CHARACTER & STORY

Whilst I was writing about my history with video games, I also got to thinking what games were like back then compared to titles released today.  I am not talking about the graphics and sound and game play but rather the characters and story and how they are important to making a good game a great one.

Characters and story are not new features in video games.  There has always been a reason for what you are doing and there have always been characters, but the increase in the power of today's consoles and PC's has meant that more in depth stories with more complex characters can be told.  Whereas in the past much of the back story to a game was confined to a few words condensed into the instruction booklet, now the story can unfold in a true cinematic fashion on screen.

This advancement has been crucial to how video games are presented these days.  Games now have more power to affect the player on an emotional level than ever before.  One example of this is the game The Darkness.  When the main characters girlfriend is murdered by the main bad guy, the player is rendered powerless to prevent it.  What makes it more poignant is the fact that there was a part in the game where you spend time with your girlfriend just sitting there watching TV.  It is a simple thing but something that so many of us do.  It resonates with the player and so when this comfortable scene is ripped apart the anger felt by the main character is also felt by the player.

The same also applies for RPG games where the characters are well developed.  If done correctly the player should care about all the characters in the party as each one should be interesting and have a story to tell.  The player should feel protective towards those players and feel something should one of them be in peril or worse still die.

This is not an easy task to get right.  The main problem with video games compared to books and films is that it is an interactive medium whereas as the other two are passive so much of the story is dependent on the ability and decisions of the games player.  If the developers are too restrictive with the plot and character then it can appear that the players actions are inconsequential, too slack and the story can lose much of it's impact.  It is little wonder that more and more game developers are hiring the help of professional writers to create the characters and story.

I have always found that games with strong characters and story remain in the mind far longer than those that rely on basic story telling elements and don't take any time or trouble to make characters that are memorable.

Increasingly, a few pages in an instruction booklet is not enough to convey the adventure that you are undertaking or the characters you will meet along the way.  I for one think this is a good thing.  The ability to tell a compelling story is something that has defined much of the arts and is so important to the culture of the human race.  I don't see any reason why video games should not embrace this fully and start to become an important medium for telling stories.