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The future of game development will come from the indie developers.
Monday, June 08, 2009 |
Comments (6)
POST BY THIS AUTHOR (1)
COMMENTS BY THIS AUTHOR (16)
"How do you feel about player characters that are sponges themselves?
Spongyness of NPCs annoys me too when it's really excessive, but I think most of the time it's integral to creating fun gameplay. Hardcore mode multiplayer in CoD4 was terrible precisely because you'd generally be killed in one shot."
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"Really interesting thoughts. I get easily detached from characters in story based games because of the disparity between the character you play and the one you watch in a cutscene. The personalities of characters are often completely removed from gameplay. While no one would call it the pinnacle of game storytelling, I like to use RE4 as an example of this. Leon is completely silent during gameplay so like you say it's easy to project into the story. In cutscenes he becomes a singularly defined character whose motivations we might not be interested in or agree with OR whose cutscene-actions might conflict with the idea of him we've developed during gameplay.
Basically it's hard to sell a story when a character is seen one way during gameplay and another in cutscenes."
Basically it's hard to sell a story when a character is seen one way during gameplay and another in cutscenes."
Saturday, May 22, 2010
"Kratos' moments of "compassion" never rang true for me in terms of the way the story is told, but you make some interesting points. What I like most about his character is the fact that he's so distraught about murdering his family (wife and daughter) and so he deals with it by murdering the rest of his family (father/half-sisters/half-brothers etc.)."
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Agro falling into the chasm was pretty sad. But for me it instilled some feelings of dread AND helped solidify Wander's character really well.
The horse is your method of transportation to each colossi and is integral to defeating some of them. When he falls you've lost an important game resource and you know things are going to end soon.
Agro's death is handled well from a narrative standpoint because once the bridge breaks there is only one linear path to the final colossus. Even though you've lost your companion you HAVE to continue on and finish your task.
That whole final section of the game was brilliant."
The horse is your method of transportation to each colossi and is integral to defeating some of them. When he falls you've lost an important game resource and you know things are going to end soon.
Agro's death is handled well from a narrative standpoint because once the bridge breaks there is only one linear path to the final colossus. Even though you've lost your companion you HAVE to continue on and finish your task.
That whole final section of the game was brilliant."
Friday, May 07, 2010
"r perspective on this is really interesting. I've only beaten FFX once, probably within a year of it's release and played it again a few years ago, but got stuck on the last gauntlet of bosses. That said, I can't remember too much about the game. I remember the battle system and gameplay, but I really can't recall too much about the story and I view that as a flaw.
OK, maybe it's partially my memory that's flawed, but this is basically what I remember: Tidus is from Xanadu or something and wants to go home; Yuna's dad was famous and she's important or something; Wakka plays Blitzball; Lulu has huge tits; Auron is badass; Rikku sucks. Did I get everybody? They're all together to fight Sin.
While I know the story is more intricate than that my point is that 4 or 5 years after I last played it I can't really remember the motivations or the good guys beyond 'save the world' or the bad guy beyond 'destroy the world'.
It's probably unfair to call that a flaw, I can tell you that I had a lot of fun with the game, but it's story wasn't able to maintain a lasting impression the way some other games have. I'm not saying the story was necessarily bad, just that I don't remember much of it. Then again, 5 years is a good chunk of time, so maybe my logic is wishy-"
Friday, February 05, 2010
"stion 1:
Personally I would love to see more 'implied narrative' in games, but I don't know a way to adapt writing to that form and still get complexities across to the player. I think good narrative in game design comes from the ability to tell a story through interactivity. In Shadow of the Colossus if you find fruit and eat it your life bar increases (or decreases? I can't remember). Either way that interaction reveals something about the game world and has implications regarding the story.
I like the Half Life 2 approach where you don't really have cutscenes. But during those dialogue heavy parts where you're trapped in a room listening to the NPCs I tend to run around and smack things with the crowbar. The NPCs aren't able to hold my attention like a proper cutscene would.
I'd also like to see characters that undergo significant change with long term effect. In modern media I don't feel like we see characters change in a meaningful way very often. Take Arkham Asylum for example. The Joker totally screws Harley over, ends up turning into this huge monstrasity, but is ultimately defeated. In the trailer for the sequel Harley's back at his side and he's more or less back to normal. Things haven't really changed at all. Now I'm not saying that Mario or Street Fighter or Tetris need to develop their characters more, but I'd like it if narrative heavy games did.
I haven't played either Mass Effect, but the idea that the main character can die is, I feel, a step in the direction of breaking a design philosophy that says: Character starts at A -> gets to B -> ultimately returns to A, though maybe somebody died, but it's not a huge deal. (I am aware this is a gross oversimplification.)
Question 2:
I would like to see more complex and intelligent stories in games, though there is absolutely no need to do away with simpler stories i.e. 'Mario must save the Princess'. Shadow of the Colossus is one of my favorite games, not because I find the gameplay particularly fun, but because it's story requires significant interpretation on the part of the player to be understood. I would like more games that challenge me intellectually with their narrative. Games that I can replay, not to get the Good Ending or unlock secrets, but to understand and draw conclusions about what the narrative means. Personally I'm willing to sacrifice 'fun' in a game if the narrative is intriguing enough, though I think I might be in the minority on that.
