Why do people care so much about storylines?

[Velocity Eleven]

but books (fictional) are there for the sole purpose of teeling a story, they are printed and formatted in such a way that there is as little challenge as possible when trying to read it... same with movies there is no human interaction involved other than taking in the story

games are designed for the purpose of presenting challenges, obstacles and give rewards for doing so

I really shouldn't have to repeat myself

Games aren't only designed for the purpose of presenting challenges. What if I told you that gameplay could tell you a story the same way that camera angles/filters/etc can?

It is true that it is possible for a game to present a really good story, and it is possible for games to do that really effectively, Im not disagreeing with that... what i am saying is that games as a whole is getting to that point where the gameplay features are becoming such a small concern for many people that the whole concept of what a game is, is fading away...

I like depth in games, if a game requires a lot of strategy, i would usually like that... if a game has a good story, then that's still good, but I care more for the gameplay

 

[sheogoraththemad]

I believe games are the new storytellers, because there can be so much more depths in games instead of books.

 

[Velocity Eleven]

As far as gameplay goes, again, some people like killing things, some people like playing with Microsoft Access, gameplay's only worth it if it's fun and people have different ideas on what makes a game fun.

I actually play with Excel a lot, I use it for trying to design leveling equations, and stat interactions and all that stuff. Came up with a decent algorithm to convert speed stats into turn order

 

[randomrob]

It's because i can't get into a game or enjoy the gameplay very well unless there's a well written, immersive story. I can enjoy a game with no story they just aren't very memorable. You enjoy the gameplay at the time but the story is what keeps you playing and makes the game replayable.

 

[The Thief]

As somebody who plays games to escape reality, immersion is the key element I look for in a game. Therefore, story, setting, atmosphere, and characters are more important to me than gameplay. It takes a terrible amount of design flaws and bugs for me to give up on a game with a good story, and that, in my opinion, is the sign of a great game; To love it despite its flaws.

However, there are times when I just want a mindlessly fun and addictive game, and in multiplayer games story lines usually get in the way. But as much time as I have wasted on non-story-driven games, it's always the games with good stories that I remember the most fondly.

 

[black-magic]

I have never played a game for story and I highly doubt I ever will, I agree with OP, games are made to play, not to watch, books will always be better then a game, so I'll play my game and read my book.

 

[spikespiegel]

And RPG in its basics is NOT just about leveling up and getting as many magic abilities as possible. Its about playing characters in a made up deep and engaging world. Pen and paper rpg Is absolutly SHIT if the DM doesn't engage you with a good story. Same should apply to games. Decent Story/and world should allways be first priority. Obviously without some good gameplay mechanics a good storyline and world is wasted, so thats what that is for, dressing up and telling the story. Fight mechanics, graphics ect is important, but will allways feel empty without a good basis in story and world..

 

[Looking For Alaska]

Because nothing is as fun as watching a good story unfold and the game is more fun if it has a good story.

But i've given up hope we'll consistently get good stories in games.

 

[Velocity Eleven]

And RPG in its basics is NOT just about leveling up and getting as many magic abilities as possible.

personally, its my favourite part

 

[boholikeu]

but books (fictional) are there for the sole purpose of teeling a story, they are printed and formatted in such a way that there is as little challenge as possible when trying to read it... same with movies there is no human interaction involved other than taking in the story

games are designed for the purpose of presenting challenges, obstacles and give rewards for doing so

I really shouldn't have to repeat myself

Games aren't only designed for the purpose of presenting challenges. What if I told you that gameplay could tell you a story the same way that camera angles/filters/etc can?

It is true that it is possible for a game to present a really good story, and it is possible for games to do that really effectively, Im not disagreeing with that... what i am saying is that games as a whole is getting to that point where the gameplay features are becoming such a small concern for many people that the whole concept of what a game is, is fading away...

I like depth in games, if a game requires a lot of strategy, i would usually like that... if a game has a good story, then that's still good, but I care more for the gameplay

Actually, you're missing my point. There are some games that tell their story mainly through gameplay. IE without gameplay, there would be no (or very little) story. In these types of games gameplay is definitely not a small concern, even though the game itself might not be challenging. Basically gameplay in these games is like using a metaphor in literature, or fancy camera work in a movie.

 

[Jandau]

I dont expect everyone to be like me, that would be silly... I'm just confused as to why storyline is as made as important as it is

I'll be honest here, at this point it has occured to me that you're just trolling, provoking an argument for the fun of it. However, let's assume you're actually posing a serious question...

You are confused that story is made as important as it is? How important is that? I'm not quite sure what the problem is here. I don't see how there is something wrong with liking a good story in your games. Liking a story doesn't preclude you from liking the gameplay or any other aspect of the game.

You yourself have stated you have personal prefferences as to how you like your storylines to unfold (you like them linear, you said as much in your first post). This tells me that you DO care about the story, just maybe not as much as some other gamers. This is quite alright, since we all value different aspects of our games differently.

Statements like "I play games for the gameplay" or even worse "I play games for fun" directly imply that other people aren't and make you come across as arrogant and hostile. We all play games for the fun, it's just a matter of what's fun for us.

For me, a good story is fun. I don't NEED it, at least not in every game, but when it's there it can enhance the game further making it MORE FUN! If a game had terrible gameplay or at least gameplay I don't like, it's unlikely the story or the setting will make up for it.

A recent example would be Metro 2033, which interests me from the storyline angle, but the mediocre FPS gameplay put me off it too much. On the other hand, I'm currently playing Diablo 2, as I have done for at least a dozen times before. The game's story bears hardly any meaning to me anymore as I've seen it too many times and I just skip over all the dialogue and cutscenes to get to the gameplay.

