Let's talk about a good Story

[MoNKeyYy]

I saw a couple theads about video game stories floating around I saw some dramatically different opinions about what makes a good/bad story. Some say that the narrative should be about the protagonist, some about the world they inhabit, some about the characters that surround them and some about the events that are unfolding. Now, it's fairly obvious that the best stories are going to have compelling characters with dramatic arcs and a well written plot with incredible events unfolding around them and a good fleshed out protagonist all inhabiting an interesting universe. Obviously, these things do not always happen and stories with all these things are pretty much going to be the zenith of storytelling. My question is:

How do you define a good story?

Do any particular elements take precident? Are any particular story elements deal breakers? For example, I saw in one thread that someone though Bioshock had a mediocre story becasue the protagonist was a faceless projection character with no real identity. Does that matter? Do other things matter? Are characters more important than setting or vice versa, etc. Or is the best story simply one that can suck you in and is engaging, regardless of what particular elements it does well? I know I probably don't have to mention this on the escapist but this is still the internet so try to speak critically, avoid pulling the words "I prefer" or "I like" into the discussion without qualifying them with something a little more objective. Thanks

 

[Fishyash]

There are many elements to a good story. You need to be able to put in multiple relevant aspects into the story for it to be good. You can't merely excel at one thing. Good character development is nice, but if the overall plot is weak, or the atmosphere does not fit, or the production value is off, I think it can make the story fall short and turn into wasted potential.

One thing I find important in making a good story is that a good story will make me think about it afterwards. I would play (replace with read or watch if you want, but it is a gaming discussion forum :<) it again, and find out new things about it that I didn't notice at a first glance. I can analyze and understand the story in multiple different ways, and find out different perceptions. I can discuss the characters, the setting and the plot with other people who got a different meaning/opinion, and (most importantly for me at least), it needs to bring up an important issue relevant to real life (whether in the present, future or past) that can be discussed.

I don't think the protragonist (assuming you are playing him) being a blank slate is of importance, but unless it is necessary to follow the rule of conservation of detail, the rest of the world should feel worth responding to. Important characters should be able to push my willing suspension of disbelief, everything needs to feel in context, and moments should feel as unobligatory as possible. A decent amount of detail should be brought into an action a character does, and the more subtle, the better.

These are the things that grip me into a story.

I don't think there is a single/few defining feature of making a good story, especially in regards to a video game. There should be multiple things that should be done exceptionally in order to create a good story, and it will depend on your setting, gameplay etc..