How important is the story in a game?

The Welsh Paddy

The Welsh Paddy

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How important is it? I'm mostly speaking of RPG's here, but let's just say this will be for any genre of game that is story driven. I hear a lot of people say how the story is the most important aspect of a game. Why?

While having a very solid story backing the game does make for a far more engaging experience, if you're just in it for the story why don't you just read a book or watch a film? I think that the story should come second in a game, and gameplay comes first. This is because, for me at least, if the gameplay takes a back seat to the story the game feels far more less of a game. Having little to no actual gameplay kinda eliminates the idea of it being a game.

I think that a game should be actually played; not read or watched. Having a great story with awesome characters and so on is just a nice bonus. :monster:

What do you think?
 
Well I disagree tbh.

Heavy Rain had almost no gameplay yet it is one of the most wonderful games I have ever played. Interactive movie you could say.
The story is a big thing for me. If I dont like the characters but it has awesome gameplay (like Star Ocean The Last Hope) chances are I will just play it for the fun but not even finish the game.

If I like the characters and their interactions and it has shitty gameplay (like ME2,ME3..first ME has best gameplay) I will still play it love it purely for the story and characters.


:)
 
Ah yeah, I'm not doubting that story is important in a game. A good story massively helps create a more engaging experience for the player. But with this being about games and all, I strongly think that gameplay should come first and foremost. From what you said about Heavy Rain, I personally wouldn't think of it as a game. The whole 'Interactive Movie' thing does sound really interesting and all, and I probably would enjoy it, but I still wouldn't really call it a game.
 
A Game is an interactive medium. Basically you have control over a character etc. and in Heavy Rain based on your actions and the way you play the game it can change the outcome for better or worse. By this definition its still a Game.

In the past games had no stories (like tetris, pong and pacman) but games and the gaming industry has evolved since then and emphasis has been put on story.

Mindless games with uber awesome gameplay all still fun like Multiplayer COD, but lately I want story driven games cause I love them. You control a character but also feel like you are part of that world. If gameplay happens to suck but it still has a amazing storyline I wonder if I will skip it or love it regardless.

To each its own I guess.
 
It is THE MOST important thing. I can forgive lousy game play elements if the story is engaging and inspires me. Even tired and old stories, if done well, are great.
 
It's conditional and depends on what I'm playing.

On one end of the spectrum, you have interactive adventure novels like Telltale's The Walking Dead, where the only real thing it has going for it is the story. If that had fallen flat on its face, the entire building comes down. On the other end of the spectrum, if I were to pick up any of Suda51's or Platinum's games (from No More Heroes to Vanquish), I'm expecting first and foremost to be entertained by the gameplay and its game design. I can easily overlook the story even if it's the literary work of a bunch of monkeys on magic mushrooms in a weird, perhaps dumb action game that just wants me to turn half my brain off and have unadulterated fun. But if the narrative is decent, it's a decent bonus and can catapult a good action game to a higher tier. But on its own, an action game with halfhearted mechanics and game design, but a decent narrative, can potentially still hold my attention to the end, but it would only pass as an average or below-average package.

As for JRPGs? I used to believe that the story takes precedence. My younger self would go giddy over JRPG storytelling, because I believed they were intrinsically fantastic, and that Square-Enix was a genius storyteller, injecting into me that inspiration to go write my own (retrospectively, awful) JRPG-like plotlines.

But here I am, 20-21 years of age, considerably more jaded than I was eight or nine years ago, and I've grown to accept that most JRPG plots today are hilariously subpar. And even the JRPGs with narratives that I had previously lauded as examples of excellent storytelling? Yeah, retrospective examinations have ruined that for me. I've become far too critical for my liking, and you could say it's become very hampering. As a result, I can safely say I take primacy in how it plays and how the game is designed to complement the gameplay over the story. I emphasise design because as I have discovered since FFXIII, if your philosophy of game design clashes with mine, you have essentially lost my interest.

Star Ocean 4 has been the one anomaly so far. It's an anomaly I can easily fix if I return to the game and complete it later on, but for now, it has remained a personal blip. I agree that it plays well. I do enjoy its battle system. I do enjoy blindsiding and fighting its bosses, even if individual boss fights drag. Its expansive maps are, while traditional, and nothing groundbreaking like Xenoblade's, very satisfactory. However, for some reason, I stopped playing. I couldn't find much of a will to carry on. I suppose it's because the gameplay is the ONLY good thing SO4 has. EVERYTHING else seemed to piss me off so much that it's managed to outweigh the gameplay and throw me off.

To (roughly) quote emo Edge Maverick (what a stupid name):

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!"
 
The Welsh Paddy said:
Why do you think that story is the most important aspect of a game? :monster:

EDIT: This was directed at @LeonaFirewater
Click to expand...

It's about keeping me engaged. Although gameplay on its own can be engaging, nothing holds my interest like a good story. I enjoy the feeling of character arcs coming to completion, exploring the world of a game and being rewarded with "trivia." A game where people put time and passion into the construction of the story is a wonderful thing that you can find infinitely rewarding even after you master the mechanics.

I've played Suikoden 2 about 9 times now, and the story hasn't changed ONCE since the first time. I've used different party make ups but that's it. I can't do that with games with a weaker story, like Dragon Age, where there's lot's of different styles to play, and even ways to change the story up. The story of Dragon Age is just weak, although the world it functions in is interesting, and I enjoy reading things that take place in it.
 
