Molyneux: "Greatest Story Ever" Will be in a Game

[John Funk]

Molyneux: "Greatest Story Ever" Will be in a Game

Lionhead Studios boss Peter Molyneux thinks that one day, videogames will tell the greatest story in the world.

Lionhead's Molyneux - perhaps best known for games like Fable and Black and White - has a bit of an odd relationship with stories in videogames. Oh, there's no doubt that he's for them, and the man clearly thinks there's potential there ... it's just that he keeps revising what he believes that potential is.

First, he said he thought that games would have come from a computer game [http://www.vg247.com/2009/03/20/molyneux-games-to-have-godfather-quality-storytelling-by-2016/]. That's right, the greatest ever. Of all time. Period.

"And I think that if I play the greatest story ever told in the same game as you play it, your greatest story is going to be different to my greatest story ... and that is power," Molyneux told VG247.

Molyneux is a man who has a reputation for thinking big - perhaps thinking too big, if you ask some people. In Peter Molyneux's perfect world, the game with the greatest story ever told would be one of Lionhead's: "That ambition to do that, to write that story, or to write that game that allows you to experience that story, is definitely something Lionhead Studios wants to do."

Big words, Peter. Big words. But I suppose we'll just have to wait and see - I wonder what Shakespeare would have come up with had he been playing as a Bard in EverQuest back in the day?

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[PedroSteckecilo]

Unfortunately for Petey, he will not be the one telling it, at least if Fable is any indicator.

 

[scarbunny]

My god his ego knows no bounds.

It may be possible to tell the words greatest story via games but it would require such railroading that it would no longer be a game any one would want to play. Just look at the railroading required to tell the story of Fable 2 and that was pretty dire.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I disagree with scarbunny,

But only a bit, I feel that the interactive nature of games can make them a stronger storytelling medium than film, television or literature.

Look at Silent Hill 2, where every monster design has plot significance, or where all of the levels are somehow reflective of the main character's inner turmoil. It's a deep psychological drama told in an interactive manner. Choice is irrelevant, the story is made all the stronger by it's playable nature.

Or Bioshock, where the Environment is a Story in and of itself, almost apart from the main plot. Granted it's not perfect, but it is impressive, and unique to gaming. You can't have a movie where an unspeaking environment is part of the overall narrative. It takes too much time to explain.

 

[Random Argument Man]

The greatest story ever? What about the story of man. It has so many versions!

 

[sorry user name taken.]

this man is like foreplay...great build up but when it comes to the main action....

yeah well you see where I'm going with this..

( i ment in his games btw not him )

I'm not going to sugar coat it i was really really excited about fable 2 but i got a good game not a great game =/

lets just hope he can back up his words this time

 

[ShadowKirby]

I disagree with scarbunny,

But only a bit, I feel that the interactive nature of games can make them a stronger storytelling medium than film, television or literature.

True. And I think that's what Molyneux meant when he said "And I think that if I play the greatest story ever told in the same game as you play it, your greatest story is going to be different to my greatest story ... and that is power," .

Of course, Molyneux is a man that thinks big and get a bit passionate when he talks gaming but I can only agree with the root of what he is saying.

 

[Brotherofwill]

You can't have a movie where an unspeaking environment is part of the overall narrative. It takes too much time to explain.

Are you serious?

I agree that games have more potential then film in that aspect, but to say films can't do it or have never told a story through environment is just wrong.

 

[SharedProphet]

Someone has to aspire to that, and attempt it. In fact, more than one person should... more power to him. Basically I feel the same way about Jonathan Blow. I don't think I'd do things exactly the way he does, and maybe I don't agree completely with everything he says, but I'm glad he exists.

 

[Doug]

Who let the gag out of his mouth? I like his games, but by frig he shoots his mouth off alot!

 

[JakubK666]

Lionhead's Bible confirmed.

 

[calelogan]

Someone has to aspire to that, and attempt it. In fact, more than one person should... more power to him. Basically I feel the same way about Jonathan Blow. I don't think I'd do things exactly the way he does, and maybe I don't agree completely with everything he says, but I'm glad he exists.

I second that.

I also recognize that the interactive element of games might be a way of achieving that "ultimate story". After all, interactivity enhances immersion and allows the realization of unique experiences. Evidence that our medium has its own advantages.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

You can't have a movie where an unspeaking environment is part of the overall narrative. It takes too much time to explain.

