Not sure if it's already been discussed and I couldn't put this in "Gaming" in general so I put it here. But I saw this article on IGN of two devs who gave a speech entitled "Death to the Three-Act Structure". The gist of the speech is that players don't really focus on the plot of the game because they are doing other things which is what separates video games from novels and film. They also gave some stats about how about 66% of players don't even finish their games. I was just wondering what the thoughts of the forum were in regards to their statement. Personally, I find some of their points valid but to call video game plots overrated is an exaggeration. For me personally, a good plot can make or break a game for me regardless if the gameplay is good or not. I would literally rip out my hair if all we had to play were games like CoD, Titanfall and LoL where gameplay is king and plot is nonexistant. They're good games, don't get me wrong, but it would be stupid to just be limited to those kinds of games. Without games like MGS, Fallout, Mass Effect, Witcher, etc. then gaming wouldn't be what it is right now.
I guess it depends on who you asks. I know plenty of people who couldn't care less why they are shooting at something, only how big of an explosion they make. Personally I prefer plot driven games. My all-time favorite game by far is KOTOR. I think the reason I like games with a strong plot is because it makes it easier for me to feel immersed in the game. Somehow it makes the experience feel much more complete. When I am playing an elderscrolls game, I honestly feel like I am in Tamriel. When I am playing BF4 or CoD, I'm sitting in my den playing on my computer. The truth is the only reason I ever got into CoD (4) was because it was the only relatively modern AAA title that most of my friends could run on their computers.
I would say there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, I guess there is really nothing special about the plot of Borderlands 2 at a very general level, but ridiculous over-the-top action really kept me interested.
Personally, I don't give shit number one about plot in most games. I very much prefer open sandboxes where I can do anything for whatever reason I choose. A good plot works for me. Anything else just gets in the way.
A good plot doesn't make a game FUN. I thought Bioshock Infinite was a shit, repetitive game. It was good in an artsy way, but sucked in every other fashion. Personally, I don't think a good plot is the pinnacle of gaming. It has to be fun to play, first and foremost.
I think that, in general, any single player game I play needs to have a good plot or be something sandbox-y or extremely different (such as FTL or minecraft). Whereas for multiplayer games, my satisfaction doesn't primarily come from a story but rather competing with other people.
Interesting article. I must be in the minority then, because when I was playing The Last of Us, I was constantly thinking about the plot. I think that it just depends on how the game is made and what the devs focus on. With games like TLoU and The Walking Dead, the plot is one of the main focuses. And for those two games, I could go over the plots and go into detail about the characters and their relationships quite well.
The majority of my friends are mainly FPS gamers. This could be why they say so many people don't care about plot, because they just want to shoot stuff.
My opinion is that story in games is just as important to story in porn. Its nice, but if thats the reason you are there you are there for all the wrong reasons. Put game play first and foremost, graphics second, story second and 1/2, audio third. Now I am not saying that story ect should just be thrown out, no so long as you make a solid fun game then go crazy and put whatever extras in you want, but thats just that they are extras not the main course.
I think it depends on what the game is meant to be. If you judge a game on its multiplayer when its focused on singleplayer its obviously going to be bad. I think some games like COD are meant to be multiplayer with a single player element. Meaning they throw it just to say that next one will be different. Games like Bioshock are meant to be a fun singleplayer experience. Also games like The Walking Dead are meant to just tell a story, very little gameplay involved. Then there are games like LoL, WoW, and Dota that are ONLY multiplayer mostly because the devs wanted to make a game you play with people. Then we have games like Minecraft, 100% sandbox. I like all kinds of games, some are made with different purposes in mind. I know multiplayer games are more popular mostly because they are free. But I dont think story based games are going to go away anytime soon.
It really depends on the type of game. The only games that should have at least decent plots are single player centric games (or MMORPGS). In multiplayer games the plot doesn't really matter. TBH, the most interesting story i've gotten from a non-rpg in the last 5~ years has been Thief 1+2.
I prefer games with lots of Lore and world building, a well crafted universe is so much more satisfying than a linear story... or else i'd just read a book.
I don't see how bad things that happening to characters passes for good drama or story telling, things only happen just so they can react them. There's no other purpose other than to feel bad for the children.
Hell, I prefered Dead Space 3 to Last Of Us by a long, long shot.
I personally find mechanics to be much more important than story in games. By this I mean I'll primarily judge whether or not a game is good based on what it can offer on a gameplay front.
However, my favorite games are the ones that have such a rich, immersive and engaging story that I simply have to see what happens next in.
I don't equate fun with greatness, or even mediocrity. Batman Arkham Origins is a fun game, with improved gameplay over the others in the series (minus the bugs). But why then do I consider it to be the worst in the series? It's because the story is Bat-shit awful whereas the others were delicately written complex narratives that held meaning.
My favorite game of all time is Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. This is because I cared about the story and everyone involved so much that I teared up on two separate occasions. I've never gotten that sort of emotional reaction from any piece of media before and I doubt I will for quite some time. This game is the perfect example of the gameplay and the mechanics working together to enhance the story.
I guess my point is, gameplay and mechanics are what makes a game good. However, the story is what elevates a game from good to great.
Yeah games like The Last of Us, Uncharted, Half-Life 2, Bioshock, Mass Effect are crap games ;) Strip the story out of those games and you have a generic game not standing out from the rest.
Sure in a game like CoD of BF story means jack shit because those games are built around it's multi-player.
I actually do follow the story of Diablo 3 for instance although after doing it twice I just do what everyone else does and that is grind for loot, but I do not share their point. A good story can make a game better.
That being said the actual article doesn't say that plots aren't important it's more saying that characters in games are more importance. This is not that strange as with movies you are just a hidden character observing whats happening sort to say where with games you are the character itself. By this you experience it differently (which is also mentioned in the article) However you can create a character as good as you want but if you don't have a story to with it the character will stay bland and shallow for instance the duke. Beyond some macho one liners he is nothing. Where Joel has emotion, conscience and moral. Even characters like Gordon Freeman has more depth than the duke and you don't hear one word from him all thanks to a story.