00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,269
Because all you have to do is look at your
surroundings.

8
00:00:29,269 --> 00:00:33,870
The game is set in a massive city at the very
bottom of the ocean.

9
00:00:33,870 --> 00:00:39,820
One clearly made for those in high society,
considering the fancy bars, apartment complexes,

10
00:00:39,820 --> 00:00:40,960
and theatre districts.

11
00:00:40,960 --> 00:00:45,500
And it’s a place built on lofty philosophical
ideals.

12
00:00:45,500 --> 00:00:48,660
But it’s also a place of ruin and despair.

13
00:00:48,660 --> 00:00:51,280
There was obviously a moment of downfall.

14
00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:56,100
Some people split into violent factions, and
others just lost their minds.

15
00:00:56,100 --> 00:01:01,010
And this all went down on New Year’s Day,
1959.

16
00:01:01,010 --> 00:01:06,530
Bioshock is a wonderful example of how a game’s
environment can be an effective method of

17
00:01:06,530 --> 00:01:07,530
storytelling.

18
00:01:07,530 --> 00:01:12,340
And how embedding narrative elements into
the very spaces and places that we visit throughout

19
00:01:12,340 --> 00:01:17,189
the game, can speak just as loudly as more
traditional forms of storytelling.

20
00:01:17,189 --> 00:01:21,979
And that is exactly what this episode of Game
Maker’s Toolkit is all about.

21
00:01:21,979 --> 00:01:26,700
In this video I’m going to focus on three
ways that the environment can be used for

22
00:01:26,700 --> 00:01:33,549
storytelling - and talk about how level design
can drive our understanding, feeling, and identity.

23
00:01:33,549 --> 00:01:37,499
Starting, with understanding.

24
00:01:37,499 --> 00:01:44,700
So the signs, stiffs, and scribbles in Bioshock
are examples of “environmental storytelling”

25
00:01:44,700 --> 00:01:50,200
- the use of set dressing to create small,
optional, and self-contained vignettes.

26
00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:55,159
Like warnings written in blood, or the many,
many skeletons in the Fallout games, who have

27
00:01:55,159 --> 00:02:00,509
been deliberately posed by the game’s designers
to suggest humorous or melancholy ways that

28
00:02:00,509 --> 00:02:01,900
people have died.

29
00:02:01,900 --> 00:02:07,579
The term was first coined, as far as I can
tell, by former Disneyland designer Don Carson,

30
00:02:07,580 --> 00:02:13,860
who wrote an influential article in 2000 about
what game developers can learn from theme parks.

31
00:02:13,860 --> 00:02:19,340
The term was then made even more popular in
a GDC talk by Harvey Smith and Matthias Worch,

32
00:02:19,340 --> 00:02:24,220
where they described the technique as “staging
player-space with environmental properties

33
00:02:24,220 --> 00:02:30,240
that can be interpreted as a meaningful whole,
furthering the narrative of the game”.

34
00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:35,660
The cool thing about environmental storytelling
is that it requires a certain level of deductive

35
00:02:35,660 --> 00:02:39,990
reasoning, as we connect up details to create
an overall story.

36
00:02:39,990 --> 00:02:45,530
We use investigative and archaeological skills
to determine relationships, cause and effect,

37
00:02:45,530 --> 00:02:46,580
and history.

38
00:02:46,580 --> 00:02:52,420
This makes us an active participant in the
storytelling process, and not just a passive viewer.

39
00:02:52,420 --> 00:02:56,340
Plus, if you just want to focus on the 
shooty stuff, you can do that

40
00:02:56,340 --> 00:02:58,760
without the story getting in your way.

41
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:03,260
For the most part, environmental storytelling
is about static objects - but it can also

42
00:03:03,260 --> 00:03:08,200
stretch to things like overheard conversations,
animations happening in the level, and of

43
00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:14,730
course… text, in things like books, item
descriptions, scans, notes, and emails.

44
00:03:14,730 --> 00:03:19,330
And while it is generally used to describe
what happened before you even got to a space,

45
00:03:19,330 --> 00:03:24,400
it can also be used as a way of highlighting
how your actions have impacted the environment

46
00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,610
in the time since you visited.

