Why A Games Story Should Always Compliment The Game.

When I was growing up, back in the day’s of video rentals, Tamagochis and the odd roving dinosaur, if a game desired to evoke a story, adjacent to it’s malformed collection of pixels, they were dependent on the developer’s ingenuity to nullify their technological limitations to tell the requisite tale. Often illistrated with static images and narrated crawling text that methodically established the games critical incentive. Succinct, yet effective story telling that let the players autonomous interactions be the propellant motivation, rather than linger on unnecessary set-up. A courtesy not afforded by the remit of most modern games.

Now let me preface this by saying that I admire the progression and inclusion of compelling complex narratives, traditionally reserved for cinematic experiences. As someone that prefers a story orientated game, I’m less bristled by this than most. But the grievance of intrusive stories is not something that I can completely condone. It’s not just the excessive use of protracted cutscenes that introduces the characters, themes and motivations. Or the persistent interruptions during gameplay that deceives the player into thinking they can relax, only for the sudden interlude of button prompts to promote a superficial engagement. But also the explicit coddling represented by the games gratuitous tutorial, that compliments the narrative rather than the game.

Some of the weaker moment’s of even critically lauded games such as God Of War, open with a ponderous establishment for the character’s. With the tethered interaction being limited to a laboured stroll through a snowy forest, whereby you press Square repeatedly to chop down a tree. Hardly an reviting way to engage the player on their journey of gratuitous Norse genocide. There’s also this pervasive desire to be taken seriously as a cinematic experience or a refined character study. The Order 1886 is an exemplary surrogate for this pretentious self indulgence, that neglects it’s basic duty of being an interactive experience. Almost resenting the implication that it is fundamentally a game.

Developers now feel emboldened by the success of games that have relished in creative autonomy. With a license to imitate these prolific ideas with their own flagrant derivation. With enough convoluted abberations to make it somewhat different. As they incorporate their own sophisticated themes that belies its contrived concepts. With dialogue so profound that any criticism is disparaged as unrefined, adjudged by those less refined and incapable of comprehending its advanced themes. The Druckmann disorder. A great game knows when to let the narrative back off and allow you to participate. Others, sadly, treat their audience as though they are monumentally dense. Sometimes its better to let the gaming experience tell the story.