Video Game Storytelling: Tell Me Everything!

[Zack]

Last summer, I did an interview with the inhumanly talented writer Dan Jolley. It turned out he was doing a day job as a storyline developer for a local video game company.

This impressed me muchly. Dig: From roughly 1988 to 1992, I was mad into video games. I knew pretty much everything that was coming out for the NES, Genesis, GameBoy and even the TurboGrafix (Bonk forever!). I saw Fred Savage in THE WIZARD at least three times. Nintendo Power, GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly were my main reads, along with Jeff Rovin's HOW TO WIN AT NINTENDO guides. I knew every cheat, and every obscure little game coming out.

Mind you, I was more of an observer than a player. I have a coordination disability that makes handling a game controller almost impossible. But I would sit with my brother and his friends for hours, going through games. I was their strategy guy.

Well, middle school hit and game controllers got a LOT more buttons, making my game play...even more difficult. So I faded out. I knew of great computer games like MYST, but...we had a Mac, and they were all on Windows, and besides, we didn't have a CD-ROM drive. So I had nothing to do but watch my brother play MORTAL KOMBAT.

In grad school, I got back into games a little...in the sense that I wasted thesis-writing time playing emulators of every old game I used to love. And a few old-school computer ones I always WANTED to play, such as SAM & MAX, BAD MOJO and PLANESCAPE: TORMENT. Later, I bought a game controller that came with SONIC, ALTERED BEAST and GOLDEN AXE. Good times!

The thing with Jolley awakened my interest in video games, particularly in the fact that a lot of local comics guys were involved with them. I live in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, which has something like two dozen video game companies. Besides Jolley, there's guys like Richard Case from Grant Morrison's DOOM PATROL working on games.

So I'm really fascinated by this creative outlet. I recently attended a seminar about game writing from a RedStorm guy, and watched several cable documentaries about the history of games, and read a lot of online summaries of games, and watched YouTube speed runs and my friends play. I am getting more familiar with things like HALO and BIOSHOCK and some others, but I am obviously still far behind.

This is a long-winded way of asking about:

1) What are some of the best-written games, and why?

2) What are some of the WORST-written games, and why?

3) What are good common aspects to gameplay storytelling?

4) What are some of the best CURRENT games?

5) How do most gameplay stories unfold, in terms of interaction vs. information given?

6) What are some ways to learn about writing game narrative?

Speak! And feel free to go on (much like I do...)

[Lester C.]

I have bad news for you Zack. These days gameplay has taken predence over story. What little story there is will often have plot holes bigger than Tom Cruise's ego. Even rpgs have far more exploring and combat that cut scenes developing and moving the story.

The huge exception to this is the Metal Gear Solid series. This series of game is nothing but story cutscenes spliced with a litte bit of combat and exploration. You will be watchig story cutscenes for 80 percent of the time and playting the game for 20 percent.

[Ian Boothby]

I got to write material last summer for EA's new game Facebreaker. A kick to do and the game looks fun.
http://www.easports.com/facebreaker/

As for the best written games today. GTA4 is pretty amazing.

[Lester C.]

I got to write material last summer for EA's new game Facebreaker. A kick to do and the game looks fun.
http://www.easports.com/facebreaker/

As for the best written games today. GTA4 is pretty amazing.

I love GTA 4, but you spend the vast majority of the time playing the game. Unless game play is considered part of storytelling then I don't think GTA 4 is well written because there isn't much writing to be seen.

[Agent Helix]

I love GTA 4, but you spend the vast majority of the time playing the game. Unless game play is considered part of storytelling then I don't think GTA 4 is well written because there isn't much writing to be seen.

Sure, unless you count the hours of cutscenes, car dialogues, and cell phone conversations that occur throughout the game, telling the story.

Oh wait...

[Alan Lynch]

The best game stories, for me, unfold in a way you can't get from reading a book or watching a movie. So your cutscenes, or big chunks of texts might not necessarily be bad - they're methods we've used for years to share stories - but don't show any real imagination. I prefer to see things unfold in front of you, like in Half Life, or employ new techniques to draw you in like Eternal Darkness. I think there's great potential in videogames as a storytelling device which has barely been touched yet. I find the idea of a straightforward plot in games like Grand Theft Auto so disappointingly restrictive. A world as beautifully built up like that should be host to any number of branching storylines and keft to the player to discover, not tied to the same basic straight line formula that was used back in the 80s.

It's a shame, really, to see how far the industry has progressed in such a relatively short time in every aspect other than narrative. I'm optimistic that there'll still be folks out there willing to try new things though. Even if you might have to look a bit harder to find them.

[section 8]

aside from call of duty i dont play enough to be much help...but FFVII when the girl got killed ( what was her name? Aeries?) it was a sharp twist and a real shock to the system for nearly everyone who's played it. i'd vote for that to be one of gamer stories all time highs

[Shisho]

I thought Prince of Persia for the PS2 was pretty clever. It's still one of my all time favorite video games.

