Games for a Video Game Storytelling Class?
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Portal, Bastion, KotoR... these would be my suggestions as well. I have some minor additions if you require more games:
Lost Odyssey
It has a well crafted story (which is enhanced by a great soundtrack) and strong characters (IMO), but it's quite a long game. The A Thousand Years of Dreams sequences could be interesting to discuss. In case you don't know, these are short stories (mostly memories of the main character) that you can find in the game. There's no gameplay or even listening to dialogues involved, just reading. Maybe it could be an example for discussing whether it's good/bad to include something like this in an interative medium.
Eternal Sonata/Trusty Bell
Yes, another J-RPG. I didn't enjoyed it's story as much as Lost Odyssey's, but the setting is unique: A fictional world dreamed by the dying composer and pianist Frederic Chopin.
Age of Mythology + AoM: The Titans
You could take a game from the AoE series as well, but there's one aspect I think is very interesting about this game(s): It is much more than just playing, for example, the Trojan War. It introduces the player to 3 different ancient cultures and their own religion/myths by combining them to create it's own story around a hero, who is not based on any myth (well, as far as I remember). Apart from that, you can read up real historical/scientific facts about everything you find in the game. An incredible and enriching experience, especially if you don't know much about ancient myths and stuff like that.
Cthulhu Saves the World
I don't think I have to describe this further.
I hope I didn't missed the point of what you are looking for with these. Anyway, good luck with your project, I'm very excited about it.
Lost Odyssey
It has a well crafted story (which is enhanced by a great soundtrack) and strong characters (IMO), but it's quite a long game. The A Thousand Years of Dreams sequences could be interesting to discuss. In case you don't know, these are short stories (mostly memories of the main character) that you can find in the game. There's no gameplay or even listening to dialogues involved, just reading. Maybe it could be an example for discussing whether it's good/bad to include something like this in an interative medium.
Eternal Sonata/Trusty Bell
Yes, another J-RPG. I didn't enjoyed it's story as much as Lost Odyssey's, but the setting is unique: A fictional world dreamed by the dying composer and pianist Frederic Chopin.
Age of Mythology + AoM: The Titans
You could take a game from the AoE series as well, but there's one aspect I think is very interesting about this game(s): It is much more than just playing, for example, the Trojan War. It introduces the player to 3 different ancient cultures and their own religion/myths by combining them to create it's own story around a hero, who is not based on any myth (well, as far as I remember). Apart from that, you can read up real historical/scientific facts about everything you find in the game. An incredible and enriching experience, especially if you don't know much about ancient myths and stuff like that.
Cthulhu Saves the World
I don't think I have to describe this further.
I hope I didn't missed the point of what you are looking for with these. Anyway, good luck with your project, I'm very excited about it.
Dammit, I forgot another one; Iji. It's a freeware game, but it has an interesting story with a fantastic use of moral choice. It's right here. [http://www.remar.se/daniel/iji.php]
So, well-told stories in non-M-rated games...
-Myst 1-4: Don't try playing any PC version of the first two games (Myst, and Riven: the Sequel to Myst) unless you're a masochist or have a computer you haven't updated anything on for 7+ years. Regardless, these games, to me, are a pinnacle of game storytelling. The game may hand you the necessary story details for playing the game (usually in the form of a journal you discover), but for the observant player, a staggering amount of backstory and history can be gleaned from every surface, every tool, and every change made to a place since a journal was written there.
-Portal: Come on, this isn't even a tough decision.
-The Stanley Parable: I know I shouldn't have to say it again, but the approach to story, narration, and decisions in this Source mod is both unique and engaging.
-Dear Esther: Haven't played it personally (yet), but I've heard good things about it.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head for now.
-Myst 1-4: Don't try playing any PC version of the first two games (Myst, and Riven: the Sequel to Myst) unless you're a masochist or have a computer you haven't updated anything on for 7+ years. Regardless, these games, to me, are a pinnacle of game storytelling. The game may hand you the necessary story details for playing the game (usually in the form of a journal you discover), but for the observant player, a staggering amount of backstory and history can be gleaned from every surface, every tool, and every change made to a place since a journal was written there.
