Why do people care so much about storylines?

[swenson]

Well, to be honest, a game with great gameplay elements is something I can only play for so long, and it's not going to grab my attention much. I can sit down and play Tetris for three hours straight because the gameplay is kind of fun, but if (when) I lose suddenly, I'm not going to have a problem with it, I'm just going to wander off and do something else.

On the other hand, a game with a good story draws me in and keeps me playing for more than just the "fun" of the gameplay. When I die in, say, Half-Life 2, it's a big thing. It's not about just losing a game, it's about a character--my own character--actually dying. When I die, I often will get upset (at myself, if I make a stupid mistake, or at the computer if something dumb killed me, like a headcrab) and instead of going "Meh, time to do something else now", I immediately try again. You invest a lot more in a game with a story than you do in one that does not, and this means that when you lose (or win!), the stakes and the feeling of loss/accomplishment is a lot higher.

Obviously, I think it's very important to have good gameplay as well as a good story; if you can't stand the gameplay, not even the best story ever can save a game. But I also think that unless the game is one specifically designed to have only minimal story (Tetris, Pac-Man, etc.), a poor story hurts the game, because it just can't draw you in. A game that tries to have a complete story but fails is even worse, because it becomes a series of puzzles (find key, open door; kill monsters and live; find objects for NPC, etc.) that the game tells you you should care about, but you don't.

 

[AMMO Kid]

you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY.

I've heard people say that people play JRPGs for the storylines cause their gameplay is limited. To me this was a huge "wtf?" moment, cause I always played JRPGs for their expansive gameplay elements and not their stories.

I just dont get it

Say for example I'm playing Mass Effect, and the objective HUD tells me to go and destroy this guy Saren. Why? because I'm pissed he is trying to destroy humanity. Without that amazing Mass Effect story there is no reason to play Mass Effect for me (or Bioshock, or F.E.A.R., or Dragon Age) because it makes me feel like there is a purpose to playing the video game, and that I'm not just wasting my time. However, there are some games that have great gameplay with almost no story elements that do just fine, like Left 4 Dead, SWAT 4, Civilization...If you notice, everyone wants a good story in a game at some time or another, for the same reason you would want a good story in a book or a movie.

 

[Reg5879]

Storylines make games interesting and give motivation to play through.

Exactly, the best answer anyone could give to this question.

 

[AMMO Kid]

Yea true...ive never been one to care about the story in most games. I skip through all the scenes i can, sprint through the dialogue, or walk away from unskippable cutscenes. I guess thats why i mostly play rather open world games that allow you the freedom to take it at your own pace. Or shooters, no need for a story there.

I skipped through all the GTA cutscenes...so boring...

 

[Velocity Eleven]

you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY.

I've heard people say that people play JRPGs for the storylines cause their gameplay is limited. To me this was a huge "wtf?" moment, cause I always played JRPGs for their expansive gameplay elements and not their stories.

I just dont get it

Say for example I'm playing Mass Effect, and the objective HUD tells me to go and destroy this guy Saren. Why? because I'm pissed he is trying to destroy humanity. Without that amazing Mass Effect story there is no reason to play Mass Effect for me (or Bioshock, or F.E.A.R., or Dragon Age) because it makes me feel like there is a purpose to playing the video game, and that I'm not just wasting my time. However, there are some games that have great gameplay with almost no story elements that do just fine, like Left 4 Dead, SWAT 4, Civilization...If you notice, everyone wants a good story in a game at some time or another, for the same reason you would want a good story in a book or a movie.

what I would do is I would compare my options, and ask questions like how difficult is it to do that? and whats the benefit of doing it? how will effect me in the game? thats how I come to my decisions

 

[TheMadTypist]

Gameplay is important, yes, but storyline is just as important. This is speaking from a singleplayer mindset though, if all I did when I brought home shiny new shooter #6724 was jump right into multiplayer then the only reason I'd have for buying that game would be the gameplay, but if I'm going to be pouring time into a singleplayer game I want a reason to be doing what I'm doing. Revenge, love, intrigue, patriotism, even money, not just, "Kill lots of dudes, level up, kill more dudes," etc, but something with that gives meaning to what I'm supposedly doing! And if they're going to bother having characters in a game they'd better damn well make them good ones!

Story, is a lot like level lighting. Good renditions of both in games don't get noticed most of the time, but include it and do it wrong and no matter what else you do the game will still be a failure. exceptions exist (borderlands worked with the "kill a bunch of dudes" for awhile, even though that failed to keep me playing all the way to max level with any of my characters) but the main reason I loved starcraft as a kid wasn't because of the gameplay, or because of the multiplayer, which I didn't know existed, but because I loved the story (which they really screwed up in Brood War, imo).

If there's no story to explain why I'm doing what I'm doing, gameplay gets repetitive and boring a lot faster.

 

[Rayansaki]

Depth. That is all.

You don't need a high quality story to have depth. It's a different aspect of the game.

