Poll: Story important in games?

[some random guy]

One thing that I've noticed recently is that stories have become quite an important aspect in games. Many review sites have a specific score for the story of a game which can affect the overall score. If a game has a bad story, it can make the game less popular.
I, personally, can't see why in is considered such an important aspect in gaming nowadays. Mario never needed a good story, most arcade games never needed good stories. I guess it can help you get into the game itself but it doesn't really work unless the gameplay is equally good.
One example of a game spending to much time developing the story/characters is Heavenly sword. That game could have been great if the stopped focusing on the cut-scenes and put more work on the actual gameplay which was basically just button-mashing. So, do you think the story is important in games?

 

[Dark Wingstalker]

Depends on the genre.

i mean, I dont mind my racing games just whacking me down on a track, And to be brutally honest, as far as action games go, if they dont offer up the story, i dont go around asking, I just hit the fire button and go.

this is a total flipside for RPG's though,i mean i sat through like, 40 hours of Final fantasy 8 more then i wanted to, just to try and make some sense of the plot

That said, Gameplay is always my primary concern, Which is why gears of war still sucks, despite the coolest story idea i've heard in ages.

Ooo, Controversy.

 

[savagegoose]

yeah basically breakout didnt need a good story,. neither did pong. games with stories seem like going to the movies, where you follow the characters adventure, get to play out the action sequences and never play it again after youve ran thru. well the fps types anyhow. i kinda had good times playing the gta series, but only ever played htru ea twice, the second time months after the firtsa when ive forgot most of it.

i spose the multi player types like bf2 et al dont really need much of a story , the teams of players fragging ea other seems to do well enuff for entertainment.

 

[nagumo [deprecated]]

All depends upon the genre. Heavily action oriented titles can get away with a minimal story, with the action keeping players interested in the title. Other genre's such as role playing or adventure games don't get that leeway. They rely so heavily upon story telling and character development, that a lack of story telling becomes a detriment to enjoying the game. Simply imagine Knights of the old Republic with no more plot than Gears of War.

 

[innocent42]

I love games with story. I understand if the game is skill-focused, like a racing game or an online-only shooter, but for singleplayer, story is king. Half-Life 2 didn't have fantastically original gameplay for the entire first half of the game (though once you got the gravity gun, that changed, of course.) I loved the story and characters, though. The mysterious Gman, the struggling resistance, the detached Combine all came together to make a much more compelling and interesting world. A good story (and by that I mean more "good writing in general, including descriptions, characterizations, and scripted sequences") gives a game a real sense of place. Repetitive shooters get boring really fast, but give the player a reason to shoot and suddenly everything just got a lot more interesting. A good story also gives the player a reason to complete the game and a reward for doing so (finding out the ending.) Creating the sense of place is the most important part of a singleplayer game, and the story is the best way to do that. Art style and unique gameplay are also important, but not as important as story.

 

[Katana314]

I'm willing to forgive a lack of story if the game uses completely new conecpts. Things like Gears of War and Mario I don't forgive. Unfortunately, they're still popular. Make fun of Sonic all you want for having plotholes and excessive characters, but at least Sonic Adventure 2 had a really good attempt at plot.

 

[eggdog14]

I'm gunna go ahead and agree with Innocent42 here,

Its alot more compelling to have a reason behind the shooting.
Half-Life 2 and it's episodes are extremely well written, and by the end you really do care about the characters, and what happens to them, making you WANT to fight.

Games like halo on the other hand have virtually no emotional connection, and it ends up feeling like an arcade shooter.

 

[Alan Au]

good story >> no story >> bad story

 

[Zera]

I'm willing to forgive a lack of story if the game uses completely new conecpts. Things like Gears of War and Mario I don't forgive. Unfortunately, they're still popular. Make fun of Sonic all you want for having plotholes and excessive characters, but at least Sonic Adventure 2 had a really good attempt at plot.

Indeed the game did. I like the way you think.

Personally i think every game needs a plot of some sort. I have recently bought Guitar Hero III. I liked the new story cutscenes during your career mode (even though they didnt talked, were short, and never showed your character,well animated too). It was nothing epic, but at least it showed your career from playing a backyard gig to facing the devil in a rock-off(which was epic thanks to the perfect song). I also loved the "Dancing with Has-beens part" All Im saying is for a little plot so I wont feel like a nameless person in a game.

