How Video Games Have Become The Perfect Storytelling Medium

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How Video Games Have Become The Perfect Storytelling Medium

Storytelling in video games has always been a very common match, early 1990's games such as Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour as living evedence of storytelling in video games. Tex Murphy was one of if not the first games that passed the decision making over to the player which would then change the outcome of the game, games such as The Pandora Directive even had multiple endings which set the ball rolling. Wadjet Eye Games founder Dave Gilbert says the fact that gaming puts you in the story leaving you with controll of the direction the game goes is why game is such a powerful medium of storytelling. From was this piece of research I have found that an effective story to be portrayed through game the player must be able to submerse themselves withing the game, yo recreate this in my game I will be ensuring there are goals the player can work towards and the characters are fully customisable meaning the player can really connect to the character and be motivated and determin to work throught the levels and complete the game.

http://www.techtimes.com/articles/84016/20150914/how-video-games-have-become-the-perfect-storytelling-medium.htm

Video game storytelling: The real problems and the real solutions

The essence of storytelling in video games is putting the player in someone elses shoes, it is likley the shoes belong to someone the player would aspire to be and carry out actions the player would never dream of doing in real life but deep down the player wishes they were the character which is why the market is so big and to put it simply this is what games do. It is only in recent times that story telling in video games has really branched out and and formed its own shell. Many big companies such as Rockstar Games have alot of pressure to pump out game after game, “Sometimes we find a recipe that really works, sometimes it’s easier to just stick to the recipe and make money out of it.” From this I have realised that by creating a game, while being realistic the game must also have access to paths the player would not come across in real life, opportunities they would never be given and chances they probably would never take. Within reason the game must allow the player to be transported to a whole new world with different circumstances, considereing I am not creating a franchise simply just one game I will have to think about successfull games and what features make them as successfull as they are so I can recreate them with my own twist. The character I will create has to be someone that the player would aspire to be weather that be a male or female, the character will have to be customisable to ensure the player feels a connection between themselves and the character also making the character the players creation likley to be someone they would like to be like.

http://www.gamesradar.com/real-problems-video-game-storytelling-and-real-solutions/

‘Games and Narrative’ by Diane Carr in Computer Games: Text, Narrative and Play edited by Diane Carr, David Buckingham, Andrew Burn and Gareth Schott

This secondary research is probably the least reliable out of all the research I carried out. This is because although the websites and articles were legit I did not write the information therefore cannot be certain of its reliability while the do seem trustworthy. Secondary research is very important as it allows me to enhance my knowledge of the area and also develop my own opinion through the research of others, I found this extreemly beneficial as it let me have a pre conceived idea of specific knowledge witin video games which will help me throught the creation stage.

Here is more secondary research I carried out, this one from a book. I read through and highlighted crucial information. I feel the source itself was quite reliable however the information did not link solely to action adventure games however the strategy found in the game did help write my story. overall this source was rather reliable.

Of course, this isn't a new thing: throughout the history of video games, developers have used video games for telling stories: in fact, with the old point-and-click adventures of the 1990s, storytelling was a necessity to motivate players to continue playing the game. Classics like the Gabriel Knight series, Phantasmagoria and 11th Hour had stories that were integral to gameplay: those little things that made players want to complete every puzzle and uncover every mystery and find out exactly how it all plays out and ends.

One of the first point-and-click adventure games to offer choices with consequences was the Tex Murphy series: the fourth game in the series, The Pandora Directive, released in 1996, even offered different endings, depending on which choice you made in the game.