I am a huge proponent of Video Games as art. No, let's not have the debate here. I will however, justify my position as follows:
Video Games are for kids - No, some video games are for kids. Just as there are books, films, television programs, etc., for children, teenagers, and adults so there are video games for all demographics. It's just the way it is.
Video Games do not further societal causes - They do. They really do. In video games, the characters can say things that many people would be afraid to say - they can oppose problems in a way that few other mediums can (I'll get to why later). Video Games/series such as The Witcher, Fallout, Wasteland, This War of Mine, StarCraft are all able offer powerful social commentaries, making them valid theatres for discussion. Unfortunately, as some of you may be aware, video games can also be used to attack certain groups with society - with great power comes...well, you know the rest.
The Video Game industry offers gainful, rewarding employment to many individuals of varying skills, serving to grow the creative arts industries worldwide. Talented writers, composers, artists, musicians, coders, and historians all find employment in the Video Game industry.
As with many new fields (though interactive media isn't so new anymore), there is opposition, particularly from those who are besotted with the Status Quo. Today's discussion may touch on that, but the main thrust of today will begin to look at the narratives within Video Games (aka Interactive Media). Please note that I do not, and have not, worked in the Video Game industry, and am viewing things from the point of view of a writer.
How do Video Games tell Stories?
In myriad ways. As with other mediums, video games are able to express their narratives in various ways, depending on the intention of the creator. However, there are many complications to presenting a story in a video game.
Role Playing Games: Video Games ranging from Wasteland and Baldur's Gate all the way to Mass Effect and The Witcher are considered Role Playing Games (of various types). RPGs, as their name suggests, place the player in the driver's seat, so to speak. The player takes on a role, often that of the narrative's protagonist, and 'acts' in the throughout the game. A common hallmark of RPGs is allowing the player to customise their character, whether their appearance, their abilities, and/or their equipment. RPGs are nearly always heavily story driven. Some RPGs offer little to no choice to the player, simply guiding them by the hand through the narrative. Others, especially in recent years, offer greater freedom to the player, allowing them to explore the game's world, and permitting them to guide the narrative through their own decisions and actions. It is important to note that many modern video games not of the RPG genre are incorporating elements of RPGs into them to enhance the experience.
Strategy Games (Real Time and Turn Based) - Strategy games are able to have rich narratives, or have an absence of narrative. However, the narrative is presented differently, with the player simply observing the story from the stands, and completing objectives as instructed. The StarCraft series is a good example of this. The player is in command during missions, but for the rest of the time simply watches the story pan out, taking little to no active role in the narrative.
Adventure Games - Whilst adventure games (and action-adventure games) are often heavily story driven, and the player often takes on the role of protagonist, the level of involvement is very different to that in RPGs. A good example is the Uncharted series. Feeling more like a DIY movie experience, the player observes the story of Nathan Drake, and 'acts' out his 'scenes' but the story is linear, with little to no choice given to the player.
I am sure you can use these three example to extrapolate the issues of other genres.
I talked about choice a fair amount. Please do not think that the absence of choice is a bad thing in a video game - it isn't. What is important is the quality of the story, and how it is told. Some stories lend themselves well to choice (The Witcher, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age series' for example) whilst others would probably gain little by adding choice (Uncharted, Tomb Raider). It is also dependant on the experience a particular person is seeking. Some people will enjoy choice, others would prefer to be guided by the narrative, enjoying it as they would a film or book.
Some video games feature narrators, some have the player and non-player characters (PCs and NPCs) acting out the narrative, others tell the story through pieces of information picked up along the way. Some (especially RPGs) use a combination of the three. There is no one 'right way'.
Strategy Games (Real Time and Turn Based) - Strategy games are able to have rich narratives, or have an absence of narrative. However, the narrative is presented differently, with the player simply observing the story from the stands, and completing objectives as instructed. The StarCraft series is a good example of this. The player is in command during missions, but for the rest of the time simply watches the story pan out, taking little to no active role in the narrative.
