A collection of things as random as my mood and personality.
A storyline
Posted 03/10/2011 at 20:53 by Vaidas B
Hello, and I’m sorry for pushing this to the end of the week but my brain just refuses to function properly so I’ll keep it short and simple (300 – 600 words). Anyway, did you ever think about stuff like – why are you killing someone (or something) in a game? I bet you’ve played an MMO RPG/FPS game with “two rival factions aiming to destroy each other for …” but have you even wondered why?
Well, today I’ll be talking about game stories and are they really needed. To start off, most games have two types of stories - a “linear storyline” and a background story (just so you’d know what’s going on just in case you’re interested).
Both of these have some problems, the background story is not always perfect and can have a few (a lot) of imperfections. Since it is not the main attraction of the game, the casual player won’t even care about it. The second thing is the quest line, although some quests have clear goals and are based on the actual story, most of them are “here and now quests” that don’t really have an impact on the story or are completely unrelated.
But sometimes the complete opposite happens, quest become oversaturated with the storyline with no relief and it gets to the point when they become repetitive.
Although a simple background story is not always a bad thing, it’s a lot easier to manipulate a simple story by expanding it or just stopping it anywhere you want.
A linear storyline is a lot more impressive since the game is completely story driven and that does not let the player wonder off. A very obvious bonus is the fact that you can leave a player wondering what’s going to happen next – stimulating his gameplay experience and making him advance faster.
Another great thing is the fact that you linear story games can be based on something we like (books, comic-books, TV shows, and in some rare cases other games), this way games can gather some of the existing fans of the subject.
Although it’s a paradox, the existing pros are cons at the same time, since it’s a linear story – it is going to end at some point. Sometimes game developers give you the option to develop your path or at least change it a bit, that may impact the ending of the game.
The storyline can often be an unnecessary distraction, everyone is “the hero that will save us all” I would like to see an MMO take the path of an FPS game. They often use the most direct approach – here are your weapons, here’s the area you have to defend, here are the bad guys, good luck!
The reason a game story can be a distraction is the fact that not everyone will like it. A rare and radical step would be listening to the players, wouldn’t it be fun to write a game story of your own? Letting the players develop the game story would be a huge step in the game market, but no one is rushing to take this step.
Conclusion: Even though we’re just controlling a simple character we can often make important decisions. A story is often a must in the MMO genre and is needed to get a grip on the game, sometimes it’s too boring, or is just too dry to notice or actually care about it. If you don’t like a story, make your own, use your imagination, or just play an FPS. Keep in mind that the story can often reflect on the budget of the game, so don’t judge a book by its cover, judge it by its content.
Thanks for reading,
TheConArtist
And as always, if you have any ideas on future articles or just want to talk, PM me here or send me an email to
(it’s my msn, so don’t be afraid to add me).
Well, today I’ll be talking about game stories and are they really needed. To start off, most games have two types of stories - a “linear storyline” and a background story (just so you’d know what’s going on just in case you’re interested).
Both of these have some problems, the background story is not always perfect and can have a few (a lot) of imperfections. Since it is not the main attraction of the game, the casual player won’t even care about it. The second thing is the quest line, although some quests have clear goals and are based on the actual story, most of them are “here and now quests” that don’t really have an impact on the story or are completely unrelated.
But sometimes the complete opposite happens, quest become oversaturated with the storyline with no relief and it gets to the point when they become repetitive.
Although a simple background story is not always a bad thing, it’s a lot easier to manipulate a simple story by expanding it or just stopping it anywhere you want.
A linear storyline is a lot more impressive since the game is completely story driven and that does not let the player wonder off. A very obvious bonus is the fact that you can leave a player wondering what’s going to happen next – stimulating his gameplay experience and making him advance faster.
Another great thing is the fact that you linear story games can be based on something we like (books, comic-books, TV shows, and in some rare cases other games), this way games can gather some of the existing fans of the subject.
Although it’s a paradox, the existing pros are cons at the same time, since it’s a linear story – it is going to end at some point. Sometimes game developers give you the option to develop your path or at least change it a bit, that may impact the ending of the game.
The storyline can often be an unnecessary distraction, everyone is “the hero that will save us all” I would like to see an MMO take the path of an FPS game. They often use the most direct approach – here are your weapons, here’s the area you have to defend, here are the bad guys, good luck!
The reason a game story can be a distraction is the fact that not everyone will like it. A rare and radical step would be listening to the players, wouldn’t it be fun to write a game story of your own? Letting the players develop the game story would be a huge step in the game market, but no one is rushing to take this step.
Conclusion: Even though we’re just controlling a simple character we can often make important decisions. A story is often a must in the MMO genre and is needed to get a grip on the game, sometimes it’s too boring, or is just too dry to notice or actually care about it. If you don’t like a story, make your own, use your imagination, or just play an FPS. Keep in mind that the story can often reflect on the budget of the game, so don’t judge a book by its cover, judge it by its content.
Thanks for reading,
TheConArtist
And as always, if you have any ideas on future articles or just want to talk, PM me here or send me an email to
(it’s my msn, so don’t be afraid to add me).
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