-Portal: Come on, this isn't even a tough decision.
-The Stanley Parable: I know I shouldn't have to say it again, but the approach to story, narration, and decisions in this Source mod is both unique and engaging.
-Dear Esther: Haven't played it personally (yet), but I've heard good things about it.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head for now.
Answering this depends on what kind of "story" you're looking for in a game. Most games rely on a "narrative engine" that works (usually) parallel with the core mechanics of the game. Things like context, character motivations, plot, narrative events (i.e. cutscenes), dialogue, and events of the story all come from the narrative engine. To give an example of the separate elements to each game, using Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Defining the character through the augmentations, praxis points, and choice of weaponry is part of the core mechanics; while the image of Adam Jensen, his motive, and dialogue come from the narrative engine.
I assume you are referring to games that rely on narrative engines that tell a story (there are games that tell a story through core mechanics and is a bit of a debate between game developers--Minecraft and Sims is an example of games using core mechanics like this, but these are extremely rare). There are probably some old games to look out for that might fit your criteria. "Super Metroid" for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is pretty abstract, but the final moments of the game are fascinating to watch on how they tell the character's relationships with no use of words and all visual action. It might be hard to get since the game is so old, but maybe a youtube video might show the ending of that game (Don't rely on "Metroid: Other M" as that uses an entirely different method of delivering the story). Other examples related to the "Metroid" games would be "Metroid Fusion" for the GBA and "Metroid: Zero Mission," though the latter is less story-based when compared to the former.
Point and click adventure games are really worth looking into for this kind of class. They rely heavily on the narrative engine as a way of "rewarding" the player and come in a variety of ratings. The "Monkey Island" series are highly recommended here, along with "Grim Fandango" and "Day of the Tentacle."
RPGs are a little hard to recommend as their core mechanics does get in the way of the narrative engine, but JRPGs are a good spot to look for. "Chrono Trigger" is a great example. There are some "Western" JRPGs to consider as well, such as "Septerra Core" or "Anachronox." Those two should be easy to get off GoG.com right now and Teen-rated. Some RPGs are "story-driven" like BioWare games, but not every RPG. "Ultima 4" is free to download from GoG.com and is a fascinating game in exploring ethical consequences, but it has a steep learning curve and poor user-interface that the core mechanics might interfere with the story.
A lot of action games are probably best to look at in the current generation than older games, since most current games starting on the Playstation have developed the narrative engine along with the core mechanics. "Alundra" is an action/adventure game with a great narrative revolving around demons terrorizing and killing villagers through dreams, coming from the Playstation generation. Also action/adventure based would be the "Oddworld" games from the Playstation generation.
That is some games I can recall off the top of my head which might help with the class. Hope these help and good luck!
I assume you are referring to games that rely on narrative engines that tell a story (there are games that tell a story through core mechanics and is a bit of a debate between game developers--Minecraft and Sims is an example of games using core mechanics like this, but these are extremely rare). There are probably some old games to look out for that might fit your criteria. "Super Metroid" for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System is pretty abstract, but the final moments of the game are fascinating to watch on how they tell the character's relationships with no use of words and all visual action. It might be hard to get since the game is so old, but maybe a youtube video might show the ending of that game (Don't rely on "Metroid: Other M" as that uses an entirely different method of delivering the story). Other examples related to the "Metroid" games would be "Metroid Fusion" for the GBA and "Metroid: Zero Mission," though the latter is less story-based when compared to the former.
Point and click adventure games are really worth looking into for this kind of class. They rely heavily on the narrative engine as a way of "rewarding" the player and come in a variety of ratings. The "Monkey Island" series are highly recommended here, along with "Grim Fandango" and "Day of the Tentacle."
