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agency is the genre
You can plot the world. You cannot plot the player.
The story is a duet. Whatever you've designed, the player will rearrange, ignore, or weaponize. The game writers who succeed treat player agency as a creative collaborator rather than a problem to be managed. We talk about the Maven game-writing model: agency, surprise, and the moments where the system has to let the player be the author. Includes the three-question test for any quest you're considering. Pass all three or rewrite the quest.
Linear narrative · player narrative
| Linear novel | Player game |
|---|---|
| Author controls all paths | Player chooses paths |
| Surprise comes from author | Surprise comes from system + player |
| Pacing on author's terms | Pacing on player's terms |
| One ending | Branch tree, weighted |
The three-question quest test
- Can the player choose between meaningful options?
- Does each option have a real consequence later in the game?
- If the player walks away from this quest, does the world change accordingly?
- Pass all three? Keep the quest.
- Fail any? Redesign or cut.
You can plot the world. You can't plot the player. The game writers who succeed write with the player, not at them.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven
From the Maven Catalog
- Master Course — Story for Games
- eBook — The Player Is a Co-Author
- Toolkit — Game Writer's Toolkit
- Planner — Quest Design Planner
Run the three-question test on every quest. Cut what fails. Keep what passes. The game becomes a duet. Players notice. They always do.