For example, if you look at Fallout 3, the story isn't really massive or very interesting, but the presentation, attention to detail, and the very interesting character«s all around the wastelands that aren't even connected to the story, make you want to explore the game for hours on end until you've seen everyone and every little detail.

 

[Velocity Eleven]

Gameplay is important, yes, but storyline is just as important. This is speaking from a singleplayer mindset though, if all I did when I brought home shiny new shooter #6724 was jump right into multiplayer then the only reason I'd have for buying that game would be the gameplay, but if I'm going to be pouring time into a singleplayer game I want a reason to be doing what I'm doing. Revenge, love, intrigue, patriotism, even money, not just, "Kill lots of dudes, level up, kill more dudes," etc, but something with that gives meaning to what I'm supposedly doing! And if they're going to bother having characters in a game they'd better damn well make them good ones!

Story, is a lot like level lighting. Good renditions of both in games don't get noticed most of the time, but do it wrong and no matter what else you do the game will still be a failure. exceptions exist (borderlands worked with the "kill a bunch of dudes" for awhile, even though that failed to keep me playing all the way to max level with any of my characters) but the main reason I loved starcraft as a kid wasn't because of the gameplay, or because of the multiplayer, which I didn't know existed, but because I loved the story (which they really screwed up in Brood War, imo).

If there's no story to explain why I'm doing what I'm doing, gameplay gets repetitive and boring a lot faster.

I generally dont like multiplayer. I much prefer single player games

 

[Nhilus]

well this thread is six pages long so I'm not going to read the whole thing, I have stuff to do, but, here is my opinion as to why stories are important in RPGs.
Take a popular JRPG: for example Lost Oddesy (it's popular with me that's all that matters)
Also take a popular game with no underlying story: for example counter strike.
now, try to imagine Lost Oddesy with no story, purely the game play, without an underlying story the RPG element has lost meaning because you are no longer playing a role, you are, as in counter strike, a faceless pointless goon, no matter how many bosses you kill or how many bombs you diffuse you have made no difference on the lives of anyone involved, and yes it sounds like a god complex.

That is why I feel story is almost as important as the game play, end wall of text.

 

[Cain_Zeros]

Stories give context to the "kill this, go here, and blow this stuff up". It makes the mayhem seem like it has a purpose.

 

[SpaceCop]

I dont know why people are assuming that games with very little story-lines are automatically the casual-style simple games like tetris

Haha, okay, good point. But take something like Portal or Penumbra; both sophisticated, 1st person, physics-based puzzle games, where some of the most tangible rewards came from overcoming obstacles, without elaborate cutscenes or extensive required-reading. They both have overarching plots and strong characterization of characters and environments. If they dumped the semblance of story that they have and instead just stuck the player in a bare room with a note reading "The Goal Is Escape", a lot of the human appeal, entertainment value, and longevity of them would be lost.

 

[Zannah]

The point of a game (in my humble opinion) is to enhance the experience of a movie or book to the point of interactivity. If the story, and the athmosphere are done properly, I don't care how good or bad the gameplay might be (read: if it's part of the gaming experience that a certain aircraft is shithard to fly, than I don't mind, if it doesn't control easy for me as a player.) As long, as it doesn't interfer with the atmosphere or the story, gameplay simply doesn't matter.

 

[Acidwell]

You will find that nobody wants to spend hours talking about gameplay, but story? I have known people who talk for hours and hours discussing a good story.

That's not the slightest bit true. You will find millions of forums for specific games discussing strategy's and what not.

Also all these movie to game comparisons don't really fit together well. You'll probably sound more accurate saying if the movie didn't have a good story.

Yes they discuss strategy which i suppose relates to gameplay but is a totally different thing, they dont talk about the gameplay itself which is what i was getting at.
The book comparison works perfectly thank you very much but i will admit the movie one is a bit loose. Saying the movie didn't have a good story wouldn't solve that at though.

 

[RanD00M]

you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY

I PLAY GAMES FOR ESCAPISM.
And to get proper Escapism,the story has to bee good.Otherwise I'm just sitting there in normal old reality playing a mindless game.
Sure,some games have no story and are still fun and offer some escapism.But it is a rare thing,so having no story is taking a big risk.

 

[chozoone19]

As practically everyone else is saying; I like story cause it adds a level of depth the game play, and to a lesser extent graphics, can not do alone. A good story drives the game along so that I want to actually play through and finish a game.

 

[Acidwell]

You will find that nobody wants to spend hours talking about gameplay, but story? I have known people who talk for hours and hours discussing a good story.

Also thats like saying you read books to learn new words or watch movies to test your sight, i would definitely say you are one of about 3 people in the world who don't care about story at all.
For most people the story is the reason to go on, who cares if you pass the game. It isn't much of an achievement really considering that a lot of games these days have very similar gameplay and so many people complete them that it can't be called an achievement to pass them.