RPGs are a little hard to recommend as their core mechanics does get in the way of the narrative engine, but JRPGs are a good spot to look for. "Chrono Trigger" is a great example. There are some "Western" JRPGs to consider as well, such as "Septerra Core" or "Anachronox." Those two should be easy to get off GoG.com right now and Teen-rated. Some RPGs are "story-driven" like BioWare games, but not every RPG. "Ultima 4" is free to download from GoG.com and is a fascinating game in exploring ethical consequences, but it has a steep learning curve and poor user-interface that the core mechanics might interfere with the story.
A lot of action games are probably best to look at in the current generation than older games, since most current games starting on the Playstation have developed the narrative engine along with the core mechanics. "Alundra" is an action/adventure game with a great narrative revolving around demons terrorizing and killing villagers through dreams, coming from the Playstation generation. Also action/adventure based would be the "Oddworld" games from the Playstation generation.
That is some games I can recall off the top of my head which might help with the class. Hope these help and good luck!
Close. Most visual novels are actually games because of one important difference. You make decisions. That's the gameplay element. Legendary game designer Sid Meyer famously said "A game is a series of interesting choices." Dear Esther doesn't have choices, but most visual novels do.Richardplex said:
OT: I actually just thought of an absolutely great example. Ghost Trick. The game has a phenomenal, engaging mystery story whose narrative elements are very well intertwined with its gameplay elements. It's the game equivalent of a page-turner; it's so hard to put down. The guys at Extra Credits recommended it during their first "Games You Might Not Have Tried." It's also available for anybody with a DS, 3DS or iDevice and pretty short compared to a lot of the 30-hour-plus epics a lot of people are recommending.
Damn, well there goes every good horror game ever. Sooooooooo
Bastion, because that's a good idea and I'm feel very uninventive right now.
Bastion, because that's a good idea and I'm feel very uninventive right now.
Well its a shame because honestly first and foremost any list of gaming as lit would have to include bioshock.
However you could go XenoGEARS (not saga) at least for the first disc. But I would suggest that overall from a narrative standpoint Vagrant story is better in that respect. Perhaps a little harder to come by though.
Myst/Riven have a lot of potential in this arena and it does so because the narrative is both in the dialogue just as much as it is in the experience of the worlds
If you wanted you could go with Arkham Asylum as its flow is that of an extended comic you can control. Its narrative is one of the most polished and fleshed out stories in gaming.
However you could go XenoGEARS (not saga) at least for the first disc. But I would suggest that overall from a narrative standpoint Vagrant story is better in that respect. Perhaps a little harder to come by though.
Myst/Riven have a lot of potential in this arena and it does so because the narrative is both in the dialogue just as much as it is in the experience of the worlds
If you wanted you could go with Arkham Asylum as its flow is that of an extended comic you can control. Its narrative is one of the most polished and fleshed out stories in gaming.
Dear Esther isn't a game because it lacks any central gameplay mechanic. If it had a mechanic where you had to at least open the doors and had to find and pick up the letter fragments then it would have been a game, with extra points if you could actually move at a normal speed, jump and properly explore all of the island but no all you do is hold down W until the games says stop and that is not gameplay thats just a cramp waiting to happen. Its like taking a short film and adding a "hold down the button to play the movie feature", it just doesn't have gameplay, it definitely has artistic merit and is fascinating, but it is not a game, its a software story.Xannidel said:
Psychonauts would probably be a good contender for the class. Most of the game mechanics are actually explained in the narrative (the lives system for example) and are acknowledged by the characters. The story isn't really all that complicated by any stretch, but it's well told and well written.
Bastion because it's Bastion and it really does have an interesting story that looks into the morality and consequences of choices and actions.
Metroid Prime would be an interesting potential candidate as well, in that it's narrative is told almost solely through the environment without a single spoken line of dialogue. How much of the story is revealed is determined entirely by the player's choices to spend a little extra time to check out their surroundings and how often they whip out the scan visor.
Shadow Of The Colossus for similar reasons to Metroid Prime. It tells an engaging and thoughtful story without any actual voice work, and the story is revealed entirely through player agency.
