Greenlit: Show, Don't Tell: Why the Narratives Work

My article idea is of an analysis and critique of the two major story "styles" found within the Pokémon main-series games: the "mostly left up to the players' imagination" type used most heavily in the earliest games, and the more in-depth approach taken by gen 5's titles and (somewhat) continued by X & Y.

The article would showcase both styles and discuss the pros and cons of each. It would also encompass ways either style can be ineffectively used, ways they can be used effectively, and go over which titles I felt achieved each style most effectively. There will also be a discussion on why I believe such an overall narrative change is taking place in the series, with newer games getting more in-depth than before, along with a comparison of narrative changes between the games' original release and their remakes (if applicable). And as a critique, I would offer my own opinion on which style I prefer, along with ways I feel narratives of upcoming games could provide a healthy mix of both.

If deemed appropriate, I could also bring in narratives of other (non-Pokémon) games to use as comparison points on how future Pokémon titles could improve their own narrative depending on which style they choose to focus on. If not, I would keep the critique purely focused around Pokémon and comparing the narratives among themselves.

Cool idea! I find it interesting to see how the games went a lot more in-depth with the appearance of Team Plasma, while the protagonist was kept silent. (Which sometimes feels a bit out of place.)

I don't see a problem with comparison to different games (other RPGs, I presume?). Would be interesting to see what you can say about them.

Lycanthropy said:

Cool idea! I find it interesting to see how the games went a lot more in-depth with the appearance of Team Plasma, while the protagonist was kept silent. (Which sometimes feels a bit out of place.)

I don't see a problem with comparison to different games (other RPGs, I presume?). Would be interesting to see what you can say about them.

Click to expand...

Thank you!

The silent protagonist would definitely be discussed in the article, as they serve a specific purpose and they do stand out in a narrative where events and other characters are more in-depth. Comparing the silent protagonist and their use in both styles will certainly be explored.

Yes, the other titles would be RPGs. I'd like to specifically discuss the Etrian Odyssey series (known for its "leave it up to the players' imagination"-style narrative approach) and (perhaps; likely to a much smaller extent) the Tales of series (featuring much more rounded, developed characters). If I can think of others to use as comparison points as I write, I would see if space allows me to incorporate them.

Seems pretty interesting to me! All for examining how the plot changes with each generation. How much focus, curiously, do you think you'd give on highlighting issues or places where the games did poorly on in regards to conveying the plot, characters, etc?

Wonder if this should go in the Plot Analysis article series (Kanto games plot analysis article is waiting on coding/formatting to be done for 'long-form' articles, but hopefully will still be up first, having been done near two months ago :V).

(As for my own two-cent opinion, XY's story execution was rather poor with the looker sidequest a saving grace, ORAS tidied up on RSE's plot nicely, and the side-story in the Abandoned Ship part was excellent - more of that please, Game Freak! BW's story could use work but was a nice step forward and certainly improved on various aspects, especially when considering how they did friendly rivals compared to XY...)

bobandbill said:

Seems pretty interesting to me! All for examining how the plot changes with each generation. How much focus, curiously, do you think you'd give on highlighting issues or places where the games did poorly on in regards to conveying the plot, characters, etc?

Wonder if this should go in the Plot Analysis article series (Kanto games plot analysis article is waiting on coding/formatting to be done for 'long-form' articles, but hopefully will still be up first, having been done near two months ago :V).

(As for my own two-cent opinion, XY's story execution was rather poor with the looker sidequest a saving grace, ORAS tidied up on RSE's plot nicely, and the side-story in the Abandoned Ship part was excellent - more of that please, Game Freak! BW's story could use work but was a nice step forward and certainly improved on various aspects, especially when considering how they did friendly rivals compared to XY...)

Click to expand...

I'd try to give the "things they do well" and "things they do poorly" sections as close to equal focus as I can. It's important to note the low points so it's easier to find areas to request improvements upon.

I don't mind if this article is put into the series if you feel it is appropriate. It's going to be a more general, all-encompassing article about the different narrative styles and their use throughout the series, but if you feel that's a good fit for the series, I'd be fine with it!

As someone who is really interested in writing, I think a thorough analysis of the way the Pokemon games handle their storyline and lore would be a really enlightening and interesting read. I'm not totally sold on the added comparison with games not a part of the main series though since most of those are extremely different.

gimmepie said:

As someone who is really interested in writing, I think a thorough analysis of the way the Pokemon games handle their storyline and lore would be a really enlightening and interesting read. I'm not totally sold on the added comparison with games not a part of the main series though since most of those are extremely different.

Click to expand...

That's fair. While I think there are some titles that handle their plots in a way that I feel Pokémon would benefit from trying to a certain degree, it's definitely a point that I wanted more feedback about for your exact reason.

I suppose thinking about it some more, not all readers may know of other games you are comparing to as well which may lessen any point you would try to make.

Approved, btw! Up to you if you want to draft it in the subsection or straight in wordpress with your account.

bobandbill said:

I suppose thinking about it some more, not all readers may know of other games you are comparing to as well which may lessen any point you would try to make.

Approved, btw! Up to you if you want to draft it in the subsection or straight in wordpress with your account.

Click to expand...

Thank you! I will type up a draft and post it once it's complete enough for a draft.

I'll try it without bringing up other games. It's looking like there's enough content without that section, regardless.