Stories in Video Games

Started by A Pixy October 9th, 2010 3:37 AM
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  • 3 replies
Male
The Great Northern Nation of Canada
Seen January 12th, 2023
Posted February 23rd, 2020
3,171 posts
15.8 Years
If you were to make a game, would you put in a story?

Do you think Story truly matters in a game?

Do you think devs aren't putting enough time into stories for their games?

Do you wish games told you more epic, detailed stories like TV, Movies etc. are expected to?

Is there any particular game story you're fond of?

Is there any particular game story you despise?


I just felt like asking a bunch of questions. :P

Also:

If you were to make a game, would you put in a story?

Depends, if it's on a console, probably so I can put something that sounds epic in the trailer. I wouldn't make something convoluted and I think I would make the game start how A New Hope starts, right in the middle of the action. o3o

If it's a hand-held, I'd throw in a bit of story, then stop caring. o3o

Do you think Story truly matters in a game?

To be honest...

No. I've always thought that gameplay should be what games should be played for and any game where you can use the story as an excuse for gameplay flaws isn't a very good game.

Unless the game is a Visual Novel like...

Phoenix Wright. o3o

Not that I'm saying I don't like a good story well told. o3o

Do you think devs aren't putting enough time into stories for their games?

Yes. I'm not asking for an amazing story, but I don't want a bad one or one that's horribly generic. I just want something I can kind of wrap my teeth around. Something that doesn't have as many plotholes as cheese, something that isn't so insane yet trying to take itself seriously and, well, something. :<

Do you wish games told you more epic, detailed stories like TV, Movies etc. are expected to?

Yes. Maybe then I'd care abit more. Movies don't have that long a run time but the story is always moving. Video games can last up to 100+ hours and you have plenty of time to make all the characters 3-dimensional, make the world seem feasible and real and flush out the story for the player. How is it that a wonderful story is expected from JRPGs but not the rest of the industry. That just seems unfair. :<

Is there any particular game story you're fond of?

None, really. I don't pay that much attention to game stories unless I can't skip the cutscenes. o3o

Is there any particular game story you despise?

Blue Dragon. The story is BAD, just horrible. And strangely enough, it's story was written by Hironobu Sakeguchi, you know, the guy who helped create Final Fantasy. But the story is bland, the characters aren't even 1-dimensional (Akira Toriyama still makes everything look interesting, he is the guy who made Sand Land) and the villain is being evil for the lulz. It's not a good story.

TRIFORCE89

Guide of Darkness

Age 33
Male
Temple of Light
Seen November 25th, 2017
Posted October 21st, 2016
8,122 posts
19.1 Years
I play games primarily for the gameplay. If I really wanted an engaging story, I'd read a book.

For me, I think elements like gameplay and level design should be at the forefront. That's not to say that story and characters should be tossed aside, or purposely be half-assed. Because if that aspect suffers, then it brings the whole game down (as does probably any other aspect, like visuals or sound-design) - especially if it is game that is focused on it.

Some games need more plot than others. Some games are fine with just book ends. Others, like epic JRPGs are very plot heavy. But the gameplay has to be there first and foremost. Otherwise I'm going to put the game down and not feel compelled to play it. I don't care how great the story is, but the focus of the game shouldn't be cutscenes.

Not that there's very many like that, but you get the idea.


Do you think Story truly matters in a game?
It depends on the game. Tetris? No. The Final Fantasy series, yes.

Do you think devs aren't putting enough time into stories for their games?
I admit I haven't played a lot of the "top" games in recent year. But, from my library I think Mass Effect (haven't played the second one yet), Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Ghostbusters were all very well-written. All of them though maybe not so much the plot (Mass Effect probably had the best of the three), but the dialogue. Everything felt very real (and in the case of Baman and Ghostbusters, very much in-character) and stayed very far away from the completely unrealistic and mundane dialogue you commonly find in the Tales series (I like the games, absolutely loathe the skits)

Do you wish games told you more epic, detailed stories like TV, Movies etc. are expected to?
I don't see TV or Movies as being respected to tell epic stories. Some thing aware award worthy. Some are for entertainment. There's drama. There's comedy. There's amazing stuff. And there's fluff. And I think it'd be the same for games. Not everything needs a story.

