A Functional Perspective on Narrative in Computer Games - Wolf Maul

Less dramatically, in Baldur’s Gate there were times when characters seemed unaware of
my presence (and the presence of the five other adventurers in the party) even if we were
suddenly invading their home. For example, one of my contacts in the slums of Athkatla was a
prominent, and obviously wealthy, man. When we entered his house I seemed to go unnoticed
as I wandered around his house (he only stood dumbly in the same spot) until the time when I
finally decided to engage him in conversation.
In all the games, though, there were places in which micro-impact was successfully
demonstrated. In Riven, for example, as I approached the village a native appeared in a small
tower and cranked the wheel that sounded an alarm. When I first saw the village itself I could
see the last few inhabitants scrambling to the safety of their houses. Later, when I managed to
find Gehn’s private journal, its pages contained the entry: “A stranger has arrived on Riven
with a Linking Book to D’ni!” and went on to describe some of the events that took place when
I first arrived in Riven.
Riven – Left: Watch tower of Riven village. When the player-character reaches this
point a man appears in the tower and sounds an alarm. Right: Gehn’s personal
journal has an entry that shows that he is aware of the player-character’s arrival on
the islands.
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