Games not right to tell stories?

[A.G.]

Thoughts on this?

www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/02/18/will.wright/

Honestly, I think that's dumb. Video games are very unique as a media of entertainment. One can't just label what they should and should not do. They are open. And their range is can't be limited. Creating your own story is fine, and I'm all for that... as an option. But when it comes to stories that make you think. That make you learn something new about the world and about your self... why not in a video game?

[The Mad Jackyl]

Millions and millions of video game players would beg to differ with Wright. For myself, I see the video game medium as more than capable of telling a story, though they do so much differently and often indirectly because they are not a passive medium, but rather an interactive one that encourages constant interactivity. If the sole purpose was to tell a story, then yes, I would say video games do not tell a story as directly as a book does because the player has the ability to sidetrack, go back and try different options, etc and essentially lose scope of the storyline while pursuing more gameplay. However, the heart of the story is still there to unfold just as much as a cinematic presentation if one chooses to pursue it.

[solidelman]

Maybe Will Wright means how video games normally take note from films to tell stories. This is a respectable view... but it can also be countered.

Look at MGS1. Sure, it borrows a lot from succesful movies (The Rock, Escape from New York, The Great Escape), but look at how it tells some bits of the story: to contact Meryl, you must look at the back of the CD case. To defeat Psycho Mantis, you have to change controller ports. In the torture sequence, Ocelot addresses the player directly by saying how he will know if you use Auto-something (don't remember the name).

What does this show? Metal Gear Solid tells the story in ways that can't be told in a movie. How would a movie look if Kenneth Baker said "LOL LEWK AT TEH BACK OF TEH CEE DEE KASE" with numerous "WTF?" being heard in the audience?

This just goes on to show that video games have more freedom for story telling. Not only that, they can also immerse you deeply into the story, making you be in the character's shoes, sometimes even feeling what the character is feeling. In MGS3, you had to press Square in order to kill The Boss... in a f...cking cutscene! This is the most emotional scene in the game, and it is left to the player's hands to unfold! To me, that's a great way of telling and submerging someone into the game's story.

Video games are capable, it's just that not all games can offer a great example of what they can really do.