 

[justira]

A lot of people are saying it, but it's true: good plot, good storytelling, and good characterization can only enhance the gaming experience. Of course, there's a niche for casual games -- mindless, repetitive, and comforting, where part of the idea is to specifically AVOID engaging the emotional center of the brain in the really very taxing work of giving a crap: emotionally investing in characters and stories can take a lot out of you and honestly there's nothing wrong with making fun games that specifically avoid that.

And that's a pretty hard thing for someone like me to admit, seeing as stories are pretty much THE reason I play games -- I love stories, I love characters, I love storytelling. So admitting that my favourite thing is a completely unnecessary and probably even harmful element in a legitimate and large set of games is pretty hard.

On the other hand, that set is limited; you can't just excuse poor storytelling by claiming to be part of that set. Sure, the degree of importance of storytelling varies from genre to genre -- some games can get away with very little, while things like RPGs rely on it. But there's some line beyond which compelling storytelling can only be for the good.

Personally, I'm willing to suffer through some pretty serious gameplay issues for the sake of watching a good story unfold, but that's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, and there's a lot of fairness in the statement that focusing too much on the story and not enough on making the game playable will ruin the game as an interactive medium. I don't get too upset by this, probably because I'm pretty indiscriminate when it comes to media (movies, books, comics, games, etc.) so I can just kind of let the transition from "interactive game/story" to "comic book where turning the pages involves a lot of very bizzare rituals that cramp my thumbs" slide. But I will admit that this is a failure -- the thing's no longer a good game.

I guess it's telling that bad gameplay can make me brand a game a failure while lack of plot can't. But I maintain that storytelling is really, deeply important; if nothing else encouraging game developers to really take a close look at good, original storytelling might encourage them to make more good, original games.

 

[Dark Wingstalker]

Good characterisation always helps.

Fear for example,i found myself not caring if i lived or died, because i could just reload the save.

as such, i never got around to finishing fear.

i just didnt care after a while.

 

[innocent42]

A lot of people are saying it, but it's true: good plot, good storytelling, and good characterization can only enhance the gaming experience. Of course, there's a niche for casual games -- mindless, repetitive, and comforting, where part of the idea is to specifically AVOID engaging the emotional center of the brain in the really very taxing work of giving a crap: emotionally investing in characters and stories can take a lot out of you and honestly there's nothing wrong with making fun games that specifically avoid that.

And that's a pretty hard thing for someone like me to admit, seeing as stories are pretty much THE reason I play games -- I love stories, I love characters, I love storytelling. So admitting that my favourite thing is a completely unnecessary and probably even harmful element in a legitimate and large set of games is pretty hard.

On the other hand, that set is limited; you can't just excuse poor storytelling by claiming to be part of that set. Sure, the degree of importance of storytelling varies from genre to genre -- some games can get away with very little, while things like RPGs rely on it. But there's some line beyond which compelling storytelling can only be for the good.

Personally, I'm willing to suffer through some pretty serious gameplay issues for the sake of watching a good story unfold, but that's definitely not everyone's cup of tea, and there's a lot of fairness in the statement that focusing too much on the story and not enough on making the game playable will ruin the game as an interactive medium. I don't get too upset by this, probably because I'm pretty indiscriminate when it comes to media (movies, books, comics, games, etc.) so I can just kind of let the transition from "interactive game/story" to "comic book where turning the pages involves a lot of very bizzare rituals that cramp my thumbs" slide. But I will admit that this is a failure -- the thing's no longer a good game.

I guess it's telling that bad gameplay can make me brand a game a failure while lack of plot can't. But I maintain that storytelling is really, deeply important; if nothing else encouraging game developers to really take a close look at good, original storytelling might encourage them to make more good, original games.

I know what you're saying, and I agree. I think that's also part of Half-Life 2's genius: you get an excellent story, but it's told in a way that only a game can. Information is gained by looking around at the details of your environment, exploring, and interacting. For example, at no time does any character in HL2 ever mention that the Combine are modifying Earth animals to create machines of war. Yet you can tell that they are doing exactly that when you see that the gunship you just brought down has flippers, that striders moan when you hurt them, and that the Nova Prospekt security cams shows humans with electronics implanted into their bodies. Rebel and combine propaganda, graffiti scrawled on the walls of City 17, the way the cold Overwatch voice refers to Gordan as an infection to be quarantined, newspaper clippings on Eli's bulletin board, photographs in Dr. Kleiner's lab, the things the rebel soldiers say to each other... it all adds up to a remarkable story, but one that is always dependent upon your actions and initiative. The lack of cutscenes only underscores that point further: Valve didn't make an interactive movie, and they didn't make an arcade shoot-fest. They made a game, something that few companies seem capable of doing.

