Should you need to read the books in order to understand a game's lore/characters?

[Burnouts3s3]

I was playing a game (which shall remain anonymous) the other day, and one thing I noticed from it was there was a large lack of detail going into it. When I attempt to pull up the codex/glossary, the game redirects me to a website and asks me to buy a separate novel/guide so I could understand all the terms, the details, the character history, etc. (To be honest, the game ?does? touch upon some of the concepts and characters it brings up, but does it so lightly that it feels empty/confusing).

Which brought me to a question: How accessible should a game be? Should they need to read a lore book beforehand or should whatever lore be placed within the game?

For example, in Bioware games, they usually provide a codex which details certain concepts and history the game cannot depict without getting extra costs. But at the same time, those games do a well enough job explaining who certain characters are and how they got to that point. For example, I never read the two books previous to Dragon Age: Origins, the Stolen Throne or The Calling. However, I was able to get a clear picture of the concept, the world and the characters (especially Loghain) just by playing the game and didn?t need to read the books.

But in another area, the Witcher, fans say that I would almost need to read the novels to appreciate the world as it goes into more details of the characters than the games do. (Disclosure: I have played Witcher 1 and 2, but not 3 because of monetary situation. I plan to pick it up this holiday season).

What do you think?

 

[tippy2k2]

I think it can be an option but I'm never ever going to play it.

I shouldn't have to do homework to enjoy your game. If I wanted to read a book, I would read a book. Books/Codex things can be optional in order to better appreciate the world and whatnot but if I can't figure out your story based on what I'm playing, I'm dropping your game.

 

[distortedreality]

Sounds like a pretty shitty way of doing it.

I actually think the Witcher series does it well. They give you enough info in-game to enjoy yourself and know what's going on, and the books simply expand on what you already know. It's not a necessary purchase, it's just there if you're interested in the world beyond the games.

 

[MASTACHIEFPWN]

Honestly, no.

The game should provide an appendices for that kind of stuff. It doesn't have to be book-length, but the Bioware style codex is generally enough. I don't mind how Bioware does it with their books, there might be a lightly mentioned character relationship that is expanded in a book. It's unnecessary to know this stuff, but still fun if the lore engages you that much. If I'm paying 50-60$ for a game, I expect a complete product- not a marketing afterthought.

I don't mind if a game has books in its own universe, and if I'm intrigued enough I might buy/rent one from a library, but I sure as hell wouldn't go out of my way to get "Required" backstory the designers were too lazy to give me.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

Its very poor story telling and writing if you ask me. You shouldn't need a glossary to understand whats' going on on screen. Granted its probably not fair to expect every little detail to be explained on screen, but games like the Elder Scrolls where you need to read like 2 or 3 novels to understand whose who and why you should care is ridiculous.

Indexes and codexes should be nice little additions, something extra for a fans to better understand. And that's key. Better understanding, not beginners guide to what the fuck just happened.

 

[01189998819991197253]

It depends on the game, and to what extent it's up front about that aspect of it. The Witcher 3 for instance, was probably a lot better for those of us who read at least the first couple of books.

 

[FirstNameLastName]

It really depends upon what extent you expect to understand the setting. I think pretty much all games ought to at least make sense to people who haven't read outside material, but I don't think they need shove every bit of lore into the game. It's fine if people who have read the books have a better understanding of the themes, characters and settings, as long as that means the game itself is neither incomprehensible outsiders or a boring exposition dump.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I think what you want to do/experience are stories that work on their own, self-contained.

 

[Windcaler]

My opinion is and has always been books should be something extra but never essential to the story of a game or games setting. If I cant understand whats going on in your game because I didnt read the books thats not my fault for not forking out extra money and time, thats the developers fault for failing to tell their story right.

