Quote: Of all the different types of games, the ones I most enjoy playing are adventure/story games. It is no surprise that this is also the genre for which I design. I enjoy games in which the pace is slow and the reward is for thinking and figuring, rather than quick reflexes. The element that brings adventure games to life for me is the stories around which they are woven. When done right, it is a form of storytelling that can be engrossing in a way that only interaction can bring. The key here is “done right”, which it seldom is.
It’s not exactly visionary to think that because it hasn’t been done well, it can’t or shouldn’t be done. What we should do is figure out how to tell stories in games. We should also realize that there are several different types of games, some want stories, and others don’t. A good FPS doesn’t need a story, and forcing one upon it just embarrasses everyone involved (see: porn).
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The real issue is not that stories shouldn’t be told in games, it’s that the cut-scene is the wrong way to tell a story in a game. Interactivity is like a drug, once you give it to people they don’t want it taken away. A good interactive story teller should understand this and the narrative would be woven into the interaction is a seamless way. It should react to the player’s every choice and twitch. It should flow around and immerse them. This is the holy grail of interactive story telling, and I for one will continue the quest.
My User Contributions master list - my initial post links are down but scroll down page to find list to active links
