The Three Gordon Rules

Rules used to create an immersive first-person video game.

1) make the protagonist silent
2) keep the cutscenes in first person

3) make sure the levels and maps flow seamlessly with one another.

"Valve's games pulled their players into their stories and worlds in amazing ways using a wide range of techniques, most of which we've boiled down into what we call The Three Gordon Rules!"
-- Hunt Down The Freeman - Just Bad Games