Bastion because it's Bastion and it really does have an interesting story that looks into the morality and consequences of choices and actions.
Metroid Prime would be an interesting potential candidate as well, in that it's narrative is told almost solely through the environment without a single spoken line of dialogue. How much of the story is revealed is determined entirely by the player's choices to spend a little extra time to check out their surroundings and how often they whip out the scan visor.
Shadow Of The Colossus for similar reasons to Metroid Prime. It tells an engaging and thoughtful story without any actual voice work, and the story is revealed entirely through player agency.
Monkey Island 2, WarCraft 3, or Beyond Good and Evil. All have great story told well through the gaming format.
I WOULD say Red Dead Redemption, but no rated-M,.. (screw it, can't you just get the kiddos to bring home permission slips so they can play a simple m-rated game?)
Half Life might be good, as it kinda revolutionized the method of videogame storytelling (being a game that told the whole thing without cutscenes)
Bastion, definitely, as it does a great job of narrating everything the player does.
Oh, and ESPECIALLY the free Half Life 2 mod "The Stanley Parable", which uses very interesting experimental narrative techniques
<youtube=OIppRUoe70E>
The Stanley Parable is an experimental narrative-driven first person game. It is an exploration of choice, freedom, storytelling and reality, all examined through the lens of what it means to play a video game.
You can download it for free here:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable
Half Life might be good, as it kinda revolutionized the method of videogame storytelling (being a game that told the whole thing without cutscenes)
Bastion, definitely, as it does a great job of narrating everything the player does.
Oh, and ESPECIALLY the free Half Life 2 mod "The Stanley Parable", which uses very interesting experimental narrative techniques
<youtube=OIppRUoe70E>
The Stanley Parable is an experimental narrative-driven first person game. It is an exploration of choice, freedom, storytelling and reality, all examined through the lens of what it means to play a video game.
You can download it for free here:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable
You may be able to use parts of Grim Fandango. The game itself is hard to get but there are complete playthroughs on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzyB0nMCQ0
Text adventures seems obvious and a few people have given examples. Another somewhat similar type of game would be a very old game called Alter Ego that is playable online.
http://www.playalterego.com/
I don't know if it was M-rated, maybe it is older than the rating systems, it does have sex in it.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is an example of a rather unique storytelling technique, that is non-linear in nature.
http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Alpha_Centauri
MMOs and maybe specifically WoW may be interesting in how they try to handle the linear medium of storytelling in a non-linear medium like games.
A shame about Half-Life but maybe Portal can be used. It seems to be rated M in Australia, but teen and 12 in other countries.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXzyB0nMCQ0
Text adventures seems obvious and a few people have given examples. Another somewhat similar type of game would be a very old game called Alter Ego that is playable online.
http://www.playalterego.com/
I don't know if it was M-rated, maybe it is older than the rating systems, it does have sex in it.
Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri is an example of a rather unique storytelling technique, that is non-linear in nature.
http://www.firaxis.com/games/game_detail.php?gameid=7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_Meier%27s_Alpha_Centauri
MMOs and maybe specifically WoW may be interesting in how they try to handle the linear medium of storytelling in a non-linear medium like games.
A shame about Half-Life but maybe Portal can be used. It seems to be rated M in Australia, but teen and 12 in other countries.
Small Worlds [http://armorgames.com/play/4850/small-worlds] is one of my absolute favorite games. It's flash and unrated though but there's not really anything in there that would warrant anything over a T. Well, depends how you interpret a particular level I guess.
Company of Myself [http://www.gamesfree.com/game/company_of_myself.html] is pretty good too in how it uses its mechanic to tie into the story. The puzzle in the last level is horribly designed though.
Company of Myself [http://www.gamesfree.com/game/company_of_myself.html] is pretty good too in how it uses its mechanic to tie into the story. The puzzle in the last level is horribly designed though.
I'll throw my wieght behind deus ex as well. Extremely good example of the player's actions within gameplay affecting the story. Don't know its rating though.