47
00:03:26,610 --> 00:03:32,490
So if you kill a shop keeper in Deus Ex: Mankind
Divided, later in the game the shop will be

48
00:03:32,490 --> 00:03:36,620
a police crime scene, and then permanently
closed to the public.

49
00:03:36,620 --> 00:03:41,231
It’s also worth noting that environmental
storytelling isn’t just for narrative, but

50
00:03:41,231 --> 00:03:42,960
can have gameplay uses too.

51
00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:48,630
A saw blade stuck in a sliced-up zombie suggests
using these saws with your Gravity Gun to

52
00:03:48,630 --> 00:03:49,830
defeat enemies.

53
00:03:49,830 --> 00:03:54,450
An enemy fried on a fence warns us about the
dangers of touching it.

54
00:03:54,450 --> 00:03:58,220
Maps and signage can help us navigate complex
spaces.

55
00:03:58,220 --> 00:04:01,980
And props can suggest puzzle hints in a non-intrusive
way.

56
00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:09,860
But here’s the thing.

57
00:04:09,860 --> 00:04:13,900
“Environmental storytelling” - if we’re
using the term specifically to mean those

58
00:04:13,900 --> 00:04:20,590
micro-narrative vignettes - is just one part of
a larger structure of using the environment

59
00:04:20,590 --> 00:04:21,819
to suggest narrative.

60
00:04:21,819 --> 00:04:24,879
It’s the high level stuff.

61
00:04:24,879 --> 00:04:28,270
Below that, then, is the individual places
in a game.

62
00:04:28,270 --> 00:04:33,449
You know, a farmer’s market, a bar, a medical
pavilion, and a theatre district.

63
00:04:33,449 --> 00:04:36,650
And beyond that, the individual rooms in those
zones.

64
00:04:36,650 --> 00:04:42,889
That’s the medium level, which might be
most accurately called, well, level design.

65
00:04:42,889 --> 00:04:48,660
And this can also be used for narrative because
things like architecture, layout, materials,

66
00:04:48,660 --> 00:04:52,960
and scale can tell us a lot about the people
who use those spaces.

67
00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:59,219
For example, in Dishonored 2’s Dust District,
the level designers at Arkane use verticality

68
00:04:59,219 --> 00:05:03,909
to show how the working class are literally
underneath the people in power.

69
00:05:03,909 --> 00:05:09,729
And the sheer opulence of Talos I in Prey
tells a very different story about its use,

70
00:05:09,729 --> 00:05:14,159
compared to the more utilitarian Sevastopol
in Alien Isolation.

71
00:05:14,159 --> 00:05:19,800
And this also provides gameplay hints, too:
like in Lord Bafford’s Mansion in Thief,

72
00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:23,909
where all the gold is naturally found in the
lord's chambers - but there’s little of

73
00:05:23,909 --> 00:05:26,569
value in the servant’s quarters.

74
00:05:26,569 --> 00:05:31,210
By making the place a believable location,
the player can use real-world knowledge to

75
00:05:31,210 --> 00:05:33,550
help orient themselves in the space.

76
00:05:33,550 --> 00:05:38,020
Of course, one big challenge of making spaces
where people can actually live or work, is

77
00:05:38,020 --> 00:05:42,490
crafting locations that can actually logically
exist with all the bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens,

78
00:05:42,490 --> 00:05:45,240
and so on to support hundreds of people.

79
00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:50,510
I asked the IO Interactive designers
about this when I did my Hitman 2 video and

80
00:05:50,510 --> 00:05:56,020
they said they focus on levels that are “credible”,
which means the level meets your basic expectations

81
00:05:56,020 --> 00:06:00,300
for how a space works - but it doesn’t have
to make perfect sense.

82
00:06:00,300 --> 00:06:06,330
To finish off our pyramid, we need the low
level - which is the overall setting of the world.

83
00:06:06,330 --> 00:06:11,240
This is world building, and is where the developers
and narrative designers set things like the

84
00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:15,620
factions, the major plot points for the world’s
history, and the main players in the story.

85
00:06:15,620 --> 00:06:20,819
All three parts of this structure should work
in concert, and - ideally - ideas should echo

86
00:06:20,819 --> 00:06:22,470
up and down the stack.

87
00:06:22,470 --> 00:06:26,169
Here’s an example of that working in practice.

