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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48305
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/48305
License name: CC BY-SA 4.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

There's an amazing setpiece scene in the game _Uncharted 4_ where Nathan Drake is running from an armored vehicle, dodging bullets, leaping from one truckbed to the next, picking off his pursuers, and finally escaping on a motorcycle. It's a masterpiece of movement and action, and had my heart pounding. But then he gets back to his hideout, cheering the fact that he survived, and comes face to face with his wife Elena who thought he was safe on a business trip. Her expression is hurt and fear and betrayal. And my heart stopped.

It was an unforgettable experience for me as a storyteller. Video games, even more than movies, can subsist on pure spectacle, and that chase scene was the best I've seen. But it couldn't compare to the tension of the quiet dialogue that followed.

It was not as simple as Elena being an iron shackle that ruined all his fun. Not even close. The difference here was that we cared about both of them, and **we wanted Elena to be happy just as much as Drake.** But we knew that they had competing desires: he couldn't let go of his daring life, while Elena knew it couldn't go on forever.

In a sense, **Drake's acts of daring depended on Elena's act of endurance.** In that moment, her decision - whether to abide his swashbuckling life - threatened not only the fun we'd been having playing as Drake, but also their relationship which might not survive an upheaval.

Her choice of endurance wasn't just as exciting as the previous acts of daring; it was more.

I realize that this was a singular moment, and thus hardly qualifies as long, patient endurance. But the rest of the story was overshadowed by it, bringing continual tension. From then on, every time Drake held himself back, we saw that it was for her, and every time she showed understanding for his thrill-seeking obsession, it communicated growth in their relationship. It worked beautifully as a contrast to the visible spectacle of daring.

Original score: 3