Oh, and if you think that's the last I have to say about HL2, think again. It's one of my all-time favorites. It's the stick against which I measure every other game, and I rarely miss a chance to bring it up.

 

[Nyrende]

For me personally I find stories in video games to be rather lacking... to me I'd rather read a book for story instead of looking to some RPG for a shallow convulted plotline. Sure it can enrich th e game but I find gameplay makes me much more inclined to play a game. Stories in video games tend to fall short for me (though I know there some exceptions to this). For fun I play a video game for a good compelling story I'll read a book.

 

[justira]

For fun I play a video game for a good compelling story I'll read a book.

See that's the thing: for me fun and stories can and should be had from any medium. Reading good books is immensely fun; so is watching good movies; so is playing a good game. Likewise any of those -- any medium -- can (and in my opinion -- one I have no intention of forcing on others) should tell a good story. Even if the story's simple, or limited by other considerations. Stories don't have to be deep, convoluted, or even very long to be compelling and enjoyable, which is why think most video games have the room or potential for good stories -- most just never live up to that.

Anyway, all of this stems from my opinions on different media; a lot of people don't take that approach and that's fine. My own focus on stories and cross-media approach often blinds me to the native intricacies of each medium, so people who look at the whole thing differently are usually much more sensitive and astute about individual media =P

 

[Lord T Hawkeye]

I had trouble getting through God of War because Kratos is such a shallow, unlikable character and I still haven't finished God of War II because he's even even less likeable and the plot feels like they basically stole it from the first game.

Yeah, for me: No plot? No deal!

I'm not expecting Lord of the Rings every time, just give me a little motivation and I'm good to go.

 

[Lightbulb]

Ok lets nail down three of the 3 'best games ever'.

Half-Life Series
Deus Ex
System Shock 2

(As a side note forgive a PC gamer whos last console was an N64 - i'm sure the consoles have produced some gems since then. )

Would any of these games have been as good if not for the story?

Then again i'd say HL >> HL2 yet HL's story wasn't ground breaking. Maybe a good setting, not some novella written in a manual, but a clearly introduced, immersive, fun, and compelling setting is what is needed?

Basically any freeform game will have a decent setting: TESIV (Oblivion) and GTA are both good example of this.

I think it was summed up best so far as:

Good story > No story > Bad story

However its not quite that simple, i would say:

Good game doesn't need a story
To be considered on of the 'Best Games' need a decent story.

Why do i say this? Because its true! I cannot thing of a contender for 'best game ever' that didn't have a story.

Of course there are counter examples:

Counter Strike/Anyonline shooter
WoW

Neither exactly have an amazing story. But then again they do have a hell of a good setting...

 

[Geoffrey42]

And like savagegoose brought up in comment 3, where do we fit a game like _Tetris_ into the comparisons? Could you even attach a story to a game like that? Or would it be just tacking something on, like how that whole story about feuding knights was tacked on to multi-player pong in _Warlords_?

Tetris is easy. One of the best stories of all time! You, the desperate NASA engineer, need a band to play for the celebratory lift-off of your new space shuttle. Given your lack of talent, and friends, you must become a roadie to woo a new band. First and foremost, you have to show them your roadie-prowess by packing oddly shaped things very efficiently into small spaces! Finally, once you've earned the respect of an entire band, and practiced the song over and over (while you practice your roadie skills), you can finally do the gig you've been waiting for! The band plays, and then, off the shuttle goes! What a proud little NASA engineer you must be.

I tell that story to my children when I put them to bed at night. It always brings a tear to my eye... Such a beautiful story.

 

[Lightbulb]

Here's another question: does a game like _Civilization_ or _Master of Orion_ technically have a story? If they do, is there any way to compare their story quality to _Half-Life_ or _Deus Ex_?

I guess with Civ you make your own story...

Same with the SIMS and i expect SPORE - they are sand boxes in which you play. The whole point of a sandbox is that theres no story you just play around.

So basically i guess no you don't need a story to make a good game. Youcan be as abstract as you like...