88
00:06:26,169 --> 00:06:31,860
In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, the low level
setting is a futuristic Prague where augmented

89
00:06:31,860 --> 00:06:35,790
humans face oppression from those without
modifications.

90
00:06:35,790 --> 00:06:40,740
This is represented in the mid level by places
like train stations with different cars for

91
00:06:40,740 --> 00:06:46,669
naturals and augs, and a slum-like city where
augs are kept in dire conditions.

92
00:06:46,669 --> 00:06:52,129
And then the smaller narrative moments on
the high level also talk about oppression and

93
00:06:52,129 --> 00:06:57,690
racism, though anti-aug graffiti, and emails
about being kicked out of the capital.

94
00:06:57,690 --> 00:07:03,800
Every level is talking about the same theme
- from a grand, systemic level on the high level, to

95
00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:07,490
to more intimate and specific stories on the low level.

96
00:07:07,490 --> 00:07:12,490
Of course, easter eggs and moments of humour
are fine too - but storytelling like this

97
00:07:12,490 --> 00:07:18,620
is at its best when all aspects are marching
towards the same thematic goal.

98
00:07:18,620 --> 00:07:22,849
This can be quite challenging in practice
because, on many large games, each level is

99
00:07:22,849 --> 00:07:25,319
looked after by a completely different person.

100
00:07:25,319 --> 00:07:29,370
So it’s vitally important for teams to come
together to make sure the vision is being

101
00:07:29,370 --> 00:07:31,980
shared across the game as a whole.

102
00:07:34,490 --> 00:07:39,420
So designers can use world building, level
design, and environmental storytelling to

103
00:07:39,439 --> 00:07:43,650
convey literal and specific information about
the world and its inhabitants.

104
00:07:43,650 --> 00:07:49,279
But, the design of a world can also be used
in a more evocative and emotional sense.

105
00:07:49,279 --> 00:07:54,139
Game designers can use things like scale,
shape, and colour to evoke certain feelings

106
00:07:54,139 --> 00:07:55,139
in the player.

107
00:07:55,139 --> 00:08:02,169
Here’s Naughty Dog level designer Emilia
Schatz talking about how she did this in Uncharted 4

108
00:08:02,169 --> 00:08:06,779
EMILIA: “If i want to have the player feel
triumphant at the end and scared towards the

109
00:08:06,779 --> 00:08:11,080
beginning, I might make the environment create
a lot of pressure on the player.

110
00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:17,060
I might make the ceiling very low, might make
the walls come in, so you feel tight and constrained.

111
00:08:17,060 --> 00:08:23,430
And eventually as we get to the end of the
level, bring you out way into the open and

112
00:08:23,430 --> 00:08:25,389
give you this giant vista”.

113
00:08:25,389 --> 00:08:31,129
The shape of the cave doesn’t give us any
further understanding of the backstory in Uncharted.

114
00:08:31,129 --> 00:08:33,479
It’s just a cave, after all.

115
00:08:33,479 --> 00:08:38,310
Instead, it creates emotion - which helps
the player better understand how the character

116
00:08:38,310 --> 00:08:39,310
is feeling.

117
00:08:39,310 --> 00:08:43,139
Here’s a good example of just that in the
most recent God of War.

118
00:08:43,139 --> 00:08:48,620
The story beat is that Kratos starts to panic
because Atreus has run off and may be in danger.

119
00:08:48,620 --> 00:08:53,269
Here’s how the designers manipulate the
environment to ensure that you, as the player,

120
00:08:53,269 --> 00:08:54,930
also feel this sense of tension.

121
00:08:54,930 --> 00:08:58,639
So, the space constricts to narrow pathways.

122
00:08:58,639 --> 00:09:01,899
There are dead ends, forcing you to turn around
and backtrack.

123
00:09:01,899 --> 00:09:05,310
Your visibility is reduced thanks to a thick
grey fog.

124
00:09:05,310 --> 00:09:09,130
And the final squeeze between rocks completely
slows Kratos down.

125
00:09:09,130 --> 00:09:14,250
It’s only when you get through that the
world opens up, the fog lifts, and colour

126
00:09:14,250 --> 00:09:18,920
returns, letting you know that Atreus is safe
and that this mysterious person is probably

127
00:09:18,920 --> 00:09:22,630
not there to hurt you or your boy.