Are you serious?

I agree that games have more potential then film in that aspect, but to say films can't do it or have never told a story through environment is just wrong.

I was serious,

And that came out a lot stupider than I thought it would upon rereading it. It's true, film can tell a story through environment, but not to the same degree.

I made a stupid, I blame by brain futzing cold.

 

[[zonking great]]

Funny, this. Recent topics:

Molyneux: "Greatest Story Ever" Will be in a Game

That's what SHE said.

All sillyness aside, I am not buying it. Molyneux is up to no good again.

 

[Jackpot]

Pshaw.

The greatest game story ever told already happened, with sims 2. You wrote your own fucking story.

Besides, it's always up to interpretation.

 

[CanadianWolverine]

"If we want to tell stories I cant understand why we make games at all."
- Posted by Eskil Steenberg Sun, March 29, 2009 09:46:37 (http://news.quelsolaar.com/#comments42)

I couldn't agree with this more. Personally, I think Peter Molyneux is talking out of his rectum and knows it too, since it should be pretty plain by now, especially for a game developer, the greatest story has already been told in gaming and it happened the second a player decided to do it. Correction: Greatest Stories have already happened.

All we ask from developers are cool settings in which to create our own character's stories. Can you tell I hate so called games that are just interactive stories on rails?

Pshaw.

The greatest game story ever told already happened, with sims 2. You wrote your own fucking story.

Besides, it's always up to interpretation.

Heh, we practically posted at the same time with very similar thoughts on the topic at hand. I didn't see your post before I had posted - in other words, damn I take my time typing up a post. =P

 

[Unusual_Bulge]

I love Peter Molyneux. He may raise expectations with his enthusiasm for whatever he's working on, but we all know that now so it's harmless. It just shows he's passionate about games, which in my mind can only be a good thing. People are far too hard on him.

And I think he's probably right; one day I think computer games will be able to tell the best stories. What form games will take by the time it happens is another matter, though.

 

[tendo82]

I'm over my Peter Molyneux disdain. I've decided that as figureheads for the gaming industry go you could do much worse than Peter Molyneux. Sure, he talks big, but I think he speaks in terms that are inspiring to mainstream audiences. We don't have a whole lot of public personas in gaming that can translate what we love about games to a non-gamer audience.

Or, to put it another way, he's like David Lee Roth: always quotable and a pleasure to hear. Now he just needs an Eddie Van Halen on the back end and Lionhead will be all set.

 

[roekenny]

To be fair he got a point some of greatest plots I experienced been from games (dnd pnp and neverwinter nights,) but they are custom tailored to a small number of people and creator knows his audience more so than a big time publishers ever could. However until developers can have the freedom of a novelist or a group of friends in their creativity and willing to take risks then will only ever come close TV and film possibly. But that only when developers realise a story is their strongest feature and should never be cut back to make time for anything else save playability and enjoyment of the final article not for pixels or gimmicky features.

 

[kawligia]

I think storytelling in game will eventually meet other forms of media, but things will only START improving by 2016.

Before we reach that point, 2 things have to happen:

1) The graphics curve must plateau. As long as these companies focus so much on graphics, there will not be enough time or money to devote to excellent storytelling through fun, functional, and non-immersion-breaking gameplay.

I think this may be happening soon. The success of the Wii is showing developers that gameplay is more important than graphics. Also, the continued economic recession (is it officially a depression yet?) is putting pressure on game companies. They just can't afford have games spend so much time in development anymore. Some sacrifices will have to be made.

Hopefully the success of the Wii will teach them that super-duper-mega graphics are the place to make those cuts. If they don't, they will be in major trouble. Games are already released with too many bugs, imbalaces, and other gameplay issues, including increased brevity. I don't think the market will tolerate any cuts in those areas.

2) Gamers must obtain positions of power in companies. The people my age and slightly older who played the first generation consoles in the late 70s and early 80s are not yet at the top of the corporate ladders. Once that happens, the quality is BOUND to improve because the "suits" will have a much stronger understanding of thier products and their consumers.

Even though the graphics plateau might happen before 2016, the original batch of young gamers will not hit the decision-making corporate positions for another 10+ years. That will start happening around 2020 but it won't be until 2030 that former gamers will have fully displaced the non-gamers.