The gameplay and the story should support each other. But if a developer goes into develop not with a concept or idea, but a story. Then they're working in the wrong form of media.

Alistair

Age 32
Male
United States
Seen 4 Weeks Ago
Posted October 3rd, 2021
2,243 posts
18.2 Years
If you were to make a game, would you put in a story?

Emotion would be the key element in any story I wrote for a game. I want the player to feel what the characters feel and want to continue. Not only that, but I would put in realistic characters. Ones with personality flaws and personal obstacles to overcome. Not all characters are going to by lucky all the time or overly optimistic. I would also add bad guys that actually pose a threat. Bad guys that aren't just posers with fancy gadgets or idiots with weak powers that have everyone do his/her bidding.

Do you think Story truly matters in a game?

It really depends on the type of game. As Triforce already said, something like Tetris or Bejeweled doesn't really need a story. Others, however, do.

Do you think devs aren't putting enough time into stories for their games?

I think mainly Western developers aren't putting enough time into stories for their games. Most games that are produced here usually take on significant "inspiration" from other media and pre-existing ideas with only altering some small bits and pieces to make it seem original, and tell it the exact same way. One prime example I felt was Read Dead Redemption. While it's a good game, I really felt like I was playing an adapted version of the movie Tombstone. Yes, I do realize that the western genre is a fairly slim genre to make a game in, the story could have at least been told slightly differently.

Do you wish games told you more epic, detailed stories like TV, Movies etc. are expected to?

Stories don't need to be epic and detailed, they just need to be well told. A small, heartwarming story about a young boy and his dog could be a lot better than a gritty, cyberpunk story involving android rebellion if told correctly.

Is there any particular game story you're fond of?

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King. The reason why is because while it was basic, it was one of the best told stories in a game that I have ever encountered.

Is there any particular game story you despise?

Halo. The reason being is it's dull and generic. I mean, I could have come up with the Halo arc in a few days if I really wanted to. There's no meat to it, either, no emotion.
No signature to be found here...
Seen September 18th, 2020
Posted February 18th, 2018
7,741 posts
16.6 Years
If you were to make a game, would you put in a story?
I'd insert a basic premise epic backstory; I have a few in my mind... but apart from that I'm keen to let players find their own way around, do what they want to. You can expect tons of in-universe lore from me, but no actual story beyond small quests and missions. I just like setting up a world, it's a lot more flexible than a story with a specific setting, and doesn't necessarily have to be less detailed.

Do you think Story truly matters in a game?
Growing up with games that lack much for story, I've always felt having one at all to be unnecessary. Instead, the gameplay should be compelling enough on its own to keep someone playing — rarely so, but examples of this might be X or Dwarf Fortress, depends how you are with cliff-face learning curves. Indeed it seems that the games I find most enjoyable are the hardest to actually get into in the first place.

Do you think devs aren't putting enough time into stories for their games?
Probably not, but as you can probably gather, that was never my concern.
I think they aren't putting enough into gameplay. It's alright shooting people, it's nice to have a compelling storyline if you want one, but at the end of the day it's still shooting people and progressing the plot. If that's all I'm going to do, at least let me kill people with... I dunno, a gun that shoots telephone poles or something.

Do you wish games told you more epic, detailed stories like TV, Movies etc. are expected to?
Well... no, else I'd watch a movie or read a book. I hold nothing against games that focus on story (ie. visual novels), just, I wouldn't want every game to be like that. It would be nice to see more effort put into originality in most aspects including story, but the lobby for this has been around for long enough that it's clearly not happening much anyway, at least not among the larger developers.

Is there any particular game story you're fond of?
Nothing comes to mind.

Is there any particular game story you despise?
Not really. I don't tend to pay attention...