The Merits and Drawbacks of Traditional Storytelling in Videogames

[happyninja42]

Look, I can’t help but want to know more about at least some of the aftermath. Leave me alone! lol

You keep replying to my comments. I'm fine with leaving the topic alone, but if you quote me and continue a discussion, I'm assuming you want to continue the discussion.
*officially done replying at this point*

The fact that you WANT to see it is fine, I don't care about what someone wants. My issue was with the statement (that I think you originally made, but I could be wrong), that NOT filling in that gap is somehow a flaw in the storytelling, and stupid. Because that's just silly.

 

[Phoenixmgs]

I think the term RPG is too rooted in gamer vernacular at this point for it to suddenly change, an RPG mechanic is anything that has to do with leveling, inventory management or stat distribution, no matter how little that has to do with what an RPG is outside of computer/console gaming. As for Disco Elysium, I think it should be held up as the epitome of a storytelling game. It isn't just a story told at you, it is a story you get to tell with every action you make, even those that don't traditionally directly impact the story, like stat distribution. The fact that Disco Elysium lets your skills take over and decide what kind of Cop you are is awesome but it goes far beyond RPG convention unless your idea of RPG is really experimental stuff like Fiasco.

That has literally nothing to do with what the actual term means. It doesn't matter what type of gaming medium you're in. The reason why video game RPGs just grabbed the mechanics is because the mechanics are easy. Allowing players to make choices and decisions that the world and characters reflect said choices back onto the player is hard. That's the CORE of Mass Effect (not the shooting or the "RPG elements") and that's why people liked it so much and why they cared so much in recreating their specific Shepard in character creation each sequel because it was THEIR Shepard (in appearance and character). Doing that "real" quality stuff is hard, it's the same basic reason why combat is the main gameplay in the vast vast majority of games because it's the easiest type of gameplay to develop. Disco Elysium isn't a storytelling game, it's a full-on RPG in every sense of the term. It's not just a story game like a walking simulator or a story heavy game like a Metal Gear Solid, those are static stories with static characters that play out exactly the same way every time you play. Disco Elysium and Mass Effect are RPGs. It's quite funny when someone says "Mass Effect is just a shooter with RPG elements" not seeing the forest for the trees.

This old Escapist podcast (starting at basically the 8-minute mark) is a great conversation about what makes an RPG an RPG. RPGs are more than just "chicken and pasta".

The video game medium needs a massive shift in gameplay. It's quite funny how we're about to enter a new generation with consoles and PC (Nvidia just announcing their new cards) and the most popular game right now, Among Us, can be played on at least 20+ year old hardware. A social deduction game like that is new to video games but old as dirt to other gaming mediums. The Battlestar Galactica version is 12 years old already. When is hardware going to be used for improving gameplay instead of playing the same games with higher resolutions?

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

You keep replying to my comments. I'm fine with leaving the topic alone, but if you quote me and continue a discussion, I'm assuming you want to continue the discussion.
*officially done replying at this point*

The fact that you WANT to see it is fine, I don't care about what someone wants. My issue was with the statement (that I think you originally made, but I could be wrong), that NOT filling in that gap is somehow a flaw in the storytelling, and stupid. Because that's just silly.

I added “lol” to allude to the fact I’m not actually taking the whole backstory issue as seriously as you seem to be opposed to it, but to clear up any further confusion -

Spoiler

God of War 4 desperately needs a prequel that explains how Kratos went from a ball of anger to the wise old man of the mountain. Because the transformation is so jarring that it can't be anything other than stupid, unless properly explained.

Well, first of all he got his revenge. And then about a 100+ years of cooling down and wishing he was dead.

Sounds like there's a story there waiting to be told.

Otherwise, my point stands. It's stupid. It must be explored and explained.

Why does it have to be explained? It's pretty clear at the end of GoW3 that he finally, at the very end, when looking at all of creation burn around him, by his own hands, that he regretted his actions. He flat out says "what have I done?" and then proceeds to shank himself in the stomach with a god killing blade. I mean, how much more than "damn, I really fucking regret what I've done with my life. I'm standing at the end of it, all my enemies dead, and I feel nothing but emptiness and regret. I'm going to go wander off somewhere and just contemplate what I've done." Do you need? And then he went all Old Hermit Warrior trope.

Isn't that enough? Besides, his "wisdom" is mostly focused on 1 of 2 things. Fighting, and the philosophy of fighting, which, given his warrior heritage, isn't surprising. Or "Don't be a fuck up and act rashly like I did, because nothing good will come of it." There really isn't any other type of wisdom that he doles out to Atreus.

 

[happyninja42]

I added “lol” to allude to the fact I’m not actually taking the whole backstory issue as seriously as you seem to be opposed to it, but to clear up any further confusion -

Ah ok, it was Jenson that claimed it was stupid not to cover the past stuff. My bad, your two posts sort of blended together as I would pop into check the thread during work.