[Alan Lynch]

aside from call of duty i dont play enough to be much help...but FFVII when the girl got killed ( what was her name? Aeries?) it was a sharp twist and a real shock to the system for nearly everyone who's played it. i'd vote for that to be one of gamer stories all time highs

Aeris dying is often brought up as one of the benchmarks for game plots, yeah. I loved it - I think what drove it home was how central she was to the overall plot. If they'd killed someone like Yuffie or Red XIII you'd think it sucked, but there wouldn't be the same sense of loss.

Story goes that Square were going to include a way to bring her back towards the end, but decided it meant more if she stayed gone. Which was the right idea I reckon.

I thought Prince of Persia for the PS2 was pretty clever. It's still one of my all time favorite video games.

God, I love that game too. It's another clever one alright.

Silent Hill 2 is another ace plot. The game itself isn't anything new, but the way everything fits together towards servicing the plot is outstanding.

[Agent Helix]

I was just mad when Aeris died, because I'd just learned her final limit break.

[Shisho]

Aeris dying is often brought up as one of the benchmarks for game plots, yeah. I loved it - I think what drove it home was how central she was to the overall plot. If they'd killed someone like Yuffie or Red XIII you'd think it sucked, but there wouldn't be the same sense of loss.

Story goes that Square were going to include a way to bring her back towards the end, but decided it meant more if she stayed gone. Which was the right idea I reckon.

God, I love that game too. It's another clever one alright.

Silent Hill 2 is another ace plot. The game itself isn't anything new, but the way everything fits together towards servicing the plot is outstanding.

I love love love Silent Hill, but I didn't care much for 2. The graphics were great, and I did like the attention to detail with the story, but the actual gameplay was really boring. I liked 1 & 3, though. The first one blew me away, it was like nothing I'd ever seen in a video game before then. (And how can you not love a game where you can stomp on the monsters after you're done killing them? I was saying for yeeeears that I wish a game would do that.) I hear they are coming out with another one soon. I seem to only like the odd numbered ones, so I'm looking forward to this one.

[Agent Helix]

The Silent Hill series is basically the Cliff's Notes for Jacob's Ladder and Cronenberg's movies from the 80s. I can't call it good story when it's all pale imitation of better films.

[Michael P]

I have bad news for you Zack. These days gameplay has taken predence over story.

This is a good thing.

[Alan Lynch]

I was just mad when Aeris died, because I'd just learned her final limit break.

Man, that's dedication. Everytime I've completed that game I've usually not had any final limit breaks long. Getting one that early takes way more patience than I can muster - I just want to get to the cool bits.

I love love love Silent Hill, but I didn't care much for 2. The graphics were great, and I did like the attention to detail with the story, but the actual gameplay was really boring. I liked 1 & 3, though. The first one blew me away, it was like nothing I'd ever seen in a video game before then. (And how can you not love a game where you can stomp on the monsters after you're done killing them? I was saying for yeeeears that I wish a game would do that.) I hear they are coming out with another one soon. I seem to only like the odd numbered ones, so I'm looking forward to this one.

IIRC, the next one isn't being made by the same team, so expectations might need to be lowered. As a game I definitely prefer the first one, but I just loved all the psychological stuff from the second. It works so effectively as a whole, complete experience, and it's tailored perfectly for the medium.

The Silent Hill series is basically the Cliff's Notes for Jacob's Ladder and Cronenberg's movies from the 80s. I can't call it good story when it's all pale imitation of better films.

That's my beef with most game plots - they aren't films, so they should stop trying. It's why I think Silent Hill 2 works so well; it has a regular narrative, but the whole story is interwoven with the gameplay brilliantly. It adds an extra layer which I don't think enough games do yet.

And suddenly I realise that I need to play the damn thing again so I can be more specific.

[Shisho]

The Silent Hill series is basically the Cliff's Notes for Jacob's Ladder and Cronenberg's movies from the 80s. I can't call it good story when it's all pale imitation of better films.

Visually, yes, but from what I remember of the story, no. (I could be wrong, considering I haven't seen the movie since I was a kid, so my memory might be sketchy.) I think the visual elements of the movie were more than likely a direct influence on the game, but storywise, I can't say it was a rip-off any more than Neil Gaiman rips of H.P. Lovecraft. Which is to say not really at all, even though you can see the influence there.

Man, that's dedication. Everytime I've completed that game I've usually not had any final limit breaks long. Getting one that early takes way more patience than I can muster - I just want to get to the cool bits.

IIRC, the next one isn't being made by the same team, so expectations might need to be lowered. As a game I definitely prefer the first one, but I just loved all the psychological stuff from the second. It works so effectively as a whole, complete experience, and it's tailored perfectly for the medium.

That's my beef with most game plots - they aren't films, so they should stop trying. It's why I think Silent Hill 2 works so well; it has a regular narrative, but the whole story is interwoven with the gameplay brilliantly. It adds an extra layer which I don't think enough games do yet.

And suddenly I realise that I need to play the damn thing again so I can be more specific.

I have to catch up on the Silent Hill series, but I just don't have as much time as I used to for video games anymore. I'm going to get Silent Hill: Origins for the PS2, but I don't have a PS3 yet (and won't until the price goes down some, if it ever does), so I can't get the next SH or Devil May Cry 4, even though that's a game I've been waiting for forever.