Games and Movies, Apples and Pears

[boholikeu]

Though, would you be surprised to learn that some "story machine" games actually do have a bit of focus amid all their open-endedness? Spore, for example, had a very specific theme to it despite all the emphasis on customization.

That doesn't surprise me per se, but... Hmm. So could the successful "story machine" game be one that still inspires desires into the player... but leaves out the context for those desires? And a linear story-driven game is one that creates specific motivations?

It all sounds good to me, but I don't want to leap to conclusions. This appears to be a delicate subject.

That's pretty much it, in my experience. "Story-machine" games seem to work solely through general game mechanics (IE supporting a greedy playstyle over an altruistic one), whereas more linear games develop player motivations based on specific interactions with certain npcs, etc.

Sorry if this all sounds pretty general, but I'm really having trouble putting this into words since there's no vocabulary for these aspects of design yet (at least none I know of).

 

[feather240]

Some games, however, put all the story in your hands. Craig Owens mentions Portal, and Portal could only work as a video game, because all of the triumphs would feel hollow if you had to watch them being done rather than do them yourself.

Not true! I didn't want to buy portal so I watched a you-tube video of someone else playing it instead, seriously.

Question: if you hadn't known that you were watching a video game, would it have been as exciting? In other words, when you were watching the video, were you imagining yourself as the character in the game, or the player of the game?

You know how some games have a spectator mode? It was like that. I saw myself as an observer, so neither the character or the player.

 

[shoinan]

As the game switches between the controlled and watched segments the chance of that magical moment of immersion is diminished. Of course it is, Uncharted 2 is built around interaction rather than narrative. An emotional story wasn't the priority here it was engaging compelling game play.

Not sure I agree. There were lots of minature cut scenes in Uncharted 2 that temporarily removed control from the player, but only very temporarily - like when the train carriage rocks in the opening and you're thrown back against the wall. I actually think this sudden, v brief removal of control can be quite powerful, and a good way of providing drama and immersion within a linear story-driven video game while keeping a stranglehold on direction. Unfortunately, Uncharted 2 overused it a bit - there's only so many times I'm going to believe that a guy can slip up on a platform edge. But I think, in terms of citing a story-driven linear game that keeps interaction away from the story, Uncharted 2 is not as good a choice as it may seem. I also don't think linearity or cinematic influence preclude a player from feeling like they're in control, nor do I think they mean a game cannot take advantage of the interactive strengths of the medium.