Adventure Games - Whilst adventure games (and action-adventure games) are often heavily story driven, and the player often takes on the role of protagonist, the level of involvement is very different to that in RPGs. A good example is the Uncharted series. Feeling more like a DIY movie experience, the player observes the story of Nathan Drake, and 'acts' out his 'scenes' but the story is linear, with little to no choice given to the player.
I am sure you can use these three example to extrapolate the issues of other genres.
I talked about choice a fair amount. Please do not think that the absence of choice is a bad thing in a video game - it isn't. What is important is the quality of the story, and how it is told. Some stories lend themselves well to choice (The Witcher, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age series' for example) whilst others would probably gain little by adding choice (Uncharted, Tomb Raider). It is also dependant on the experience a particular person is seeking. Some people will enjoy choice, others would prefer to be guided by the narrative, enjoying it as they would a film or book.
Some video games feature narrators, some have the player and non-player characters (PCs and NPCs) acting out the narrative, others tell the story through pieces of information picked up along the way. Some (especially RPGs) use a combination of the three. There is no one 'right way'.
The Big Challenge
Video game writers face a challenge that I, as a writer, never face. I write a story, and people read it. no complication there. As the medium of video games has evolved, however, it has demonstrated its greatest strength, and greatest weakness - its interactivity. Short of some board games, and Choose Your Own Adventure books, there is no other medium that offers choice in the way that video games do.
Early video games had a set narrative, and while the player could do various other things in the game world, the narrative was a set thing, to be experienced in a specified order. However, as technology (and talent) has advanced, video games have changed. Now, players can choose not only how quickly or slowly a story advances, but can also choose which characters take part in it, who lives or dies, and even the order of the scenes to some extent. As I writer, I can imagine how challenging that makes creating the video game's narrative. The story must be robust, yet versatile, to remain coherent while still granting such freedoms to the 'reader'. Further, the story must be able to maintain its narrative drive, even though the reader may see scenes 'out of order' or take much longer to progress the plot than the writer might intend. All of things make it more complicated, and I tip my hat to those writers who can plan for these challenges, and overcome them.
The Illusion of Choice.
Ultimately, many of the choices made by a player are superficial - what armour their character wears, or what weapons they wield affect the gameplay, but not the narrative. While the player might choose to take part in various elements of the story in a particular order, they are still ultimately taking part in the same story. I won't deny that recently video games have been able to present choice and consequence in a powerful way - such as certain choices having unforeseen consequences in the narrative. However, these consequences were still planned. So, what does the narrative seek to do?
I would argue that the game's narrative seeks to create the opportunity for choices to be made, and to have consequences that are meaningful enough to immerse the player in the experience.
For example, BioWare's Mass Effect games have a fairly thinly veiled choice system. In Mass Effect 2, if the player chose not to complete all the side missions for a given companion, that companion would die in the endgame suicide mission. On the other hand, if the chose to complete all side missions, the companion in question would survive. While this might be immersive the first time, it loses its power in consequent playthroughs, and at a meta level, is quite basic. One of the strengths of the The Witcher Franchise (which are based on the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski) is that the choices made by the player may not have readily apparent consequences. The player might opt to spare someone early in the plot, only to have them reappear many acts later to aid the player (or oppose them). Often, and to the game's credit, the player has no way of foreseeing the possible outcomes, which makes the game especially immersive. Impressively, some games (The Witcher included) do not make these choices obvious, and the player might make them with little serious thought (much like the real world). Some players, however, might find this extremely frustrating.
As you can imagine, having to write in such detail, and with such robustness, must be extremely talented, and video game writing teams the world over, I feel, deserve a round of applause, and infinite respect.
Wrapping up Part 1
As you would have guessed, this will be a multi-part discussion. Today I intended to lay down the groundwork, and impress upon you just how had the writer's of video game narrative have to work to succeed. The next instalment (or two) will roll out in the coming weeks. I intend to look at character writing in video games, and the complexities there, as well as look at the social impact that video game narratives can have.
Until then,
Thanks for reading...
N N B Clarke
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