In-world documents
Also said as Audio logs, Item descriptions, Found text, Collectible lore
Letters, audio logs, signs and item descriptions that exist inside the fiction. Each is written by someone, for someone, for a reason, and that is what makes them feel found and not delivered.
The player can take them or leave them, so they do not hold up anyone in a hurry. Better still, several documents that do not quite agree give players the pleasure of working out what actually happened.
Say it
“Put the backstory in six item descriptions. No item tells the whole story, two of them contradict each other about the fire, and each stays under 40 words.”
Where you’ve seen it
Dark Souls hides its history in item descriptions. Its director Hidetaka Miyazaki has said that as a child he read books too hard for him, and that his imagination filled the gaps. BioShock tells Rapture's fall in audio diaries you find on the ground.
Not to be confused with codex
A codex entry is written for the player by the game, like an encyclopedia. An in-world document was written by someone in the story, who may be lying.