By Ian Rapoport
Executive Arts Editor
Video games face the unfortunate situation of being labeled games, when in actuality they hold the potential to be much more than that, especially when it comes to storytelling.
Having only been around for about 40 years, video games have significantly evolved. They have gone from local to online, pixelated to photorealistic and, more importantly, they have significantly developed in storytelling.
Stories in video games have always been present, but it’s only recently that extensive amounts of attention have been focused on the story as the gameplay. This has led to a unique blend of both the narrative and gameplay in recent video games.
Most of this can be credited to developer Bioware’s “Mass Effect 2,” which when released in 2010 was revolutionary in the amount of choice and consequences it gave the player, as the player’s decisions dictated which characters survived.
Yet, while the game demonstrated innovation by having the player influence the progression of the story, its main feature was having the player fight hordes of space monsters. Although this was amusing, it was forgettable in the long term.
Bioware’s distinctive style is comparable to the likes of Telltale Games and director David Cage of Quantic Dreams, both of which now stand as the leading innovators of storytelling in video games. Telltale’s “The Walking Dead” adaptation and Cage’s “Heavy Rain” both received deserved critical acclaim upon their releases in 2010 and 2012. Even with this praise, the player’s major participation was focused innovatively in interactive conversation and decision-making, not simply fighting or playing.
The narratives of these games are more immersive and impactful, as every aspect of the games revolves around the storyline. The primary focus on narrative is what excels “The Walking Dead” and “Heavy Rain” to levels that games like the “Mass Effect” series did not reach, also illustrating pioneering game design.
However, this also may prove to be the most important growing quality of video games when it comes to appealing to a wider audience. As of now, the majority of video games mostly appeal to young males, because they are the primary demographic interested in the many military and space shooters that dominate the market.
Older and more mature audiences, who generally see games as immature, seek out more fulfilling art forms. Video games like “The Walking Dead” enable the player to influence the developement of the narrative, instead of simply observing, which is what appeals to a more mature audience. Not only does this aproach toward game design prove to be an advantage of bringing in a much more diverse audience, but interactive narratives are the key to giving the medium the recognition of a true art form that it has so far been denied.
Though it remains to be seen if this trend will catch on, this new form of game design proves promising. With Telltale and Cage both having released games in the past few weeks, it would appear that this style will not be dying out anytime soon.
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