Book Publisher Wants to Improve Videogame Stories

Premonition

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Jan 25, 2010
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Business etiquette 101: If you're going to sell something for other people, don't call those people braindead idiots.
 

Queen Michael

has read 4,010 manga books
Jun 9, 2009
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Although I certaily wouldn't mind good story adn dialogue, it still bugs me that people think simple and clichéd storylines in games are a problem. That's just not what gaming is about! When playing chess, checkers, poker or Monopoly, do you ever complain about there not ebing an interesting plot? I sure don't, and the reason is that games aren't about that unless they're RPGs. When I read Crime and Punishment, did I complain about the poor graphic and controls? Of course not, so why believe that the point of gaming is to present a story? If I shoot my enemies in the head, it doesn't become more interesting just because I've been told a story of Proustian proportions about them. Let me put it this way: What would you remove from a game if you had to: The good graphics, the beuatiful music and sound effects, the easily mastered controls, or the story?
 

Svenparty

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Jan 13, 2009
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Sounds like a good idea as only a minority of Games have a solid story with a tense atmosphere like Half Life 2, Portal and Bioshock.


They need to contact whoever wrote the Fallout 3 plot...
 

JEBWrench

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Apr 23, 2009
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I hate to mention something Yahtzee said, but why is it a good thing that people from a completely different medium are going to show everyone how it's done in something they're unfamiliar with?

Keep in mind, these are the people who keep Dan Brown employed.
 

Little Duck

Diving Space Muffin
Oct 22, 2009
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I have a theory about people. Anyone who doesn't take humour seriously isn't worth listening to. That is, if someone doesn't think about spreading joy into you, then they are a dull and boring person. Random house doesn't pput humour as one of it's major catagories on it's site. This makes me worried. They do have one, but you have to rummage for it.
 

Rack

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Jan 18, 2008
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While I appreciate the idea I think realistically they're going to find that writing a story that fits within the constraints of a game is never going to work.
 

CheckD3

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Dec 9, 2009
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I think we can all hope that they don't decide to add TOO much dialog. The problem with video games is that stories are nice, but they need to compete with gameplay, and if more is put into dialog rather than gameplay, the game becomes something that no one wants to play

Shadow of the Colossus is a game that went more for the gameplay aspect rather than story, the story, however, was told through the gameplay, and while barely talked about, was the driving point behind the motives (well, the Wander's, ours was stabbing glowing spots on giant rock/grass monsters)

Silent Hill 2, negitive to SotC, focused on the story and setting rather than gameplay. As Yahtzee said, "it's good at telling a story without words." The combat was difficult and frantic, along with the 3rd person fixed cameras. But it told the story well, and was compelling and you wanted to know what happened next.

Heavy Rain also went for the story. But it might have found a way to keep the story and gameplay on par, sure the gameplay is nothing but quicktime events, but in this sense, it accents the story well. I find myself worried about the characters, teary eyed and nervous and my heart pounding hard just like any character.
 

Proteus214

Game Developer
Jul 31, 2009
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It's not just about bringing in "better storytelling" it really needs about getting the "storytellers" to better understand the medium, which is something that is desperately lacking in the creation of most video game narratives.