1) My background in role-playing games
2) My background in literature and folklore (and associated with that, my love of stories)
In most of the turn-based games one finds on Facebook, there is minimal investment in character development. I think I named myself Diamond Lil when I tried Mafia Wars, but there was no real opportunity to hone that sexy Mae West extortionist persona. Without the ability to invest in a character this way, it is difficult to craft a story around one's game play, doubly so when the narrative is comprised of repeating the same task til one gains a level.
About a month ago, I started playing a new turn-based game, Echo Bazaar!. This browser-based game is run via one's Twitter social-network rather than via Facebook. But it's not just the absence of the news-feed-spam that makes this a really enjoyable game. Echo Bazaar has the ability for far richer character development and the storytelling is amazingly complex.
Echo Bazaar takes place in a post-apocalyptic Victorian (Fallen) London. Your character can develop major stats like Persuasiveness and Watchfulness, alongside attributes like Scandal and Nightmares. You get 10 "actions" at a time (these refill over the course of the day) -- clicks that move you through the story. And oh my, the story/stories!
The makers of the game, Fail Better Games, describe their development of Echo Bazaar (it's in beta, I should note) as an experiment, of sorts, in storytelling and coding. A recent blog post by the developers about the game's "coalescent narrative structure" includes some pretty great flowcharts, pointing to the elaborate series of repercussions that might occur with a particular choice in the game.
I have chosen to focus on the development of the Shadowy characteristic for my character. She's quite well connected with the Criminals. However, her skills will be less those of physical danger (Dangerous is her least developed characteristic). But rather she uses her wit and language skills -- Persuasive -- and conducts her villainous work from her home above the bookstore (and in her part time, seduces poets). The game still involves the click-and-wait, but it has captivated my interest far more than Farmville and the like ever could.
Interestingly, the motivations for Fallen London seem to be quite different than from what motivates a lot of my Facebook friends who spam me with their pleas to help them build their barn or what have you. The motivation seems very much grounded in the story and in the character. Maybe my Facebook friends have stories around their Farmville spreads. It's possible that those who play Mafia Wars construct a fantasy around offing someone in that game. But the great thing about Fallen London is that the reward is very much the unfolding story itself.
Now granted, I play this game primarily with Twitter friends who I know via blogging/grad school/literary academentia, and perhaps we all find it engaging because we all appreciate its rich storytelling. So if you see our #ebz hashtag and wonder why we're tweeting about starvling cats and the tomb colonies, consider joining us in Fallen London.