Story is arguably the most important thing in an RPG game for me. Gameplay comes really close as 1st though. I want to be engaged in the story, I want it to have lots of suspense, I do not want it to be so obvious who the main villains are. What makes a good rpg? A game with a story I can be immersed in. It is just simple as that.

If the story is just such a bore, I will stop playing the game, or either finish it by force if I like the gameplay. If it lacks both.. well I will not even pick up the game.

Square Enix have been mediocre with the storytelling as seen in XIII and XIII-2. In my opinion, Monolith Soft(The creators of the Xeno franchise) have amazing storytelling in their games. Yes, there is so much to comprehend, but that is just the beauty of it. Xenogears has an amazing plot and gameplay. Same with Xenosaga and Xenoblade.

I love all of those games because the truly are not predictable, they introduce various villains, they also introduce elements that make logical sense when putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Story to me has to be emotional. It just has to make me want to continue the game, feel for the characters, and their loved ones. WELL WRITTEN characters, and I mean it!

Some examples I can think of are Xeno, Lost Odyssey, Final Fantasy IV, VI, X, XII, Tales of Symphonia, Abyss, Legendia, and so on. To name a few non jrpg games that I like... Mass Effect was brilliant in storytelling and I cannot think of much else.

Square Enix need to be taking notes from Monolith Soft.
 
Well.... The story is absolutely an important part of a game, however, I've learned with FFXII that I can live without a really long story if the gameplay is awesome. In FFXII, I didn't give a fuck about the story to be honest, the thing that kept me hooked was the battle system and being able to do hunts and all that stuff. The story wasn't hugely important for me in this case. However if we look at a game like IX, we could call it the opposite to XII. The gameplay isn't as engaging or even fun eventually (endless grinding on Grand Dragons :hmph: ). However, what makes this game my favorite ever is that the story is fucking amazing. It was the focus of the game, and was well written. It wasn't too confusing and wasn't too childish. It was a perfect example of video game art. So I guess more often than not, the story is important. Though there are rare exceptions ;) (Rant over)
 
My word, let's see I haven't lurked here in literal ages. Well let's see then I think in terms of a game's components, for me, the development of a storyline is essential. Then again I may be biased due to my being an English major lol. But in all seriousness, to me a game isn't compelling if it doesn't have a riveting narrative driving it. Game play is an essential element in terms of the game having a systemic way of tracking your progress and if you've "won" or "lost." But in terms of games as a whole, I feel that they're an artistic medium. That said, an idyllic game for me should hold some precedence in terms of storytelling. Why should I care if "Hero" wants to slaughter a whole army? What are his motivations? Why did his country submerge itself in a 30 year long war? One must be willing to answer these questions to essentially sum up the whole reason for the gamer's legitimacy for even completing a quest. That's my beliefs anyway in terms of my preference for games I play. Take for example, Bethesda's wonderful The Elder Scrolls series, they focus on Nordic lore and intertwine that with a deeply intricate storyline. Essentially they blend that all into a massive nonlinear environment and the game play seamlessly blends in with the storyline. In Skyrim for instance you're a Dragonborn thrust quite literally into a conflict involving a dragon's rampage in Helgen at the start of the game. It's an exciting and compelling beginning to what will no doubt be an epic quest. What makes it work is that it establishes a system of choices and wide customization for the player. In that, you can build your character according to what they will be doing within that world and your choices do have some effect on the plotline. It's engaging and it works. That said, you do have the occasional game that focuses on the innovation of gameplay over plotting and so the story development can be very simple. Games like that are fine too and you've had some rather successful ones, the indie game Cave Story comes to my mind. It's a recent freeware with a simple premise that snowballs in its difficulty in terms of gameplay elements. The story however is rather simple. But yes to reiterate, to me as a gamer, I look for games with both an emotive storyline and a good grasp of game play.
 
Story is of the utmost importance to me...in a ROLEPLAYING game.

Mainly due to the fact it's a story-driven game. There's no point playing Final Fantasy if you only have rounds and rounds of battles without a half-decent plot...

The likes of- say - COD, while you do play a role, the story is literally nothing to me. I bought it to kill my friends multiple times over the internet.

Same with sports games... They usually don't have stories because people don't buy them to be immersed in a storyu!!!!!


Anyway, that's my two cents.
 
Roleplaying games, for me, have to have some pretty solid gameplay elements. Otherwise it would just be like walking through a book. While this isn't a bad thing at all, I just wouldn't think of it as a game. I think that games have to have good gameplay for them to actually be games. If it becomes a case of 'just walking through a book', then I don't think it should be labelled as a game. To me, it's an entirely different medium, and should be labelled accordingly. Like an interactive film or something.

Take the Zelda games, for example, those games have the most simple storylines ever. By no means am I saying they are bad stories, because I actually very much enjoy them. But the story takes a step back to the actual gameplay. First and foremost comes all the dungeons puzzles and obstacles. If not for those core gameplay elements, it just wouldn't be Zelda, regardless of how engaging they make the story. But in those games, gameplay has always come first and then story and characters second.
 
I think the plot is one of the most important elements in a game because it can change a not very good game into a better one. Besides, most of gamers remember the game they play thanks to the story. For example, FFVIII will ever be in my heart because of the story and of the characters.
In my opinion the story should be on the same level of the gameplay because it can support the game.
I will never forget a game which has moved me to tears, but I'll quickly forget a game that hasn't a good story to remember. The story is the soul of the game. The gameplay is its frame.
 
If you don't have a story that draws in its players, then your game fails and is worthless. Especially if your game is an RPG. Plain and simple.
 
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