Games for a Video Game Storytelling Class?

Cobalt Cobalt

New member
Feb 16, 2012
12
0
0
Hmm....Already beaten to the punch with Ico, SotC, Persona, Portal, Braid.

Would games with multiple endings be a good suggestion? With games as literature they have that one big difference, multiple endings have become a staple. Look at ME3

Chrono Trigger. God Damned Chrono Trigger. Get on it.

Google says Bubble Bobble might have been the forebearer of the idea.
 
Apr 28, 2008
14,634
0
0
Bastion [http://store.steampowered.com/app/107100] - Great game and use of narraition and gameplay mechanics to tell the story.

Knights of the Old Republic 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Knights-Old-Republic-Pc/dp/B00027CXEM] - fantastic game and story that breaks down many common star wars and RPG tropes. Could be used to help teach perspective. Looks at Star Wars in a way no other Star Wars story does, and makes it far more interesting.

Stanley Parable [http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-stanley-parable] - "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." - From the game's description in the link. Couldn't have put it better myself.

Planescape Torment [http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/planescape_torment] - Frequently referred to as the best written game of all time. Not one of the best, THE best.

Journey (it's available on the Playstation Network) - Words can't do this game justice. Seriously, this one's truly something special.

Portal [http://store.steampowered.com/app/400] - Prime example of how less is more.

Also, are you sure you can't use M-rated games? Because I really want to recommend Half-Life 2 for how it uses environmental storytelling. And because it's a great example of "show, don't tell". And an example of a conflicted villain who truly believe's he's doing right, and might not be so "bad". And how it never takes control away from you. And- OH GOD JUST USE HALF-LIFE 2!

I also see many people recommending Dear Esther. I'd recommend against it, since... it's just not that interactive. Which doesn't make it that interesting as a game.
 

Richardplex

New member
Jun 22, 2011
1,731
0
0
Assassin's Creed 2 is 15+ right? That game. How it takes quotes from scriptures and paintings, and pretty much dots, and the game play of the glyphs is you connecting them, finding out about this massive conspiracy going back since the beginning of mankind and just how many famous people are templars/assassins. It's my 3rd favourite game just for that.
 

Richardplex

New member
Jun 22, 2011
1,731
0
0
Xannidel said:
Kahunaburger said:
Xannidel said:
I am surprised no one mentioned Dear Esther yet, if you do not want to put 10 bucks into Steam for the it, then you can use the HL2 mod.
I'm not sure that's a very good example - it's not particularly good either as storytelling or as use of game mechanics for storytelling.
I thought it did a darn good job of explaining a story as you progressed to your goal.

zephyron said:
Xannidel said:
I am surprised no one mentioned Dear Esther yet, if you do not want to put 10 bucks into Steam for the it, then you can use the HL2 mod.
While Dear Esther may be many things, it's not a game, it's an interactive experience. I don't mean to say that it's bad or anything like that, but it's not a "video game" and therefore probably shouldn't be included in a class about video games.
Well that is your opinion on the topic of it is a game or not, Dear Esther has a goal, you control someone and as you progress there is a story being told that helps you better understand your purpose of being there. If that does not classify it as a game then no "game" now a day is a game either. Just because you do not use a gun or weapon to injure a foe nor does the lack of interaction mean it is not a game.
It would be a visual novel technically I believe. Not a game, a completely separate and valid medium of storytelling. Without gameplay it can't be a game. My favourite story (Fate/Stay Night) is a visual novel, so there's no shame in it being labelled as such.
 

Heartcafe

New member
Feb 28, 2011
308
0
0
Stanley Parable. It's hard to explain what exactly it is but here is the walkthrough. (takes around 30 minutes to watch.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gblvOhnv2k0
To the point and amazing. It's perfect for a class.
I can't recommend this enough for story telling.
 

Berenzen

New member
Jul 9, 2011
905
0
0
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer expansion. It's a 20 hour game that is absolutely amazing in it's storytelling. It's filled to the brim with symbolism and subtext.
 

Gali

New member
Nov 19, 2009
132
0
0
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. :p

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. :)
 

SoranMBane

New member
May 24, 2009
1,178
0
0
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]
 

iSmartMan

New member
Nov 9, 2011
2
0
0
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.
 

Voltano

New member
Dec 11, 2008
374
0
0
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! :)
 

zephyron

New member
Sep 27, 2011
33
0
0
Richardplex said:
It would be a visual novel technically I believe. Not a game, a completely separate and valid medium of storytelling. Without gameplay it can't be a game. My favourite story (Fate/Stay Night) is a visual novel, so there's no shame in it being labelled as such.
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.

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.
 

Flailing Escapist

New member
Apr 13, 2011
1,602
0
0
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.
 

viranimus

Thread killer
Nov 20, 2009
4,952
0
0
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.
 

Denomoses

New member
Dec 30, 2010
46
0
0
Xannidel said:
Kahunaburger said:
Xannidel said:
I am surprised no one mentioned Dear Esther yet, if you do not want to put 10 bucks into Steam for the it, then you can use the HL2 mod.
I'm not sure that's a very good example - it's not particularly good either as storytelling or as use of game mechanics for storytelling.
I thought it did a darn good job of explaining a story as you progressed to your goal.

zephyron said:
Xannidel said:
I am surprised no one mentioned Dear Esther yet, if you do not want to put 10 bucks into Steam for the it, then you can use the HL2 mod.
While Dear Esther may be many things, it's not a game, it's an interactive experience. I don't mean to say that it's bad or anything like that, but it's not a "video game" and therefore probably shouldn't be included in a class about video games.
Well that is your opinion on the topic of it is a game or not, Dear Esther has a goal, you control someone and as you progress there is a story being told that helps you better understand your purpose of being there. If that does not classify it as a game then no "game" now a day is a game either. Just because you do not use a gun or weapon to injure a foe nor does the lack of interaction mean it is not a game.
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.
 

Hemlet

New member
Jul 31, 2009
434
0
0
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.
 

CD-R

New member
Mar 1, 2009
1,355
0
0
If your looking for something along the rts route you can't go wrong with the original Starcraft. One of the best examples of in game storytelling in a strategy game.

 

dyskordian

New member
Jun 6, 2011
10
0
0
Monkey Island 2, WarCraft 3, or Beyond Good and Evil. All have great story told well through the gaming format.
 

tthor

New member
Apr 9, 2008
2,931
0
0
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
 

Bostur

New member
Mar 14, 2011
1,070
0
0
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.