The Emotional journey – PART 3 – “Blocks & Events”

Flow can only truly be achieved when we are willing to let go of the outcome and just play.

Sandra Taylor Hedges

17 Beats to a Story

The proposed narrative model breaks down the story structure into 17 beats, comprising 11 blocks of action and 6 pivotal events. These two types of moments serve different purposes but work together to maintain the player’s engagement and emotional investment.

Blocks represent periods of sustained action, where the protagonist actively engages with challenges and obstacles.

Events are transitional moments that disrupt momentum and create emotional shifts. They provide revelations, surprises, or moments of reflection that alter the protagonist’s journey.

If a narrative relies solely on action without any disruptive events, it risks becoming monotonous. Players will disengage as the experience becomes repetitive and predictable. On the other hand, if events occur too frequently, without giving players time to process and build anticipation, the story will feel chaotic and emotionally shallow.

A successful narrative strikes a balance between these two elements. Action builds momentum, while events create tension and transformation. Together, they form a rhythm that sustains engagement.

To illustrate, imagine a calm body of water. When a rock falls, it disturbs the surface, creating ripples that spread outwards. Over time, the water calms again. In this analogy, the rock represents an event, and the ripples are the action blocks that follow. If no events occur, the water remains still and uninteresting. If too many rocks fall in rapid succession, the surface becomes chaotic and overwhelming.

Timeline

Any engaging and emotional narrative follows the steps below. Whatever your content may be, try to map it using this structure.

SETUP: Moment to set up where the protagonist is and why; possibly an exciting incident.

WANT: Give precise motivation to the protagonist. What does he want? What is her goal?

ENGAGE: Once the protagonist knows what he wants, he has a reason to move forward and engage in what lies ahead.

OBSTACLE: First obstacle the protagonist encounters.

END OF ACT I REVEAL: New information or discovery that will Change or Reinforce the protagonist’s motivation.

PLAN: Variety of challenges and encounters, big and small, fast or drawn out.

MIDPOINT: A dramatic twist or turn, that raises the stakes. It could be a piece of new information or discovery that will Change or Reinforce the protagonist’s motivation.

CHALLENGE: The protagonist faces her greatest challenge yet.

SUCCESS: Feeling of accomplishment, a “Peak” in the emotional journey.

BREAK REVEAL: From the apparent success, a piece of new information or a discovery that will lead the protagonist to an apparent defeat.

BREAK: The apparent defeat, the darkest hour, “All is lost”. A clear break in intensity from what was before; this is a “Valley” along the emotional journey.

POST BREAK REVEAL: New information or a discovery that spurs the protagonist back into action with renewed motivation; a new boost energy, hope or help from allies.

ASSAULT: Anticipation and tension build up in crescendo towards the Climax.

THEMATIC REVEAL: New information or discovery, linked to the main Theme.

CLASH: Memorable culmination, including the greatest struggle of the experience.

RESOLUTION: The moment when the protagonist reaches his goal from the beginning; or, fails to achieve his initial goal but is given a new one.

NEW STATE: The protagonist accomplished something during this journey. What changed for her? What comes next for him?

There is freedom within each step as long as we understand the role each step plays in the flow of the experience. The individual steps should not be judged literally but rather followed like an emotional roadmap.

The Clash doesn’t always have to be a dramatic boss fight. It can instead be the most emotionally significant struggle, requiring players to make difficult choices or confront core themes. Similarly, the Break may not always be the protagonist’s closest brush with defeat; it might instead represent a radical change in momentum, giving players a moment to reflect or discover something new.

Intensity

The pacing and intensity of a narrative experience should follow a dynamic curve, with peaks of excitement and valleys of reflection. This emotional arc ensures that players stay engaged without becoming fatigued. Some beats may be shortened or skipped, depending on the type of content, but the overall variation of intensity remains crucial.

Key Things to Keep in Mind

To create a truly memorable narrative experience, several core principles must be considered:

Twists and Surprises

The experience should feel like an epic adventure, full of unexpected moments. Twists keep players on their toes, ensuring the story remains dynamic and engaging.

Expectations and Subversion

A key driver of narrative emotion is the relationship between expectations and their subversion. By setting up promises and statements—only to fulfill or cleverly break them—you create tension and intrigue. The story plays with what the player believes will happen, surprising them in meaningful ways.

Drive and Agency

The protagonist is the agent of change within the story. They must have clear motivation that drives their actions forward. Their efforts should have tangible impacts on the game world, reinforcing player agency and investment in the narrative.

Missing beats

Some experiences can work without all those beats. It’s always a risk and it has to be intentional and well thought out.

No ASSAULT/CLASH

In Zelda: Breath of the Wild the Shrines act as a tutorial without a complete ACT III. This is an example where an experience does not have any ASSAULT or CLASH but still has a resolution.
Since this experience is more like a tutorial it makes sense that there isn’t a real climax.

No NEW STATE

In Whiplash, a movie by Damien Chazelle there is a Resolution without a New State. At the end of the movie, Fletcher tricked Andrew to come to play on stage to humiliate him. After being taken aback initially, Andrew seizes power and imposes his drum solo. Fletcher is powerless and, at that moment Andrew earns back Fletcher’s respect. They are finally in sync and on the same level for a little more than a minute. We see in Fletcher’s eyes, the newfound respect for Andrew (RESOLUTION) The end credits roll when we are at the height of emotion, leaving the audience without the release of the tension.

CAUSALITY CHART

Each step happens because the previous step has happened. A relation of causality is required between each step.
“This happened; because that happened, now this other thing is happening.”
I use this chart to work with collaborators as we map out the flow of the story. As with any structure, there is some flexibility, providing you adhere to a few rules:

  • Don’t reorder a step. The order in which the audience goes through each step matters. If you move one and break the order, you weaken the momentum that you’ve created.
  • Avoid copy and repeat steps. You can’t have several of the same steps to try to match your story. Not all events have to be present. Consider the storyline you are mapping out and what are the relevant events for this storyline.
STEPCAUSALITYACTION
SETUP - Who, What, Where. What we know from before that has led us here, now.Therefore / But
WANT - What do we want? Why are we here, now?Therefore / But
DRIVE - You are moving forward because you want to…Therefore / But
ENGAGE - Moving forward in the world, going after what we want.Therefore / But
OBSTACLE - What is between us and what we wantTherefore / But
END OF ACT I REVEALTherefore / But
DRIVE - You are moving forward because you want to…Therefore / But
PLAN - We execute what we decided to do, pushing through obstaclesTherefore / But
MID POINT - Twist, turn. Stakes raisedTherefore / But
CHALLENGE - Biggest challenge so far.Therefore / But
SUCCESS - Short moment of success and encouragement, brief relief of tension.Therefore / But
BREAK REVEALTherefore / But
DRIVE - You are moving forward because you want to…Therefore / But
BREAK - Setback, criticism, crisis, defeat… things go awryTherefore / But
POST BREAK REVEALTherefore / But
DRIVE - You know what to do! You are moving forward because you want to…Therefore / But
ASSAULT - Confrontation on the way to the final obstacleTherefore / But
THEMATIC REVEAL - Thematic revelationTherefore / But
CLASH - Final battle against the last obstacleTherefore / But
RESOLUTION - We reached our goal, or we have failedTherefore / But
DRIVE - You are moving forward because you want to…Therefore / But
NEW STATE - New status quo. We won; we lost, things are different now.Therefore / But

Next > Check the examples of application listed here: The Emotional journey