128
00:09:22,630 --> 00:09:24,470
Or take the original Portal.

129
00:09:24,470 --> 00:09:29,430
The first half of the game takes place in
a test lab, and the second half has you escaping

130
00:09:29,430 --> 00:09:33,860
from an evil AI and darting through a maintenance
area.

131
00:09:33,860 --> 00:09:37,647
This dramatic shift in the game’s story
is emphasised through

132
00:09:37,647 --> 00:09:39,820
all sorts of environmental choices.

133
00:09:39,820 --> 00:09:43,350
The lab is white, sterile, and lacking in
detail.

134
00:09:43,350 --> 00:09:49,380
The maintenance area is bathed in warmer orange
tones, and looks lived in and used.

135
00:09:49,380 --> 00:09:55,070
In a talk in 2017, former Crystal Dynamics
art designer Brian Horton talks about this

136
00:09:55,070 --> 00:09:57,020
part in the Tomb Raider reboot.

137
00:09:57,020 --> 00:10:02,730
At the start, Lara is low down, with the environment
bearing down from above her.

138
00:10:02,730 --> 00:10:06,199
Everything is plunged in an ominous dark green
colour.

139
00:10:06,199 --> 00:10:10,209
As you become level with the environment,
the colours begin to lighten up.

140
00:10:10,209 --> 00:10:15,270
And then as you climb, you’re actually high
above the level, and Lara is bathed in a warm,

141
00:10:15,270 --> 00:10:16,810
orange sunlight.

142
00:10:16,810 --> 00:10:22,240
Her journey of survival - from a point of
despair to a point of hope - is emphasised

143
00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:24,540
through the level design.

144
00:10:24,540 --> 00:10:29,970
As a practical method of achieving this, I
want to point to a GDC talk by former BioWare

145
00:10:29,970 --> 00:10:35,130
level designer Dave Feltham who talks about
two tools they used when making the levels

146
00:10:35,130 --> 00:10:40,440
for Mass Effect 3: Emotion Charts and Intensity
Charts.

147
00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:45,670
So the level in question is set on the planet
Tuchanka, and involves providing a cure for

148
00:10:45,670 --> 00:10:50,220
the Genophage - a biological weapon deployed
against the Krogan.

149
00:10:50,220 --> 00:10:55,319
The level sees you landing at the hollows,
driving towards the shroud tower, having your

150
00:10:55,319 --> 00:11:01,080
convoy get blown up, sneak through some catacombs,
pop up in the city, take down your first reaper,

151
00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,940
and - well - I won’t spoil the mission anymore
than that.

152
00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:08,340
So the designers broke the level down into
a bunch of sections.

153
00:11:08,340 --> 00:11:12,620
They then decided what theme needed to be
represented in each part.

154
00:11:12,620 --> 00:11:16,410
And then decided what emotion the player should
feel at that time.

155
00:11:16,410 --> 00:11:20,769
Finally, they used environment design to evoke
those emotions.

156
00:11:20,769 --> 00:11:26,329
For example, in the pre-crash you should feel
a sense of hope and confidence about defeating

157
00:11:26,329 --> 00:11:27,329
the reaper.

158
00:11:27,329 --> 00:11:31,529
So there’s a huge convoy of vehicles at
your back to make you feel strong, and the

159
00:11:31,529 --> 00:11:34,639
Krogan are happily lazing about to suggest
nonchalance.

160
00:11:34,639 --> 00:11:37,759
After the crash, you should feel a sense of
chaos.

161
00:11:37,759 --> 00:11:41,899
So there’s flames, explosions, and your
convoy is destroyed.

162
00:11:41,899 --> 00:11:46,279
In the catacombs, you should feel a sense
of mystery - which is driven by the statues

163
00:11:46,279 --> 00:11:51,690
and murals of ancient Krogan life, And then
the triumphant reveal of the city is supposed

164
00:11:51,690 --> 00:11:57,129
to make you feel awe at what the Krogan empire
grew to become before the Genophage.

165
00:11:57,129 --> 00:12:00,410
And make you feel guilty if you were planning
to betray them.

166
00:12:00,410 --> 00:12:06,740
The contrast from the dark catacombs to the
open city emphasises the reveal.

