How can we achieve better storytelling in videogames?

[PedroSteckecilo]

The modern gamer on average appears to have grown tired of cutscenes in their games. So I pose this question... how can we reconcile Story and Gameplay, this is not a debate about which is better, this is a discussion on how one can write/tell a GOOD and potentially COMPLEX story that meshes well with the gameplay where neither are sacrificed at the expense of the other.

Any thoughts?

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Hire Professional writers. Early. And listen to them. And don't screw with the script too much after they're done.

-- Steve

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

That goes without saying, but what is the alternative to lengthy cutscenes, poor exposition or "hidden plot" (ala Bioshock, it's a cool and subtle method granted, but you can accidentaly miss alot of story that way), how can you integrate plot with gameplay?

This was inspired by Yahtzees continual rants about Story games being too much story and not enough game, I really wonder what can be done to make "Story Games" that have enough of both to satisfy both camps.

 

[shatnershaman]

You could play cutscenes. i.e bad guy monologues as your fighting instead of before hand in a cutscene

 

[Nintendolo]

return to point and click games?, Fahrenheit also managed to merge them both rather well.

 

[hamster mk 4]

I think you are looking for more implied story telling techniques like the scrawling in Portal. Graffiti in a level can convey a lot of meaning. If you want to be more overt about it you could have lost journal pages scattered about the levels. There is also eves dropping on dialogue between NPC's. In Max Payne you would often hear the bad guys chatting about something story related before your burst into a room and cap them. Of course all these techniques are for nothing if the player bypasses them. The only sure fire way to get a plot element across is good ole cut scene.

 

[Stammer]

You could play cutscenes. i.e bad guy monologues as your fighting instead of before hand in a cutscene

That's a really good point. I know my favourite bosses are when they spill their evilness on you as you battle them. GLaDOS, for example.

 

[laikenf]

I think that there is no way around the fact that if you want to have an elaborate plot with several characters in it you have to have a considerable amount of dialog in it, and that's where the discrepancies between gamers take place. What Anton P. Nym said about hiring good professional writers is a given, because you MUST have an engaging plot, but I'm one of those who believes that all that is perfectly possible with the complete absence of cut-scenes. A lot of games have proven this to us (although not perfect, I think Half Life 2 and Mass Effect are a good examples of this). A lot can be done to integrate the story with the game play, and this becomes more evident to me the more games evolve; Just think: why make a cut-scene showing a helicopter rescuing a friend when you can fly the chopper yourself?

 

[aRealGuitarHero707]

they could make more cutscenes interactive like "press x not to do die" that was in RE:4 and the like
it would especially cool if they did this during pivitol moments in the plot
the player would be shocked but still have to react

 

[ChaosDragon]

Well, to me I generally don't mind cutscenes, I love a good story regardless of how it's presented. The predominant theory seems to make playing during exposition into Quick-Time Events or just random button mashing (that's not already present in the gameplay (ala RE4)).

I think a good way to merge the two would be something like what shatnershaman says; or maybe something where you make damn well sure that there is a GOOD story to back up the cinematic.

 

[laikenf]

Well, to me I generally don't mind cutscenes, I love a good story regardless of how it's presented. The predominant theory seems to make playing during exposition into Quick-Time Events or just random button mashing (that's not already present in the gameplay (ala RE4)).

I think a good way to merge the two would be something like what shatnershaman says; or maybe something where you make damn well sure that there is a GOOD story to back up the cinematic.

Yeah I'm not a big fan of those Quick-Time Events either, and I enjoy my good cut- scene whenever I see fit; but I think there is so much potential to doing successful experimentation when it comes to telling a story, dialog included (no matter how much of it). Through specific in game objectives, interaction with the environment, branching dialogs with actually REAL effect on how the whole game progresses (along of course, with the characters) and a whole bunch other of ways that are absolutely possible with today's consoles and computers. Even a game about, let's say... a wolf, where you must communicate through gestures and actions with the rest of the pack in order to survive and eventually become leader... OK I don't know about that one but you get the point.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

I'm all for quicktime events too so long as they are never, ever challenging. It's just to give me something to do, not become a freaking level in of itself.

Exposition cutscenes though...why not let me have more input? If people are chatting you might as well make a dialog tree out of it. Even if it's to choose yes or no, even if it comes out to the exact same conclusion no matter what, letting me have some sort of input when people are talking always improves the cutscene.

