Is Story more important then Gameplay?

[TehCookie]

No, I would say it's just as important. I love VNs which don't have much gameplay elements, and I also love hack'n'slashes which tend to fall short in the story department. A game has to have one or the other, but I don't mind which one it decides to focus on. Games with both well done are the best.

 

[Ironbat92]

I'd say no. If your game isn't fun or at least competent, then you're story will suffer.

 

[Reven]

Both are equally important but I'm going to have to give it to game play. It's easier to forgive a game that has a horrible story if the game play is great. Considering that you can now watch let's plays on youtube you don't even need to play the game yourself to see the story therefore there's no reason to buy it or even play it yourself.

Not sure if i agree with the let's play point, yes it's true you could watch a let's play to get the story, but the same could be said if you simply can't play the game for whatever reason (I used to watch let's plays of horror games not for the story but because i was literally too cowardly to play the game myself) and i imagine the same situation could arise from someone that isn't skilled enough to beat the game, or doesn't want to spend time trying to get to the point where they have the skill required.

 

[Gitty101]

Wow, both of those are extremely important to make a good game a great one. I guess it depends on the sort of game it is, for example if it's got a competitive edge to it (such as a shooter or a fighter) then I'd prefer tight gameplay over the story. However, if the game exists specifically to tell a story, (such as an epic RPG) story all the way.

Personally, since I mostly like to game alone, I'd go with the story. Gameplay is continually evolving, but a good story will stay with you for a very long time. I even find myself going back to games which control like arse specifically for the story.

 

[rob_simple]

What's more important, wheels or wings? Depends if you're driving a car or flying a plane.

I'm willing to tolerate weak gameplay to a point if I can engage in the story or the experience, (Flower is a good example of this, as it's a beautiful game in spite of being entirely dependent on the Six-Axis). Likewise, I'm willing to ignore an incredibly stupid plot if I'm having a lot of fun playing the game, (first example that comes to mind is Resident Evil 4: dire dialogue and plot, but fantastic gameplay.)

The only element that's truly important in a game is how much enjoyment you get out of it, and that doesn't always have to come from the same source.

 

[sethisjimmy]

I think neither are more important. They're both equal. Story can hold up bad gameplay for me, just like we all know gameplay can hold up bad story.

If you're pretending one is inherently more important than another I think you're holding the medium back.

 

[Risingblade]

Both are equally important but I'm going to have to give it to game play. It's easier to forgive a game that has a horrible story if the game play is great. Considering that you can now watch let's plays on youtube you don't even need to play the game yourself to see the story therefore there's no reason to buy it or even play it yourself.

Not sure if i agree with the let's play point, yes it's true you could watch a let's play to get the story, but the same could be said if you simply can't play the game for whatever reason (I used to watch let's plays of horror games not for the story but because i was literally too cowardly to play the game myself) and i imagine the same situation could arise from someone that isn't skilled enough to beat the game, or doesn't want to spend time trying to get to the point where they have the skill required.

I can understand being too cowardly to play the game but why watch it when you're not even interested in what's going to happen next?

 

[Exius Xavarus]

That really depends on the type of game it is.


If it's a hack and slash game like Devil May Cry, gameplay is more important than everything else, which is why DMC2 is regarded as the worst in the series despite having a passable story.

[sub][sub][sub]I liked the gameplay in DMC2...[/sub][/sub][/sub]

As Daybro said, it depends on the game. But typically, I can handle a sub-par story with amazing game mechanics much more easily than I can sub-par game mechanics with an amazing story.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

No, gameplay trumps all. If a game isn't engaging, entertaining and fun (in whatever combination and to whatever degree), it will fail regardless of how good it looks, sounds, tellls a story or portrays emotions. This is readily observable and easily evidenced by the popularity of games with little to know story (most mobile games, sandbox/open-ended games like Minecraft, Sims, Skyrim, Saint's Row 3, most MMOs, RTSs, MOBAs) and so on.

In order of importance:

- Gameplay is undisputed number one. Needs to be engaging, entertaining and fun.
- Challenging/Rewarding
- Story
- Replayability (choice, multiple paths/endings, new game+, playstyles/classes, etc)
- Graphics
- Sound

Things have to be gotten right in that order, or a game will flop.

 

[Reven]

Both are equally important but I'm going to have to give it to game play. It's easier to forgive a game that has a horrible story if the game play is great. Considering that you can now watch let's plays on youtube you don't even need to play the game yourself to see the story therefore there's no reason to buy it or even play it yourself.

Not sure if i agree with the let's play point, yes it's true you could watch a let's play to get the story, but the same could be said if you simply can't play the game for whatever reason (I used to watch let's plays of horror games not for the story but because i was literally too cowardly to play the game myself) and i imagine the same situation could arise from someone that isn't skilled enough to beat the game, or doesn't want to spend time trying to get to the point where they have the skill required.