I can (and do) talk about gameplay elements all the time, its what i enjoy

Fair enough all i'm saying is that the majority of people only mention the gameplay as part of the overall game.
A better question is why do you not care about the story. Do you read books or watch films at all?

its not that I don't care about the story, its just that I prefer gameplay a lot more as a key feature.

No, i don't read books or watch films, I find them boring most of the time

I mostly like comedy shows when it comes to stories

Ok i don't mean this in a bad way but you seem to have no taste in stories at all, if you find that comedy shows have the only stories that interest you i'm afraid there is no hope since they are widely known to have the worst stories out of every media possible. Sorry but this entire thread was pointless.

 

[Ciran]

if you know me, you know I like JRPGs a LOT, and you know that I like my stories to be set-in-stone

however what I dont get is why people care so so much about storylines in games. I hear so many complaints about characters being annoying, or voice acting being bad, but I never notice any of that stuff. Its a lot less common that people complain about the actual gameplay of these games. It seems to me as though people have lost grasp of what a "game" is... its about the challenges, the skill requirements, the decisions, the rewards, the punishments etc. But I always hear people complain about "emo characters" and stuff... like for example, people say that Cloud is "emo", can't say i've ever noticed, and even if i did then what difference does it make?

you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY.

I've heard people say that people play JRPGs for the storylines cause their gameplay is limited. To me this was a huge "wtf?" moment, cause I always played JRPGs for their expansive gameplay elements and not their stories.

I just dont get it

Okay, there is one big problem in your argument and, ironically, most of it is actually resolved in your argument, though you didn't seem to realize it at the time. The problem is summed thusly:

"you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY."

Okay, no, just no. One, you don't get to decide why someone plays a game; some people may play it for the gameplay, others may play it for the story, or the characters, or just because some actor they like is doing the voice in part of them game. Whatever the reason saying that people play for the gameplay is like saying somebody plays a tabletop RPG simply for the rules, and that's just not true. I know I play them to see the story progress and see how everyones characters advance from the interactions and the choices the have to be made. Blatantly saying why someone does or does not play a game is arrogance to the highest degree. You actually seem to settle this issue in another part of your post:

"But I always hear people complain about "emo characters" and stuff... like for example, people say that Cloud is "emo", can't say i've ever noticed, and even if i did then what difference does it make?

Well, obviously it makes a difference to them, enough that they're complaining about it. So apparently quite a few people play games for aspect other than the gameplay. Now, can game play increase or decrease the quality? Yes. Can it even make or break a game? Undoubtedly; a game can have the best story in the world, but if you can't stand the game play enough to get through it, it's all for naught. That being said, we've moved past the point where most people can enjoy games where an unnamed princess gets kidnapped by an unnamed monster and the unnamed hero goes to rescue her. If someone released a game like that nowadays, I doubt I would even think about playing it, simply because I love seeing how the stories unfold and watching the characters develop along the course of a game.

when you say "but that's it" you make it sound as if the accomplishments are small and insignificant.

Well, honestly, in the larger scheme of things, they are. Great books and movies have changed the world or at least enough of it that people recognize what you're talking about, even if they haven't experienced it for themselves. This wasn't for their special effects or actors or what the cover looked like, but because there was something in the story, a lesson or a viewpoint, that influenced or at least made people look at how they thought and behaved, but I seriously doubt that anyone has had any kind of revelation because they gained the "150 Headshots" achievement on Halo (no I don't know whether or not it's an actual achievement, I don't care enough about them to have ever known).

 

[Velocity Eleven]

You will find that nobody wants to spend hours talking about gameplay, but story? I have known people who talk for hours and hours discussing a good story.

Also thats like saying you read books to learn new words or watch movies to test your sight, i would definitely say you are one of about 3 people in the world who don't care about story at all.
For most people the story is the reason to go on, who cares if you pass the game. It isn't much of an achievement really considering that a lot of games these days have very similar gameplay and so many people complete them that it can't be called an achievement to pass them.

I can (and do) talk about gameplay elements all the time, its what i enjoy

Fair enough all i'm saying is that the majority of people only mention the gameplay as part of the overall game.
A better question is why do you not care about the story. Do you read books or watch films at all?

its not that I don't care about the story, its just that I prefer gameplay a lot more as a key feature.

No, i don't read books or watch films, I find them boring most of the time

I mostly like comedy shows when it comes to stories

Ok i don't mean this in a bad way but you seem to have no taste in stories at all, if you find that comedy shows have the only stories that interest you i'm afraid there is no hope since they are widely known to have the worst stories out of every media possible. Sorry but this entire thread was pointless.

I like comedies for their comedic value... I usually find the best stories are the ones found in games, generally (I still prefer them for the gameplay though)

all in all though, my favourite stories are Battle Royale, Dragon Quest VIII and maybe Final Fantasy XIII... I found those stories make you feel for the characters

 

[Knunis]

Storylines help give character, identity, motiviation, and context to the game. I say storytelling is important to games to push the medium foward, showing it can be more than mindless fun.