However, the most fun I've had in recent memory was with Mass Effect 2. A game in which I loved the gameplay (I preffer my shooters in 3rd person, instead of first person) AND the story, characters, setting. Together, the gameplay and the storyline supported each other and provided a remarkable experience. If you took out the story, the gameplay would still be fun, but not as much fun as it could have been if complemented by a good story.

 

[Sebenko]

you PLAY GAMES for the GAMEPLAY.

Don't tell me why I play games.

Go away.

This OP is a moron.

I second this statement.

 

[Buizel91]

For me, as long as it has a decent story, not amazing but decent, good graphics, so i can at least see some distinguishing features of people, and creatures, and good game play ill play it.

but what beats all them, is if it's fun, it can have all them things and be the most boring game ever, but if it's fun, then it shouldn't matter, if you like it, that's your choice, no one else's.

it's like music and movies, everyone has different tastes, you could like 1980's films, and someone else could like 2000+ movies, at the end of the day it's you own opinion as to why you like it.

 

[Baby Tea]

Its weird how difficult it is in putting gameplay mechanics into another form of media to give it substance in terms of discussion value, like with films, lets take Die Hard 4.0... you don't watch it for its engrossing story but rather to watch Bruce Willis "Kill a Copta with a car". Now lets take Shawshank Redemption, I'm dismayed to say there isn't a single copta death in that film but the story more than makes up for it.

So what I'm saying is storyline isn't always important providing there are good gameplay mechanics/HeliCopta deaths to make up for the hollow insipid ness of it all.

I can agree to this.
I've got nearly 30 hours logged in Just Cause 2, and I can tell you it has nothing to do with the story line.
But I've got countless hours logged in the Baldur's Gate series, and that has mostly to do with the story and characters (Though the gameplay is just awesome as well).

I think people just want both. A great, fun to play game with an engaging storyline.
Since we're using movies as an analogy, take 'District 9'. A great film, with great, deep characters. But also with some bad-ass mech killing scenes and alien weaponry. It's everything rolled into one. And people want that with games.

I don't think that's too much to ask, though few games seem to pull it off well.

 

[Xaositect]

Gameplay may have been the most important thing in earlier days with games like Mario or Tetris, but games have evolved since then.

So long as they actually put the effort in, games can have storylines that rival any book or film. Why not want that quality in games above all else? It is after all up the individual to decide what they want. I value story and characters the most, and gameplay is ultimately a minor concern.

There are games out there that pander to little more than "gameplay challenges". There are plenty of multiplayer games to boot. To anyone questioning the importance of plot and character, I say go play those games. I know I would if I lost interest in plot and character driven games, or at least the hope of coming across them.

 

[thebreadbinman]

because
games like gear of war that throw you into room after room of random things with guns start to get boring the 100th time they do it, especially if they don't tell you WHY you're doing it.

a story line often justifies a repetitive and linear gameplay, but mostly it creates the immersion that makes a good game (Bioshock/Fable)

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Storylines make games interesting and give motivation to play through.

Kinda like a carrot dangling in front of you!.

Its weird how difficult it is in putting gameplay mechanics into another form of media to give it substance in terms of discussion value, like with films, lets take Die Hard 4.0... you don't watch it for its engrossing story but rather to watch Bruce Willis "Kill a Copta with a car". Now lets take Shawshank Redemption, I'm dismayed to say there isn't a single copta death in that film but the story more than makes up for it.

So what I'm saying is storyline isn't always important providing there are good gameplay mechanics/HeliCopta deaths to make up for the hollow insipid ness of it all.

Agreed, on principle...not just because I'm easily swayed by people appealing to my nostalgia for awesome scenes in action films.

I can understand the OP's point, though. It's nice when a game does have an engaging storyline, but the majority of games are woeful in this regard...and in that situation I would rather the game had little/no story than just an obviously bad one.

There's a famous quote about narrative in films. "I would rather be confused for an hour, than bored for 10 minutes"...or something to that effect. I think that applies to games too. I would rather not know what is going on, than be informed from the start by a poorly considered/acted cut-scene...especially if it is unskippable.

 

[Velocity Eleven]

I dont expect everyone to be like me, that would be silly... I'm just confused as to why storyline is as made as important as it is

I'll be honest here, at this point it has occured to me that you're just trolling, provoking an argument for the fun of it.

I am not trolling, I am being serious...

people have called me "strange" in the past, I don't know. It's just that I'm very logically minded, I genuinely really enjoy the mathematical aspect of games... I'm always trying to design leveling algorithms in excel and make damage formula and all that. I've always been a maths person. In fact i just finished a 40000-word document based on game analysis for my university project

all i'm saying is that I really don't understand this whole "games are more than just gameplay" thing that everyone seems to latch onto

 

[Nazulu]

I have to say I never cared about anything else but the game play till I played Super Metroid. The game had excellent everything except story, well it did and it didn't, you'll know what I mean if you play it, but the point is the atmosphere and music really made it immersive. Sucked me in like nothing before, I couldn't stop playing it.

Had a similiar experience with Ocarina of Time, I never thought it would happen but I ended up loving the characters. Sure the game doesn't have the most original story or most interesting with heaps of twists and stuff, but somehow I just got attached to the cast and it compelled me to continue. Hell I forgot to eat sometimes.

So in other words, game play is by far the most important but if it has good story and characters it could improve the experience, make it even more fun. So maybe it doesn't improve it for you but it does for others.