Why are most AAA stories so... awful?
- Thread starter the_dramatica
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It's because, to put it frankly, video games are the only medium that can succeed if it has a bad story, or even no story at all. Tetris and Pac-Man are two of the most successful video game franchises of all time, and their stories solely consist of "Blocks fall down" and "Eat white dots".
What is it that video games can offer that no other medium can? Fun gameplay. Video games live and die by whether they're fun to play. I know I speak for many gamers when I say that a game could have the best story I've ever seen, but if it's not fun to play, I won't buy it. (Besides, if I only care about a game's story and don't care about the gameplay, I can just watch someone's Let's Play on Youtube)
Writing a good story is difficult in any medium, but in video games, where it's considered just another part of a large project (and an insignificant one, at that), any video game that even tries to do something more is heaped with praise for it, regardless of how well it succeeds or not. I personally consider "The Last of Us" one of the most overrated games of the generation, but some people consider it the "Citizen Kane" of video games. Its story was completely predictable to me, its characters were unlikable and trying too hard to invoke angst and the viewer's sympathy, and even its gameplay was mediocre at best.
So, what's the solution? I think the problem with most "Art video games" (for lack of a better term) is that they try to forget that they're video games. They almost seem embarrassed by it. Video games are not movies, and developers should stop trying to turn them into one. In the process, they just end up taking the "game" out of "video game". After finishing "The Last of Us", I remarked that the game felt like it was made by film producers who were rejected by the movie studios, so they made it as a game instead as a fallback. If I can get everything your "video game" has to offer by watching someone's Let's Play, then you haven't created a "video game" at all- you've just created a movie where the player can occasionally select "Go to the next scene".
Instead, integrate your game's story with the mechanics of a video game. Video games are the only medium where the player is in control, so embrace the fact that the player can meander off in the middle of your narrative. Linearity is usually despised in video games, whereas in every other medium it's pretty much required. If anyone here is familiar with "Tasteful, Understated Nerdrage", watch his video on "The Shandification of Fallout". In short, make the story fit the gameplay, rather than vice-versa.
What is it that video games can offer that no other medium can? Fun gameplay. Video games live and die by whether they're fun to play. I know I speak for many gamers when I say that a game could have the best story I've ever seen, but if it's not fun to play, I won't buy it. (Besides, if I only care about a game's story and don't care about the gameplay, I can just watch someone's Let's Play on Youtube)
Writing a good story is difficult in any medium, but in video games, where it's considered just another part of a large project (and an insignificant one, at that), any video game that even tries to do something more is heaped with praise for it, regardless of how well it succeeds or not. I personally consider "The Last of Us" one of the most overrated games of the generation, but some people consider it the "Citizen Kane" of video games. Its story was completely predictable to me, its characters were unlikable and trying too hard to invoke angst and the viewer's sympathy, and even its gameplay was mediocre at best.
So, what's the solution? I think the problem with most "Art video games" (for lack of a better term) is that they try to forget that they're video games. They almost seem embarrassed by it. Video games are not movies, and developers should stop trying to turn them into one. In the process, they just end up taking the "game" out of "video game". After finishing "The Last of Us", I remarked that the game felt like it was made by film producers who were rejected by the movie studios, so they made it as a game instead as a fallback. If I can get everything your "video game" has to offer by watching someone's Let's Play, then you haven't created a "video game" at all- you've just created a movie where the player can occasionally select "Go to the next scene".
Instead, integrate your game's story with the mechanics of a video game. Video games are the only medium where the player is in control, so embrace the fact that the player can meander off in the middle of your narrative. Linearity is usually despised in video games, whereas in every other medium it's pretty much required. If anyone here is familiar with "Tasteful, Understated Nerdrage", watch his video on "The Shandification of Fallout". In short, make the story fit the gameplay, rather than vice-versa.
Because the dude writing the story went to school for fucking programming. A lot of the time the guy writing the story in AAA games is just the guy in the office who is the best at doing that. And considering the pool of talent they're drawing form that's no one's specialty.
And terrible stories are still stories. I'd expect a focus on gameplay to produce more than running around killing stuff, that's all.Mudman1234 said:
Eh, yeah, I never claimed Final Fantasy VII was the first or saving the world was an original idea. All I said was that I played a big part in convincing players videogames can be used to tell stories.
Final Fantasy VII was big and flashy (remember the commercials? Sephiroth surrounded by flames? that certainly caught people's attention), it was showing off relatively new hardware, it had some scenes and twists many didn't expect in a videogame (the incredibly awkward cross dressing segment, one of your party members dying), and so.
Heck, some of the big things the game did weren't even new within the series (several earlier installments killed one or more playable characters), but it was the right game at the right time and it knew how to make a lasting impression.
Final Fantasy VII was big and flashy (remember the commercials? Sephiroth surrounded by flames? that certainly caught people's attention), it was showing off relatively new hardware, it had some scenes and twists many didn't expect in a videogame (the incredibly awkward cross dressing segment, one of your party members dying), and so.
Heck, some of the big things the game did weren't even new within the series (several earlier installments killed one or more playable characters), but it was the right game at the right time and it knew how to make a lasting impression.
There are two kinds of narratives in games:
The plots created by the developers, the "main" and "side" stories built into the game.
The stories created by the players as they explore the game's virtual spaces.
If it's the former, others wrote at length why they so often suck (to the point where I don't even bother with Bethesda's plots; my experiences and expectations of them is that they will actively detract from my enjoyment of their games).
If it's the latter ... well, they are your stories. They are only as good as you are as a story teller.
Now let me tell you about my character ...[footnote]No worries, just joking.[/footnote]
The plots created by the developers, the "main" and "side" stories built into the game.
The stories created by the players as they explore the game's virtual spaces.
If it's the former, others wrote at length why they so often suck (to the point where I don't even bother with Bethesda's plots; my experiences and expectations of them is that they will actively detract from my enjoyment of their games).
If it's the latter ... well, they are your stories. They are only as good as you are as a story teller.
Now let me tell you about my character ...[footnote]No worries, just joking.[/footnote]
The quick answer is that studios are more concerned with creating a spectacle rather than a good story. Anyone can slap together a paint-by-numbers story to ship...but what's important is that it looks fabulous! I mean what good is having a deep, innovative narrative if you can't see individual blades of grass on the ground?the_dramatica said:
Most games don't have very good stories, I would actually say AAA (high budget games) have much better stories on average because they make a better go at it.
Are games without high budgets really known for consistently having good stories to make the tread creators point true?
Are games without high budgets really known for consistently having good stories to make the tread creators point true?