Amid all the discussion surrounding the right and wrongs of the Catwoman codes for Batman: Arkham City, I heard one point raised more than once: "It isn't even main content"
This got me thinking, and without wanting this to degenerate into another debate over the Catwoman thing, I wondered if we could get a discussion going relating to the nature of subplots in videogames, and see if anyone has any thoughts.
An important distinction to make is "main story content" and "main experience content", and in games it seems this distinction goes largely ignored. This is especially true in the current generation of DLC chapters and side stories that get sold separately. So when people say that the Catwoman missions in Arkham City aren't main content, I have to disagree. Yes, the story may be away from the protagonist and the main story may slow down but that doesn't mean it has no impact on the whole.
Subplots take attention away from the main narrative and in doing so provide context. They allow an audience to reflect on the actions and nature of the protagonist, perhaps see them in a new light, and give the world a wider scope and depth by showing that whatever happens in the main storyline this a world that exists independently of the protagonist and their journey.
Perhaps it's the nature of the player-character relationship in most games, that intended feeling that you are the character, that causes many games to shy away from including subplots that cause you to reflect on your character from a distance. Maybe it's simply a case of games being a young form, and the role of the player makes writing effective subplots more difficult and more uncertain than it has been in other narrative media.
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer your game stories to focus on your character and them alone, or would you prefer some more side stories as part of the intended whole game story as opposed to downloadable extras? Do you have any examples of videogame subplots being done well, or done poorly?
One of the only high profile examples that spring to my mind is Halo 2, which helped develop The Covenant beyond blank targets by telling The Arbiter's story. For me, it worked, but obviously it wasn't a very popular move at the time.
This got me thinking, and without wanting this to degenerate into another debate over the Catwoman thing, I wondered if we could get a discussion going relating to the nature of subplots in videogames, and see if anyone has any thoughts.
An important distinction to make is "main story content" and "main experience content", and in games it seems this distinction goes largely ignored. This is especially true in the current generation of DLC chapters and side stories that get sold separately. So when people say that the Catwoman missions in Arkham City aren't main content, I have to disagree. Yes, the story may be away from the protagonist and the main story may slow down but that doesn't mean it has no impact on the whole.
Subplots take attention away from the main narrative and in doing so provide context. They allow an audience to reflect on the actions and nature of the protagonist, perhaps see them in a new light, and give the world a wider scope and depth by showing that whatever happens in the main storyline this a world that exists independently of the protagonist and their journey.
Perhaps it's the nature of the player-character relationship in most games, that intended feeling that you are the character, that causes many games to shy away from including subplots that cause you to reflect on your character from a distance. Maybe it's simply a case of games being a young form, and the role of the player makes writing effective subplots more difficult and more uncertain than it has been in other narrative media.
What are your thoughts? Do you prefer your game stories to focus on your character and them alone, or would you prefer some more side stories as part of the intended whole game story as opposed to downloadable extras? Do you have any examples of videogame subplots being done well, or done poorly?
One of the only high profile examples that spring to my mind is Halo 2, which helped develop The Covenant beyond blank targets by telling The Arbiter's story. For me, it worked, but obviously it wasn't a very popular move at the time.