Maybe Phoenix Wright? The writing, while generally quite silly, is solid and there is some very interesting interaction between the gameplay and narrative.
Shit, this is harder than I thought...
Maybe Phoenix Wright? The writing, while generally quite silly, is solid and there is some very interesting interaction between the gameplay and narrative.
Shit, this is harder than I thought...
If you're looking for a classic, personal favorite would be Chrono Trigger. Could use it to demonstrate suspension of disbelief. By that I mean it tells a story of time travel in a romantic kind of context. You know, changing the past to create a better future.
If it followed the whole time travel aspect down to a T, the game would've been terrible. It would've been too confusing/convuluted to work, between working out paradoxes and such. So some suspension of disbelief was necessary.
If it followed the whole time travel aspect down to a T, the game would've been terrible. It would've been too confusing/convuluted to work, between working out paradoxes and such. So some suspension of disbelief was necessary.
I suggest Portal, Metroid Prime, Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi.
Portal because it tells a story with very little interaction with the main character.
Metroid Prime for the same reason as Portal, because Samus doesn't actually say anything, but also because you find out about the story more from scanning terminals than interacting with the game itself. Echoes would be the best game for this (at least I think), but any of them would work fine.
Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi because the characters are so fleshed out, and you can have the characters talk to each other the more they fight with each other. Depending on your choice of relationships, you can have X character marry Y character, or X character be good buddies with Y character, and marry Z character. Half of the replay value is building new relationships to affect gameplay as well as story.
Edit: also, Baten Kaitos. This game would be amazing because the perspective changes several times, and the motivations change after every major boss battle. It also has an amazing plot twist and then re-twist.
Question: would you just be telling them to play these games and interact with the story? Or would you be summarizing the story, how it unfolds, and how you can interact with it?
Portal because it tells a story with very little interaction with the main character.
Metroid Prime for the same reason as Portal, because Samus doesn't actually say anything, but also because you find out about the story more from scanning terminals than interacting with the game itself. Echoes would be the best game for this (at least I think), but any of them would work fine.
Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi because the characters are so fleshed out, and you can have the characters talk to each other the more they fight with each other. Depending on your choice of relationships, you can have X character marry Y character, or X character be good buddies with Y character, and marry Z character. Half of the replay value is building new relationships to affect gameplay as well as story.
Edit: also, Baten Kaitos. This game would be amazing because the perspective changes several times, and the motivations change after every major boss battle. It also has an amazing plot twist and then re-twist.
Question: would you just be telling them to play these games and interact with the story? Or would you be summarizing the story, how it unfolds, and how you can interact with it?
I'm going to echo Bastion as well, since it ties in a narrator with player actions and does it really well. It's a good way to get a slightly reactive narrative based on player actions.
I'm also going to throw in Braid, because that story has some great revelations and it ties into the mechanics pretty well.
I'd agree with Planescape: Torment, but that will likely have accessibility issues to anyone of high school age. It's got dated graphics and practically no tutorial to speak of, plus it's based on old AD&D rules. If your students can get past that then it's got a fantastic story and some really good character interaction with dialog choices and consequences, but it may just be getting a bit old.
Deus Ex as well, but that's less of an issue as it looks better graphically and it's easier to grasp its mechanics because it doesn't rely on a dated rule system. Generally if you have a section on player choice and agency Deus Ex is the way to go. The great part of it is the gameplay actually can affect narrative, so it doesn't all boil down to conversation choices like most Western RPGs. You can do a compare/contrast with another T rated Western RPG like KotOR, but I think Deus Ex beats it out in terms of narrative, especially when it comes to player agency and gameplay.
For more traditional narratives that are a bit more linear, I'd say Psychonauts is really good, and it handles some mature themes in a tasteful and subtle way. But it'd likely be a great thing to discuss with a class. Beyond Good & Evil is up there, too, and follows a similar pattern of approaching some mature themes subtly. The Longest Journey as well if you think your class would be okay with a point-and-click adventure, which I hope they are because TLJ is fantastic.
