Poll: Attention RPG Fans! Do You Favor Gameplay Or Story?

[RJ 17]

Good evening, My Fellow Escapists. I come to you with a simple question. I've recently engaged in a discussion in which I was trying to explain to someone that to some players, a game's story is one of, if not THE most important aspect of a game. He disagrees, claiming that people don't play games for a good story, they play them for good gameplay. His reasoning is that games simply are a lousy form of media from which to experience a story, citing an example of all the non-story based stuff between plot-points (for an example, grinding in Diablo 2 until you reach the next plot-point). Evidently he believes that because a game isn'tt constantly telling you its story each step of the way that people shouldn't expect good stories from them.

I argue that it's the urge to find out what happens next that has fans of RPGs, in particular, playing the game in the first place. They battle their way through all the random encounters and dungeons so they can advance the plot and learn more of the story. If an RPG has an uninteresting story, there's no real incentive to keep playing it.

So what's the deal? Am I part of the minority that places a strong value in a game's story? Or is it impossible for a game to have a good story since they're a seemingly clunky form of media for story-telling?

Note: it's possible I was just playing with a troll, he certainly seemed to enjoy talking in absolutes, stating his oppinions as facts, and pretending to have a better understanding of my tastes than I do.

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Well the best RPGs do both well. I'd say of the two good gameplay is most important. I can play through a game if it has a bad story yet good gameplay mechanics. But it is hard to play a game with crap gameplay just for the story.

 

[MajorTomServo]

There are very few games where story comes second. I actually get angry sometimes when cutscenes end and I have to start playing. Metal Gear and Ass Creed come to mind.

 

[Silvanus]

For me, it is actually quite weighted in favour of story. It tends to be what I value most in a game (though a good story will make a longer lasting impression on me if its accompanied by enjoyable and innovative gameplay. It's like good writing in that respect).

 

[Confidingtripod]

most people here will say story but the industry as a whole has alot of people that just want dumb entertainment. not that theres anything wrong with that, just these people view games in their entirety as that.

And even if it was a troll its still a valid topic to disscuss

 

[Trinab]

I think you have a good idea of my opinion.

 

[hazabaza1]

Well the best RPGs do both well. I'd say of the two good gameplay is most important. I can play through a game if it has a bad story yet good gameplay mechanics. But it is hard to play a game with crap gameplay just for the story.

This.
Planescape Torment may very well be one of the greatest masterpieces to ever grace our lands but I get so fucking bored every time I try to play it I've only ever gotten a few screens into the first town.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Video games are only bad at storytelling when they try to tell their story like they're not a video game, and when that happens the gameplay usually suffers in equal measure anyway so it's a moot point.

I'd say I'm a fairly forgiving gamer on both counts. I can quite happily just shut out a boring or God-awful story if I'm having fun with the game's mechanics, and on the other hand I can quite happily persevere though gameplay that I don't find particularly engaging so long as I care about the story enough to want to get to the end.

 

[Darken12]

Story. Games give you something that books, movies, theatre plays and the like can't give you: interactivity. I play games because they let me approach stories in ways no other medium can. I couldn't give less fucks about gameplay, I don't play games to turn my brain off and waste time pretending I'm a drone, I play them to have my brain stimulated, and gameplay alone can never do that.

 

[skywolfblue]

Gameplay.

I'd rather a game with excellent gameplay and a shitty story, then a game that plays like pulling teeth and an amazing story.

Gameplay is to me the most fundamental part of the experience, everything else is there to re-enforce that primary experience.

 

[Cheesepower5]

I'd take a solid mix of both over one in exclusion of the other probably seven times out of ten.

 

[Orange12345]

I think both are fairly important, but gameplay edges out story a bit, good story gives you a reason to care about the characters and makes boss fights and other challenges all the more rewarding but if the gameplay is shit why wouldn't you just watch a lets play or read a wiki. you can compare to movies, if a movie has a good story but have terrible acting it's a bad movie but if it has a bad story but good acting it can still be a fun movie, maybe not a GREAT movie but it can still be worth something

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Let's face it... most RPGs have the same storyline: Hey! You're the Chosen One! Take your ragtag team of fellow freaks and go save the word! Look angsty doing it! So whenever I come across a decent story, that's a big plus for me. Gameplay mechanics in an RPG are all the same anyways: either you take turns fighting or you don't. So just this once I'm-a gona vote Story, because at this point I'd appreciate the variety.

 

[Epona]

Most RPG's do not have a good story. It's the gameplay that keeps you going most of the time and it's often the story the brings the pace of a game to a crawl. Story is needed but don't make people sit through hours of cutscenes and dialogue.

 

[The_Lost_King]

In rpgs I prefer a good story over gameplay. However if the gameplay is complete and total shit, but the story is great, I probably won't play it. In other genres though, gameplay is more important. One reason I didn't get Max Payne 3 is because it was pretty much all cutscenes.

 

[OpticalJunction]

I can overlook a lot of gameplay flaws if the story is very good. A solid story stays with me long after the game is over.

 

[AD-Stu]

Can I just have both please?

To a certain extent I'm willing to forgive some gameplay shortcomings if a game's story is really good and vice versa... Alpha Protocol is probably a good example, where it had some iffy gameplay elements but the story pulled it through for me. In the end though a complete absence of one can't be rescued by the other.

That's if we're talking RPGs, obviously. There are other genres (racing games, for example) where obviously story doesn't matter a damn and it's all about gameplay.

 

[Sixcess]

Story. Mass Effect 2 had better combat than the first game, but it was the prospect of more story and character moments that kept me slogging through the obligatory action scenes. Ditto for The Old Republic, to some extent.

 

[Terminal Blue]

I absolutely refuse to believe we can't expect both.

However, if forced to give a choice, I'd always pick gameplay. You only have to look at the hideous stagnation of the JRPG genre a few years back. A lot of those games had a massive emphasis on story and even stories which a lot of fans found very strong. The issue was that the story was (and to a certain extent still is) kept locked away in a separate room full of cutscenes whereas the gameplay was often just dull, derivative number crunching.

Meanwhile, roguelikes and dungeon crawlers still frequently break out despite the fact that they generally don't really have a story beyond "reach the bottom level of the dungeon and fight the wizard/demon/monster/giant frog". Heck, people are still playing Skyrim despite the fact the story sucks a big one.

If a game is entertaining to play, then any story it does have becomes a joy to explore, it's like the iceing on the cake of what is already a good experience. Games where you're just grinding through dull or monotonous gameplay to get to more story are just soul-crushing. If a game would make a better book than a game, something is wrong.

 

[scorptatious]

I'd say a good mixture of both. Although I would really like it if an RPG has a good story and a good cast of characters. Then, I could forgive whatever shortcomings the gameplay it may have. So long as those shortcomings aren't too crippling to the overall experience.