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How to Make Multiple-choice Games

The most common manifestation of multiple-choice games is the "choose your own adventure" style of book. The player follows one of multiple narrative threads. The exact route that they take through the story depends upon decisions they make. These kinds of games can be made purely for enjoyment or they can be designed for educational purposes. This can be done by incorporating math, problem solving or general knowledge questions and challenges into the story.

Things You'll Need

Large sheet paper
Pen
Computer
Printer
Page binder

Instructions

- 1
  Develop a setting, theme and character for your story. In order to create a narrative, the player, who takes on the role of the main character, must be faced with some kind of adversity. This could be anything from being kidnapped by pirates to being lost in space.
- 2
  Decide on a beginning and end for your story. You may want to offer multiple possible endings or you may set one particular ending as the final objective. Think about the challenges the player will have to overcome to reach the end.
- 3
  Write the opening scene of your multiple choice game on the computer. Finish the scene by presenting the player with a choice and various options as to how he wishes to proceed.
- 4
  Draw a box at the bottom of your sheet of paper. Write a much abbreviated version of the opening scene. Draw branches coming away from the box. Each branch represents one of the decisions the player could make. Draw a box at the end of each branch.
- 5
  Write the scenes that follow the choice made in the opening scene. Write the scene on the computer and give an abbreviated version in the appropriate box. End each scene with another choice that leads to a selection of new scenes. Continue in this way.
- 6
  Bring the threads of the story back together periodically. You are not trying to offer a number of completely separate stories to the player, rather you are offering them a variety of ways to get from one point in the story to the next.
- 7
  Include some events that have a bearing on how the player proceeds later in the game. For example you might have a scene early on where the player can choose between helping a distressed merchant to escape from bandits or stealing his wares while he is distracted. Later on in the game the player can come across the merchant again. The story thread should direct the player to go to one particular scene if he helped the merchant and another if he robbed him.
- 8
  Count all the boxes and number them from one to the final number. The first scene should be numbered one but after this do not give them these numbers sequentially; mix them up between the scenes. At the end of each scene, when the player must make their decision, give him the number of the scene that each choice corresponds to.
- 9
  Print the scenes in sequence. Collect the pages into a book and bind them.

Role Playing Games