A lot of JRPGs would probably be good too, but those are more straight story and less narrative. Still, if you want to change pace and want to showcase some good linear storytelling there are lots of great titles out there. Any of the recent Persona games, Lost Odyssey, etc.
One thing I definitely think you really should include is The Stanley Parable. A few others have mentioned it, but it's one of the best commentaries on game storytelling I've ever seen, and it all takes place within a game. It doesn't judge or preach, it just explores ideas, and it's phenomenally done with a great VA as the narrator. The only thing is you'd probably have to have it be one of the last games you cover in the course, as its nature of exploration of narrative requires you to have some experience actually experiencing narrative in other games. It relies on things we take for granted in games and if you have any students new to gaming they'd need to get used to some of the tropes before they could see what The Stanley Parable does to deconstruct them and point them out. Still, it is definitely one of my favorite things that I've "played" and I'd highly encourage anyone interested in game narrative to give it a shot. Play through all the endings and see what you think, it's a really short process but has a lot of potential for classroom discussion.
Edit: After reading psicat's post I'm going to echo Sanitarium (another point-and-click, I think TLJ is better but Sanitarium is really really good) and Anachronox as well. Anachronox is hilarious and has some great satire to it. But it too relies on knowledge of some tropes to really get its humor, so where it fits (or even if it fits at all) really depends on where you're looking to take the class.
I'm also going to throw in Braid, because that story has some great revelations and it ties into the mechanics pretty well.
I'd agree with Planescape: Torment, but that will likely have accessibility issues to anyone of high school age. It's got dated graphics and practically no tutorial to speak of, plus it's based on old AD&D rules. If your students can get past that then it's got a fantastic story and some really good character interaction with dialog choices and consequences, but it may just be getting a bit old.
Deus Ex as well, but that's less of an issue as it looks better graphically and it's easier to grasp its mechanics because it doesn't rely on a dated rule system. Generally if you have a section on player choice and agency Deus Ex is the way to go. The great part of it is the gameplay actually can affect narrative, so it doesn't all boil down to conversation choices like most Western RPGs. You can do a compare/contrast with another T rated Western RPG like KotOR, but I think Deus Ex beats it out in terms of narrative, especially when it comes to player agency and gameplay.
For more traditional narratives that are a bit more linear, I'd say Psychonauts is really good, and it handles some mature themes in a tasteful and subtle way. But it'd likely be a great thing to discuss with a class. Beyond Good & Evil is up there, too, and follows a similar pattern of approaching some mature themes subtly. The Longest Journey as well if you think your class would be okay with a point-and-click adventure, which I hope they are because TLJ is fantastic.
A lot of JRPGs would probably be good too, but those are more straight story and less narrative. Still, if you want to change pace and want to showcase some good linear storytelling there are lots of great titles out there. Any of the recent Persona games, Lost Odyssey, etc.
One thing I definitely think you really should include is The Stanley Parable. A few others have mentioned it, but it's one of the best commentaries on game storytelling I've ever seen, and it all takes place within a game. It doesn't judge or preach, it just explores ideas, and it's phenomenally done with a great VA as the narrator. The only thing is you'd probably have to have it be one of the last games you cover in the course, as its nature of exploration of narrative requires you to have some experience actually experiencing narrative in other games. It relies on things we take for granted in games and if you have any students new to gaming they'd need to get used to some of the tropes before they could see what The Stanley Parable does to deconstruct them and point them out. Still, it is definitely one of my favorite things that I've "played" and I'd highly encourage anyone interested in game narrative to give it a shot. Play through all the endings and see what you think, it's a really short process but has a lot of potential for classroom discussion.
Edit: After reading psicat's post I'm going to echo Sanitarium (another point-and-click, I think TLJ is better but Sanitarium is really really good) and Anachronox as well. Anachronox is hilarious and has some great satire to it. But it too relies on knowledge of some tropes to really get its humor, so where it fits (or even if it fits at all) really depends on where you're looking to take the class.