Why games fail at storytelling

[BrainBoxLtd]

That was interesting read, and he does make some good points. This being the one I agree with most.

"You know who you are, you know your outlook and you know how you react to things. As soon as the character you're bonded with opens their mouth in a cut-scene and reacts differently to how you yourself would, the illusion of oneness is broken."

That's probably the biggest problem with this back and forth between being a passive and an interactive linear entertainment, if one element doesn't jive with the player, it tends to fall apart for that player. If you like the story, but not the gameplay, you're going to have a hard time suffering through one or the other and vice versa. I find it very annoying and hard to even be motivated when a character I’m controlling has to do something for someone I’ve already figured is going to betray me soon.

The flipside is when someone likes BOTH passive and interactive elements and they work well together it’s a big plus for that person. That’s the reason why a lot of cinematic games follow familiar set-ups of moody protagonists with chips on their shoulders who have to unravel a sinister plot, defeat an evil megalomaniac, or both. It’s a proven format that sells well with a lot traditional gamers.

It my also be why a lot of RPG’s aren’t doing so well this generation, their format isn’t very appealing to the current mainstream market. Pokemon is still selling gangbusters probably in part because it never emphasizes its mostly non-existent story.

All though I agree that games in general aren’t good as a story telling medium, it’s still good entertainment for a lot of people. I’m guilty of it, I love No More Heroes and Okami even though they follow the same flawed passive/interactive swap format.

What kills me is this guy goes on to lavish Half-Life 2 and Portal at the end of this article about how they’re “true videogame storytelling” when both of those games follow similar less-flawed set-up. The story in both games is still passive entertainment. They’re both still linear plotlines that you can’t change or influence. Telling their stories through conversations and more subtle elements is certainly better from a gameplay perspective. Since it does allow you to ignore elements of the story you’re not interested in.

Still locking the player in a room with characters progressing the storyline serve the same purpose as a cutscene. It’s something the creators refuse to let you miss; you can just do more to entertain yourself since you still technically have control. Having silent protagonists means there’s less of a chance they’ll react in a way contrary to the player. It’s all simply more organic approaches to the same concept.