 

[Ryallen]

It shouldn't be necessary. I'm reminded of John Wick in this case. Basically, there are a few parts in the movie that aren't specifically told to the viewers what means what, but they nevertheless manage to get across the meaning through subtle storytelling techniques regardless. If a game needs to spell out for you what means what in a book inside or outside the game, then there's something wrong. If it's there for backstory reasons and just lore tidbits, that's fine. Mass Effect 1 did this well, I don't remember if Mass Effect 2 or 3 did this, but I remember reading through the glossary of the game and thinking to myself "Hey, this is neat" and none of it was ever repeated or referenced in any significance throughout the game. But if a game almost requires you to read something to really appreciate or understand what the hell is going on, then something wasn't written well enough.

 

[MysticSlayer]

If your game is nothing more than an advertisement for the book, then I'll realize that I'm clearly experiencing the world wrong and stop playing. I also am unlikely to buy the books due to being cheated by the game.

If, however, the game is engaging and simply encourages the book for those who were already interested in expanding their knowledge of an already well-presented world, then I'll play the game and may even get the book if I feel like I'll take the time to read it.

 

[Chaos Isaac]

No.

Reading books should only expand such things, and never be a necessity. See the codex in Mass Effect compared to the codex in FF13. The differences are astronomical.

 

[Elfgore]

Hell to the nah. I should never have to read a book to get a basic understanding of characters or story. It's a form of cheap story-telling that lets you get away with being lazy and bad writers.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

In short no, I shouldn't have to buy and read supplementary materials in order to understand the game. If I have to do that than the game is not worth playing.

 

[FPLOON]

Nope... Any adaptation that does not do, at least, a decent job of standing on its own merit has failed as a decent adaptation, at least... Sure, you can lay out the breadcrumbs in the form of in-lore referencing that those that know the lore beforehand can nibble like pigeons, but if only those in the know can feel like its worth jumping into, then it has failed in my book because it's one of the more common ways to not gain new fans of the lore in question... outside of fandoms, I guess...

Other than that, if a game really wants to do that by having it's players pick up a book (or books) in order for them to even get an "equal" chance at enjoying the game in general, then I see no reason for me, personally, to even play it in the first place... At least, I would make an exception of the video game (or any adaptation) being a jumping point into the overall lore itself, but that's as far as I go in terms of any adaptation, let alone a video game, where the enjoyment comes from pre-knowledge of the lore beforehand...

 

[Thyunda]

Its very poor story telling and writing if you ask me. You shouldn't need a glossary to understand whats' going on on screen. Granted its probably not fair to expect every little detail to be explained on screen, but games like the Elder Scrolls where you need to read like 2 or 3 novels to understand whose who and why you should care is ridiculous.

Indexes and codexes should be nice little additions, something extra for a fans to better understand. And that's key. Better understanding, not beginners guide to what the fuck just happened.

I'm not sure which Elder Scrolls games you're referring to right there. All the ones I've played have introduced characters and concepts via dialogue.


OT: I do like the presence of codices and lorebooks in games - but only if they're optional. I enjoy the glossary in The Witcher 3 because it's written by Dandelion and carries his wit, and I do like that you don't need to have read the books to enjoy the game. Or even played the first two games in any meaningful capacity. I started the game without having read any of the books, and now I've read all of the ones that are currently in English - and yeah, the game does improve with that kind of knowledge because you get the references that you didn't actually notice were references. The random sidequest where you come across a travelling showman with a caged wyvern is actually taken almost verbatim from one of the books - only instead of Geralt, it's Ciri. Saw it in the game first, then came across it in the book.

 

[Yuno Gasai]

No.

The books should be available if you're interested in them, but purchasing them shouldn't be necessary.

One of the best examples I can give would actually be World of Warcraft - you don't need any prior knowledge of the Warcraft universe to understand what's going on and who the iconic characters are. However, if you wish to learn more about them and how they came to be, there's a wealth of information available so you can find that out.

Having to purchase additional books or information just to understand what's happening is ludicrous.

 

[Zhukov]

Well, there's nothing wrong with making a game which has people-who-have-read-X as it's target audience.

Of course the chances of me being a part of said target audience are basically nill since the thought of reading a book based on a video game, let alone paying actual money for such a thing, makes me want to laugh until I vomit.