167
00:12:06,740 --> 00:12:11,250
Finding the right environmental tricks to
convey the necessary emotion can be tough,

168
00:12:11,250 --> 00:12:14,100
but here’s how a few other games have done
it.

169
00:12:14,100 --> 00:12:19,860
Half Life 2 creates a feeling of oppression
through claustrophobic corridors, tall buildings,

170
00:12:19,860 --> 00:12:22,040
cages, and security cameras.

171
00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:27,250
PT creates fear by asking you to repeatedly
turn the same corner, but you’re never sure

172
00:12:27,250 --> 00:12:29,030
what will be on the other side.

173
00:12:29,030 --> 00:12:34,449
It’s important to note that these environmental
choices have to gel with the game’s mechanics,

174
00:12:34,449 --> 00:12:35,449
though.

175
00:12:35,449 --> 00:12:40,170
For example, in a horror game, darkness is
obviously intended to evoke feelings of fear.

176
00:12:40,170 --> 00:12:45,560
But in a stealth game, darkness might actually
provide feelings of power and safety.

177
00:12:45,560 --> 00:12:50,379
After picking the environmental details, BioWare
uses intensity charts.

178
00:12:50,379 --> 00:12:56,720
Basically, the designers have a desired intensity
level - hoping for low moments for story beats,

179
00:12:56,720 --> 00:12:58,470
and high moments for combat.

180
00:12:58,470 --> 00:13:04,100
But this has to be checked against play-testers
who describe how intense each area feels.

181
00:13:04,100 --> 00:13:07,339
If the chart is off, changes must be made.

182
00:13:07,339 --> 00:13:12,770
For example, the catacombs initially had enemies
- but fighting monsters by torchlight was

183
00:13:12,770 --> 00:13:18,079
found to be extremely intense, and pulled
away from the intended feeling, so the monsters

184
00:13:18,079 --> 00:13:20,610
were scrapped to bring the level in line.

185
00:13:20,610 --> 00:13:25,949
Also, a cutscene of friendly bombers was added
on the road towards the reaper, just to give

186
00:13:25,949 --> 00:13:28,910
the player slightly more hope that they might
win.

187
00:13:28,910 --> 00:13:33,560
The ultimate goal for BioWare was to create
a mission that matches a sort of typical three

188
00:13:33,560 --> 00:13:34,860
act structure.

189
00:13:34,860 --> 00:13:40,930
With rising action, a low moment of despair,
and a final climb to victory.

190
00:13:40,930 --> 00:13:46,230
This three act structure is used wonderfully
by 2D platformer Celeste, where the actual

191
00:13:46,230 --> 00:13:49,879
topology of your climb mirrors that graph.

192
00:13:49,879 --> 00:13:54,810
Level after level you climb higher up the
mountain, hitting small set-backs and climb-downs

193
00:13:54,810 --> 00:13:57,389
but ultimately heading forever upwards.

194
00:13:57,389 --> 00:14:02,589
That is until the stage Reflections which
sends you plummeting back down to the base.

195
00:14:02,589 --> 00:14:09,189
The story’s lowest point is also the environment’s
lowest point.

196
00:14:09,189 --> 00:14:14,100
If there’s one game that truly uses the
environment to tell a story, though, it’s Journey.

197
00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:18,500
It uses moments when you’re climbing to
evoke feelings of strength and progression,

198
00:14:18,500 --> 00:14:23,120
and moments where you’re plummeting down
to create a sense of loss and hopelessness.

199
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,279
And notice how the team at thatgamecompany
uses colour to express different sensations

200
00:14:28,279 --> 00:14:34,440
- orange for the calm mystery of the desert,
dark green for the spooky underground graveyard,

201
00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:39,079
white for the biting cold, and bright blue
for the moment of rebirth.

202
00:14:39,079 --> 00:14:43,930
This game doesn’t need any words to tell
you what to feel, because the environment

203
00:14:43,930 --> 00:14:45,180
says it all.

204
00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:52,800
The final thing I want to touch on, is the
way environments influence our identity.

205
00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:58,340
Video games typically put us into the shoes
of a character, and ask us to perform as they would.

206
00:14:58,340 --> 00:15:03,580
As players, we’re constantly looking for
clues as to what sort of person we are inhabiting,

207
00:15:03,589 --> 00:15:07,889
and what sort of actions will be expected,
permitted, and punished.