Question 3:
Drak"
Friday, February 05, 2010
"on't think non-diegetic music increases a sense of immersion, more like a sense of emotion. When "[t]he drums are beating, the gongs are chiming, and the horns are roaring" we have a preconception of epicness.
The GTA example is really good since in that case the music makes sense in the game world.
I remember the part in Half-Life 2 (Episode 1, I think), you and some NPCs are defending Alyx from antlions burrowing up from tunnels. And as the battle begins the music kicks in and it feels really badass, but it does break the immersion a little bit (at least it did for me).
There's definitely a lot to be said about the effectiveness of music/sound in games, but I'm not convinced that a soundtrack, however beautiful, is increasing immersiveness. Maybe I'm oversimplifying it t"
Friday, February 05, 2010
"n something like this happens gamers leap to defend games and "civil liberties" just as fiercely as some politicians attempt to demonize games.
But I don't think either side is addressing the key issue: psychiatric disorders in young adults.
There are times when idiots try to replicate something they've done in a game for fun and get hurt, but that's a little different. Call it stupidity or poor judgment, whatever.
People intending to harm or kill themselves or others is completely different and should raise questions not about games and our "First Amendment rights," but about psychiatric care for today's y"
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
"ange place to post something like this, but I read it and thought it was interesting and I hope you don’t mind if I offer some criticism.
The Deus ex machina at the end kind of bothered me. Jessica didn’t call Sonia, but she shows up (and brings a gun?!). OK maybe her “plans to help [her] mom” changed, but still, she just comes into the house with a weapon? We don’t even know if Sonia was aware that Jessica was being sexually abused. Additionally it seemed like the gun only had one round, which was a little odd.
The constant shift in perceived protagonist I found detrimental to the story. We get a back story on James, then we meet Sonia, then Jessica. I would handle this a little differently. The stuff from Sonia’s perspective was confusing. We’ve met this guy James, three months pass (for no apparent reason), then you introduce Sonia, but that doesn’t really go anywhere, it just introduces Jessica, who’s perspective we switch to next. I’d cut out the middle man on that one. Introduce Sonia through Jessica.
Alternatively make the change from Sonia’s voice to Jessica’s clearer (this might make everything more cohesive and would warrant less of a rewrite).
[quote]
Jessica dismissively waved her hand.
"Not now."
****
Sunday seemed slow in coming.
[/quote]
Stuff before the asterisks is all from Sonia, stuff after all Jessica. But we don’t know it’s Jessica for one and a half paragraphs.
Try to subtly demonize James a little more in the beginning. His chuckle, we learn later, becomes creepy and devilish (also clarify “Wheeler High School”, “Wheeler High” didn’t immediately click that he was passing a school). Maybe add that he doesn’t shiver in the breeze or something? Just so it’s clearer from that start that, while an ordinary and bored individual, he might have a dark part we don’t immediately see. I think that would help characterize him a little bit better. He goes from Joe Average on our first meeting with him to child rapist on the second. I just felt that that didn’t really work well. They seemed like different characters altogether. (Maybe this argument is off-base because they are supposed to be entirely different in personality, but frankly I just didn’t buy it, so I think it needs a little fleshing out.)
The brand names were a little much in my opinion, it’s not like you’re selling ad-space. We don’t need to know that the Beretta is a “92FS” or that James’ car is an “Infiniti G35”. I understand “Beretta” and I understand “coupe,” but being so specific what make and model these things are is a sort of false description. While you may recognize a “92FS” over other Berettas, most people won’t and most people don’t care. So, while “G35” is very specific, the picture isn’t painted any clearer if we don’t know exactly what that is.
The italics at the start (Can't I hope for something more?) could be taken out without losing anything, though I wasn’t sure if that might be the title (but I wouldn’t think so). The “Ah.. Good times” was good and creepy though leave that in.
I hope that this was helpful and not too critical, if I was unclear about anything let me know, tried to keep it concise.
Takes a lot of guts to post something like this, so kudos. While not very refined I did enjoy your story so thanks for posting it, even if it was on a site like thi"
Saturday, August 29, 2009
"of the problems, as you mentioned, is games being artificially extended through achievements or other meaningless experiences or objectives.
For an experience to be "art" it has to have more significance than some numbers or a meaningless trophy. While these goals do extend play time and can be very fun, they are by no means "art". It makes good business sense to increase the time factor you're writing about, but it often results in turning potential art into plain old entertainment.
WoW is a great example to use because it uses an intensely frequent reward system to keep players interested, thereby using artificial elements to extend play time. Find a new area? Get exp. Kill a boss? Get an achievement. Acquire certain items? Get an extra vanity item. It's the implementation of these "exceptional motivational tools", as you put it, that annihilate any chance WoW ever had of being considered art and reduces it to a Pat On The Back simu"
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Also just as parents can be bad parents, kids can be bad kids. I remember sneaking downstairs way past my bedtime to play games. You can't tell someone to "[b]e a parent" as if they need to flick a light switch in their head. Parenting is not that easy. Additionally I think that the assertion that a partner who doesn't like games just wants more attention is ridiculous.
While games CAN be great teaching tools for kids, past a certain age gaming becomes largely about violence and escapism. The 'thirteen-year-olds on XBOX Live' that everyone complains about are not playing Portal or Civ 4, they're playing Call of Duty.
You raise some really good points about kids & gaming, but I feel like the solutions you're presenting are extremely oversimplified or unrealistic. I don't think this issue is as black and white as it may seem."