 

[TrevorOfCrete]

Half Life did a pretty good job with minimal cutscenes. I think interactiveness is the best option, remember the side story of the monk in HL2? Or when you meet alex and the prof in his hideout? there done really well. Ultimatly there cutscenes where you can retain movement, effectivly making the player feel like hes still in control whilst driving the story along. I think we like to feel were still part of the game instead of watching it. Otherwise it feels like were excluded from the plot, this way feel like your not only part of it but somhow dictating it.

 

[HSIAMetalKing]

Hire better writers...

Yes, that.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

This isn't a new problem. Does anyone remember how story was presented in games over a decade ago? Unless it was an adventure game, story was in the manual.

 

[slyder35]

The modern gamer on average appears to have grown tired of cutscenes in their games. So I pose this question... how can we reconcile Story and Gameplay, this is not a debate about which is better, this is a discussion on how one can write/tell a GOOD and potentially COMPLEX story that meshes well with the gameplay where neither are sacrificed at the expense of the other.

Any thoughts?

I have the perfect solution for both camps.

Camp 1 - Just for the Gameplay - give them a SKIP CUTSCENE button.
Camp 2 - Just for the Story - give them a SKIP GAMEPLAY button.
Camp 3 - Who want both - give them achievements for being good gamers.

 

[tobyornottoby]

Camp 2 - Just for the Story - give them a SKIP GAMEPLAY button.

whahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
.....
hahahahhahahahahahhahaaaa!

nice

(rly, not such a bad idea for certain RPG's: instant levelup)

 

[Hurray Forums]

The modern gamer on average appears to have grown tired of cutscenes in their games. So I pose this question... how can we reconcile Story and Gameplay, this is not a debate about which is better, this is a discussion on how one can write/tell a GOOD and potentially COMPLEX story that meshes well with the gameplay where neither are sacrificed at the expense of the other.

Any thoughts?

It's already been done quite well in my opinion. The only thing left to do is to go out there and BUY them so the gaming industry has a reason to make more. They don't really care if people say they like great stories if they don't buy them which judging by sales seems to be the case. Either that or the people who like great stories are hugely outnumbered by the people that don't.

 

[minignu]

One thing I think people fail to remember when developing games, is that they are creating a GAME, not a film, not a book and not a TV show. There are methods of exposition that work well in some mediums, but utterly fail in others. HL2 (and probably Portal, but I haven't had a chance to play it) was an excellent example of how storyline based gaming should work - it didn't try to be a book and simply "give" the player the story, but it let you explore it, see it and play around during it. Hiring "good writers" doesn't necessarily mean that it integrates plot well with in the game, and we want good intergration, not a good plot which is led entirely by huge, rambling cut scenes (see: Metal Gear Solid games, which although great fun, are a bit heavy handed in the plot department).

 

[Karisse]

One thing I think people fail to remember when developing games, is that they are creating a GAME, not a film, not a book and not a TV show. There are methods of exposition that work well in some mediums, but utterly fail in others.

The gaming industry is still incredibly young, so its still using existing techniques while only cautiously experimenting with new devices. Like when cinema first made its appearance, text still filled screens to let viewers know time had passed or even that people had spoken. Even Star Wars opened with scrolling text to tell viewers what had happened before the movie. Eventually, they developed techniques like showing a character lying down, screen fading to black, and fading back in with sunlight on the character's face in order to convey passage of time.

With enough time, video games should develop their own, unique way of conveying messages and story without use of cinema. Bioshock accomplishes this by having the player have ultimate control (save for only a few moments) over everything the character does, right down to saving or murdering little girls. It's an example, though perhaps not the best, of effecitvely integrating story with gameplay. Even the short moments where the player isn't controlling the character's actions are directly tied to story development. That said, if a player can't control his character's actions, a feature exclusive to video games, there should be a plot-connected reason for it.

The modern gamer on average appears to have grown tired of cutscenes in their games. So I pose this question... how can we reconcile Story and Gameplay, this is not a debate about which is better, this is a discussion on how one can write/tell a GOOD and potentially COMPLEX story that meshes well with the gameplay where neither are sacrificed at the expense of the other.

Any thoughts?

It's already been done quite well in my opinion. The only thing left to do is to go out there and BUY them so the gaming industry has a reason to make more. They don't really care if people say they like great stories if they don't buy them which judging by sales seems to be the case. Either that or the people who like great stories are hugely outnumbered by the people that don't.

What titles are these? How did they do it? Where can we find them? Spread the word.