Last week we talked about gaming narrative. This is actually a topic that I find very interesting because there seems to be a divide in the industry between people who like narrative in games and people who think that extensive narrative has no place in games. I personally think that games are probably the best way to tell narrative because the consumer actually moves the story along with their actions. Whereas a book or a movie puts the reader or watcher in a completely passive role, a game can tell a story by making the player a part of it. If done well, this can usually make the player more invested in what's happening than if they were just reading about the events.
While many games separate gameplay from cinematics, Bioshock is a good example of a game that does not. Half-Life 2 also did this really well. It puts the player in the middle of the cut scenes and designs them in such a way that compels the player to look where they are supposed to look. I really like this kind of solution because it adds an extra layer of immersion. In another game that would go to a cut scene, I would be reminded that I'm actually playing a game, but here, the events are happening all around me in real-time and I am a participant.
Some games, however, have very minimal narrative--just enough to give a reason for the mechanics and the end goal. Rayman Origins is a good example of this. The game starts with Rayman and Globox sleeping. They snore too loudly and apparently cause all of hell to break loose with their snoring. So now they have to make the world right again. This is an oversimplified, ridiculous story that only serves to explain why the player is doing all of these tasks. Still, it works exceptionally well and really makes the game that much more enjoyable.
I personally enjoy a large backstory and an extensive narrative to pull me into a game. This would explain why many of the games I played as a child were D&D games on the computer. The gameplay is pretty simple, but the stories were the reason I played. I always just wanted to know: What will happen next? What will the next region look like? Who will my party meet? That's what kept me playing even through the most tedious games.
