Thinking about stuff...

[im]

Hi,

I'm new.


Anyway, I was wandering how ya'll are doing, good?


Since that is out of the way, let's say we talk about plot line.


I love great story lines since I love writing film scripts. I only play a game if the story is good, so I don't lay many games. But love the games here, so I joined. IRRATIONAL GAMES try to make your gaming experience unique and fresh. I love BIOSHOCK! I mean, it was an amazing game. One of the games I felt I had to win or I would live in shame.


I was just wandering what people thought about how important the plot compared to gameplay.


HIt this post up!

[sunjammer]

Story is incentive to keep playing when the gameplay itself stagnates. It's a 50/50 thing for me, though the story is probably what sticks with me in the long run. Even with games like Viewtiful Joe the characters and scenarios are what i remember, though when playing it the gameplay is what stands out.

[sevethom]

You can arguably have an enjoyable game with a sub-par narrative. If you want to make a memorable story in a video game, implementation is just as crucial as the story itself.


I think this is where generally a lot of games fall short. You create a wonderful game and an incredible, gripping narrative, but most of the time they feel separated.


Creating a memorable video game narrative is about constructing an overall experience. Since you're working with an interactive medium, the "game" and the story have to work together in immersing the player into the experience. You almost always need to be able to tell your story in an interactive way.


I think where a lot of people make mistakes is when they use cinema as the medium that most parallels game narrative. When you're watching a film, the cinematographers and editors work to immerse you into the story. Though no matter how subjective these elements may be, the role of the audience is almost always that of an observer. Since there's no interactive element, the viewer is being told the story, they aren't experiencing it in a way video games can accomplish.


This is why I personally dislike excessive use of cut-scenes. They take control away from the player and force them into the role of an observer where up until that point, they were directly involved with the narrative.


A good example might be the Halo or Final Fantasy IPs. While they might have fantastic gameplay as well as a gripping narrative, the majority of the story is told through cut-scenes. While you may have control during situations that warrant gameplay, such as combat, You (or at least I) rarely feel that you actually serve a role in the story.


I think a much superior medium in which to compare video game narrative would be board gaming. There are actually very few differences between the two, the most obvious being technology. Their job is to place the player in a role and immerse them into the experience. Many times I've felt more immersed in a board game than I have in a good video game.


Just like Video games, part of making a good board game is building an experience around the basic structure of the game. You're able to feel like a German politician playing Die Macher, or a time-traveling outlaw in Chrononauts.

[progglerock]

For me, story (and how it is presented) is the most important part of a videogame. Obviously, however, (99% of) developers aren't anywhere near finding a way to tell story effectively through the medium. The fact that cut-scenes not only still exist but are the main device for story-progression shows that story in games is very much still in its infancy.