I can understand being too cowardly to play the game but why watch it when you're not even interested in what's going to happen next?

Could be that the Let's player is just really funny? For example I'm currently watching two best friends (thesw1tcher) do a let's play of chrono trigger, personally i'm not interested in the story of that game at all, however i find the people that are doing the playing to be very enjoyable and so ive watched them play through nearly the entire game.

 

[Ranorak]

God, remember that deep, involving plot in Tetris?
Or the twist and turns of the latest mario game?

Or what did you think of the character arc in minecraft?

 

[Reven]

No, gameplay trumps all. If a game isn't engaging, entertaining and fun (in whatever combination and to whatever degree), it will fail regardless of how good it looks, sounds, tellls a story or portrays emotions. This is readily observable and easily evidenced by the popularity of games with little to know story (most mobile games, sandbox/open-ended games like Minecraft, Sims, Skyrim, Saint's Row 3, most MMOs, RTSs, MOBAs) and so on.

In order of importance:

- Gameplay is undisputed number one. Needs to be engaging, entertaining and fun.
- Challenging/Rewarding
- Story
- Replayability (choice, multiple paths/endings, new game+, playstyles/classes, etc)
- Graphics
- Sound

Things have to be gotten right in that order, or a game will flop.

I'm pretty sure the fact that here are so many threads and arguments over this topic clearly demonstrate that gameplay is not "undisputed" arguments are in fact DISPUTES , and i seem to recall the walking dead having very little true gameplay and yet it made alot of best game of the year lists. Of course all this is opinion, and gameplay is by far and away not even close to being the undisputed number 1.

 

[thesilentman]

No? I play games because I want a good game. I'm really fuddy-duddyish over this, which shows in my taste on games. For god's sake, my favorite games are the ones without plot. Mario 3? No plot here. Dark Souls? Sorta. Cave Story? Has a plot.

But their gameplay kicks any semblance of story in there. It's called a video game for a reason. It's also why that label is horribly inaccurate. -.-

 

[Xanadu84]

Story is more important when the story is more important. Gameplay is more important when gameplay is. Some times both are equally important, and sometimes neither is, and everything in between. And some things that aren't inbetween.

My rule of thumb still stands: any philosophy on the design of good games that states that all games are (X) is automatically wrong. There are good designs and bad designs, but the possible good designs are infinite and contain permutations of every conceivable variety. Don't ask what games have to be, ask what might make each imaginable kind of game good.

 

[Animyr]

Offhand, I'd say that story is more important to gameplay. But it's more complicated then that, because stories in videogames work best when the gameplay helps tell the story, so in truth they both have to be good, or at least work together. Of course, it depends on what you're looking for. If I want to just blow things up in a sandbox, then I'm not going to particularly care if the story is bad.

Overall though, I remember games with mediocre gameplay and strong stories far better then the reverse.

 

[jehk]

No, gameplay trumps all. If a game isn't engaging, entertaining and fun

What's engaging, entertaining and fun differs from person to person. The gameplay doesn't always come out on top for everyone. There's a lot of different things that people find engaging, entertaining and fun in games.

 

[Reven]

No, gameplay trumps all. If a game isn't engaging, entertaining and fun

What's engaging, entertaining and fun differs from person to person. The gameplay doesn't always come out on top for everyone. There's a lot of different things that people find engaging, entertaining and fun in games.

I think you meant to quote KingsGambit not me but i agree that it's very subjective what is engaging etc.

 

[VoidWanderer]

It all comes down to context. Some games need a better story than gameplay and vice versa. Think about this, the most successful games have a multi-player which has great gameplay, but very little in terms of story.

Some single player games have a great story but not that good gameplay, when you come down to it.

 

[PeterMerkin69]

Gameplay, hands down. That's why I'm competing in a game. Competing with other players, myself, or even just the developers by way of software. Contrarily, other media is usually better suited for storytelling, or at least doesn't suffer from the gritty details of turning something into a game, if that's what I want.

I loved Telltale's The Walking Dead. But that was not a game. It was an interactive drama. And it worked so much better than games that try to tell serious stories. TWD had all of the benefits of interactive media without the pitfalls of padding itself with challenge or diversions or microtransactions. Heavy Rain, too, although that was so deeply flawed that I hate to mention it in the same paragraph as TWD.

There are plenty of alternatives to storytelling; there aren't many alternatives for competition when it's 10 below befre the wind chill, or it's 3am and you can't sleep and no one's around to throw sportsballs at your head, or you're dead tired after a day at the office and all you can stand to move is your thumbs. So why are we so eager to sacrifice video gaming on the altar of art?