A compelling and theatric experience

[Kollega]

A bit of a disclaimer: i do not insist that games are exactly like theatre - they may not have a story at all and still be mindblowingly awesome - but when it comes to strictly linear, story-rich games, theatre just seems like better analogy than movies.

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Many games nowadays try to be "cinematic" - which means that interactive medium tries to ape the storytelling conventions of non-interactive one, and it... well, it just dosen't work. Railroading the player takes away the "interactive" part untill it's just a CG movie.

And then, it struck me. Why on Earth does everyone compare games with movies, when they're much more similar to theatre? Think about it:

- In theatre, there are a predetermined script. Actors are supposed to portray other people through means of acting and costumes. Yet the whole thing is done live in front of an audience, and if you screw up, you screw up. No ability to "do another take" so that failure won't be known at all - you can try to do the scene again, but the audience will see the failure in question. Or if it's a complete, utter failure - so much of a failure the audience starts facepalming and leaving the theatre - you can cowardly run away and do the play next week, after you get back in shape.

- In modern games, there is a predetermined storyline. The dialogue may be pre-scripted, you may have goals and objectives, but unlike in movies, there's no telling how action sequences will turn out. In case you lose said action sequence, you can try to do it again by means of quickload, but you'll still know you failed it. In case you just burst into flames because of a particular sequence, you can put down the controller and try it again next day, after getting some rest.

Sure, there are also many differences. Main difference is that in theatre audience and actors are separate, while in games you are both one of the actors and the audience. When your friends come up to watch, it also becomes like theatre - not failing and starting the "scene" over every fifteen seconds is in your best intrest.

So what do you think? Is it an accurate comparsion? Would it be better to aim for "theatric" experience instead of "cinematic" one? Discuss. And preferably tell how do you see a game which has achieved theatric feeling (more or less).

 

[Jandau]

That depends on the game, really. Some really do play like movies, only the player gets to control the action sequences. On the other hand, many games play less linear (mostly RPGs) and do indeed resemble an interactive theatre play, especially if player can directly influence his relationships with other characters (instead of having it all pre-scripted).

Both have their advantages. A more linear experience can be more focused and the path the is pre-determined gives the developers more time to make it better. On the other hand, as the level of freedom grows, so does the player's involvement, but also some of the polish is taken away since there are only so many resources to use on each branching path.

So in answer to your final question - No, it wouldn't be better to aim at a "theatric" experience. It would be better to aim for both, as befits each game. Variety, my friend. Variety.

 

[Kollega]

Both have their advantages. A more linear experience can be more focused and the path the is pre-determined gives the developers more time to make it better. On the other hand, as the level of freedom grows, so does the player's involvement, but also some of the polish is taken away since there are only so many resources to use on each branching path.

Well, i see linear games (such as Modern Warfare 2 or Half-Life 2) like a classic play being performed "by the book", while most RPGs are an equivalent of on-stage improvisation.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

It might be a fair idea for multiplayer games such as Neverwinter Nights or The Ship but I don't really see it working for many single player games. It would rely too much on using AI that doesn't exist yet to adapt to what you are doing to make sure that the "drama" is preserved. In that way games are too mechanical or prerecorded to be theater so I think that if anything this is a less useful goal than cinema.

 

[Prof.Wood]

I would say aiming for a theatrical game over a cinematic game sounds better (very simple reasons ahead) in the theater the audience feels more involved and gets attached to characters (at least I do) but films are so short they have to make characters '2D' this usually separates me from them and the story more often than not.

 

[Mother Yeti]

And then, it struck me. Why on Earth does everyone compare games with movies, when they're much more similar to theatre?

Very simple: Because you watch them on a screen.

 

[Kollega]

And then, it struck me. Why on Earth does everyone compare games with movies, when they're much more similar to theatre?

Very simple: Because you watch them on a screen.

OH SNAP!

Well played, sir. The comparsion to movies is really more obvious. But we all know it isn't quite right, yeah? I still think theatre is a better analogy.

 

[Simalacrum]

I have to disagree. Gaming isn't like film or theatre. For one thing, a gaming story isn't always linear - the whole 'branching paths' thing is becomming more and more prevailent, which is impossible in other media. Chances are, at one point or another theres going to be a game that lets you play out a story in whatever way you want. Heck, you could argue that The Sims already lets you do that.

Furthermore, games don't always have a story, again unlike other media (save music). Racing games rarely have stories, for example.

Although... That said... [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/98009-Forget-Dantes-Inferno-2-Visceral-Wants-Macbeth]

 

[Mother Yeti]

And then, it struck me. Why on Earth does everyone compare games with movies, when they're much more similar to theatre?

Very simple: Because you watch them on a screen.

OH SNAP!

Well played, sir. The comparsion to movies is really more obvious. But we all know it isn't quite right, yeah? I still think theatre is a better analogy.

No, I agree it's a poor analogy that's led to some pretty crummy game design (endless cutscenes, QTE, etc).

 

[AcacianLeaves]

This all comes down to the effective use of choice in gaming. Now some of my favorite games of all time have almost zero deviation from a script written out that you have to follow. But that's NOT a bad thing. Choice in gaming doesn't necessarily have to pertain wholly to the script. I can follow a single path to a pre-determined goal but make many, many choices along the way.

Allow me to use one of the most contentious titles discussed here as an example: Final Fantasy 7. There is zero choice in the story of FF7. But it is not a game without choice. You choose how to equip your characters. You choose how to place your Materia. You choose what team to take into battle. You can choose to fight certain hidden bosses and acquire hidden characters and abilities. There are thousands of choices to make in Final Fantasy 7, none of them have any real impact on the story. (The same could be said for Final Fantasy 6 or most any JRPG)

Here's the thing - you don't need to make every game into some kind of choose-your-own-adventure book in order for it to be a compelling storytelling experience. Many games, like Mass Effect or Fallout 3, are very effective utilizing this style. But to say that the player has to have control of the story in order for it to be good is like saying that the reader needs to control the story of a book in order for it to be a good book. You can make a story very interactive within the confines of a pre-determined narrative. Do so by giving a player tons of choices that do not directly affect the main story, as was done in FF7 or FF6.

Game writing can be done effectively both ways, and I would hate to see pre-written stories disappear in favor of the choose-your-own adventure style - at least not completely. I like them both. I like the more cinematic style of pre-written dramas and the more theatrical style of dialogue trees.

 

[Kollega]

I have to disagree. Gaming isn't like film or theatre. For one thing, a gaming story isn't always linear - the whole 'branching paths' thing is becomming more and more prevailent, which is impossible in other media. Chances are, at one point or another theres going to be a game that lets you play out a story in whatever way you want. Heck, you could argue that The Sims already lets you do that.

Furthermore, games don't always have a story, again unlike other media (save music). Racing games rarely have stories, for example.

Do note that i don't mean all games ever. I say that for such games as Modern Warfare 2 theater seems like a better analogy than movie. The story is predetermined and linear, but you're acting out the role instead of just watching passively.