208
00:15:07,889 --> 00:15:12,800
Of course, the heavy lifting is done by the
available mechanics, the way systems react

209
00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:17,940
to our choices, and our preconceived notions
from the marketing and genre norms.

210
00:15:17,940 --> 00:15:21,910
But the environment can also play a large
part in this.

211
00:15:21,910 --> 00:15:27,640
For example, in the original Bioshock I found
it easy to murder people and steal from cash

212
00:15:27,640 --> 00:15:29,399
registers and safes.

213
00:15:29,399 --> 00:15:34,220
Whereas in Bioshock Infinite, i found these
actions a lot less comfortable.

214
00:15:34,220 --> 00:15:39,470
A large part of this comes from the fact that
Bioshock’s Rapture is in ruins, and the

215
00:15:39,470 --> 00:15:43,370
only people around are insane, bloodthirsty
splicers.

216
00:15:43,370 --> 00:15:48,319
Bashing their skulls in and looting everything
I can fit in my pockets just makes sense.

217
00:15:48,319 --> 00:15:52,999
Infinite’s Columbia, on the other hand,
is still a semi-functioning society when you

218
00:15:52,999 --> 00:15:56,580
get there, with working shops and innocent
citizens.

219
00:15:56,580 --> 00:16:01,709
So violence and robbery just makes less sense
in that environment.

220
00:16:01,709 --> 00:16:06,839
Back down on Earth, the Hitman developers
use this technique to subtly explain

221
00:16:06,839 --> 00:16:09,509
how the world will react to your presence.

222
00:16:09,509 --> 00:16:15,120
It’s often pretty obvious which areas you
can casually stroll into, because of our understanding

223
00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,180
of real-world social behaviours and rules.

224
00:16:18,180 --> 00:16:22,850
This comes from a GDC talk by IO developer
Mette Andersen who says “when

225
00:16:22,850 --> 00:16:27,700
we design these spaces, we’re designing
rules of behaviour and we’re designing something

226
00:16:27,700 --> 00:16:31,850
that’s going to tap into your knowledge
of ‘how should I be in this space?’”.

227
00:16:31,850 --> 00:16:36,529
Mette splits the world into public spaces,
which are available from the get go and explorable

228
00:16:36,529 --> 00:16:37,920
in any costume.

229
00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:43,499
And private spaces, which require some ingenuity
to enter, and a costume to stay hidden.

230
00:16:43,499 --> 00:16:49,579
She then splits those further into sub categories,
where social rules go from vague to strict.

231
00:16:49,579 --> 00:16:56,370
The best levels in Hitman, says Mette, incorporate
a rich mix of these area types.

232
00:16:56,370 --> 00:17:01,560
So video game environments can be a staggeringly
effective medium for storytelling.

233
00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:05,650
Whether they’re telling stories about events
that happened before your arrival, giving

234
00:17:05,650 --> 00:17:10,630
clues about the people who live there, evoking
emotions through architecture, or providing

235
00:17:10,630 --> 00:17:15,720
context for player identity, these spaces
can speak volumes.

236
00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:20,760
Let me know your favourite examples of storytelling
through the environment, in the comments down below.

237
00:17:24,640 --> 00:17:26,880
Hi, thanks for watching.

238
00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:32,630
As you might have noticed, this is a re-uploaded
version of a previous video.

239
00:17:32,630 --> 00:17:37,549
Unfortunately, that video was labelled as
not age-appropriate, because of some of the

240
00:17:37,549 --> 00:17:43,570
examples I gave - and so the video had a big
scary warning before you could watch.

241
00:17:43,570 --> 00:17:48,529
Ultimately, I want my channel to be accessible
to as many people as possible, and so I’m

242
00:17:48,529 --> 00:17:53,059
going to work hard in future to make sure
my stuff is suitable for a general audience.

243
00:17:53,059 --> 00:17:57,960
I’m still going to talk about shooting people,
because, hey, my channel’s about video games.

244
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:05,660
But, still, I’ll take care not to slip into
gratuitous depictions of violence and other icky stuff.

245
00:18:05,660 --> 00:18:10,000
If the original video made you feel uncomfortable,
then I do apologise.