Once upon a time there was a GUN!
Fallout 3 publisher Bethesda has a designer called Emil Pagliarulo. He reckons that "game play alone isn't enough to hook gamers; they want and expect great stories".
He's so adamant about this that he feels that the gamer's love for a good story has changed gaming itself.
"The past few years have shown just how important story can be. Games have turned an important corner", he says. And this notion that storyline is as important as game play appears to inform his work.
"Ultimately, the best games are those where that line is so blurred, players don't even know it exists, and game play and story are seamlessly married. That's always the goal."
Is he right? Surely games have had storylines since Colossal Cave Adventure? Are storylines now integral to video games? Has the industry turned a corner? Or is this simply another case of the video game industry attempting to follow Hollywood lines? Is the strength of video games that the gamer is able to construct their own characterisations and story lines? Are Braid or Flower, Mario Kart or Spore any less of a gaming experience because they lack Fallout 3 or GTA IV's story arcs? Opinions in the Forum please.
Source: Google
He's so adamant about this that he feels that the gamer's love for a good story has changed gaming itself.
"The past few years have shown just how important story can be. Games have turned an important corner", he says. And this notion that storyline is as important as game play appears to inform his work.
"Ultimately, the best games are those where that line is so blurred, players don't even know it exists, and game play and story are seamlessly married. That's always the goal."
Is he right? Surely games have had storylines since Colossal Cave Adventure? Are storylines now integral to video games? Has the industry turned a corner? Or is this simply another case of the video game industry attempting to follow Hollywood lines? Is the strength of video games that the gamer is able to construct their own characterisations and story lines? Are Braid or Flower, Mario Kart or Spore any less of a gaming experience because they lack Fallout 3 or GTA IV's story arcs? Opinions in the Forum please.
Source: Google
Read More Like This
Comments
OptimusP 3 Mar 2009 12:14
1/3
Well, it says more about how Bethesda is so locked in it's gamedesign logic then anything else. When one of their games actually expands gaming audiences, it's worthy of discussing. Now they're just rolling around in the values of the traditional game-design of heightening immersion and graphics, they forget most people want something fun to play.
So in their little world, yes they're right, in the expanded one, they're redundant and only cater to the whims of the high-demand minority.
So in their little world, yes they're right, in the expanded one, they're redundant and only cater to the whims of the high-demand minority.
Shadow 3 Mar 2009 15:43
2/3
actuallt a good stary is part of a game i hate games with no story (left 4 dead anyone?)
Joji 4 Mar 2009 13:41
3/3
I love a game of Left 4 Dead.
However, you are right. The lack of story, especially from those who created the superb Half Life, really cuts the games zombie legs off. And in the wake of the Resident Evil 5, it shows exactly why RE5 shouldn't go run n' gun, because it can be bad for storytelling. Storytelling needs pacing, and can sufffer focus if not handled properly, next to fast paced gameplay.
Wanting to know the why, where, who and what's of a tale is why MGS, RE, God of War etc are so cool. Games (some not all) should also try to tell or be something deeper, something that we'll need to see more, as the medium and its audience age.
When, MGS or Bioshock, have me thinking about them and their ideas, long after I've finished them and walked away, that's when games become something more. I'd like to experience this kind of thing more.
However, you are right. The lack of story, especially from those who created the superb Half Life, really cuts the games zombie legs off. And in the wake of the Resident Evil 5, it shows exactly why RE5 shouldn't go run n' gun, because it can be bad for storytelling. Storytelling needs pacing, and can sufffer focus if not handled properly, next to fast paced gameplay.
Wanting to know the why, where, who and what's of a tale is why MGS, RE, God of War etc are so cool. Games (some not all) should also try to tell or be something deeper, something that we'll need to see more, as the medium and its audience age.
When, MGS or Bioshock, have me thinking about them and their ideas, long after I've finished them and walked away, that's when games become something more. I'd like to experience this kind of thing more.