This thread comes from the difficulty I'm having with HL2, and going to the thread this morning, it seems I'm not alone. It also was my only real criticism of Halo 3.
I had no idea what was going on.
Where this becomes crucial is in motivating a player to carry out the actions. If you don't know why your character is supposed to be doing what you are told he's supposed to be doing, it can only lead to disconnection. You're just being lead forward by the game rather than thinking, I need to do this, and feeling like you're being proactive.
It was simpler in the old days of gaming - save the Princess! Destroy all invaders! Shoot the other cowboy!
But games seem to be getting much more adventurous and, at the risk of muddying the medium, more cinematic. So there are many more turning points, changes in direction. Your immediate goal isn't always to save the Princess any more. It's the same in film. Character's motivations get very complicated and change from scene to scene and even within the scenes. But if the audience can't answer two questions at any time, they'll be removed from the film and it will die -
a) What is the character doing?
b) Why is he/she doing that?
It's fundamental screenwriting and the reason they are so important for an actor to know is so they can feel the scenes rather than just carrying out the actions blankly. The reason they are important for an audience is so they can empathise and get drawn into the story. And 'if they think hard about it' is not something a screenwriter gets away with even in the most complex movies because the second a viewer has to take time out from the movie, he is removed from the experience. If anything, the viewer needs to arrive at the character's conclusions a split second before the character.
Well, I've recently played a 10 game in which I could answer 'a' most of the time but never had any clue as to 'b'. And the First Play thread was full of similar questions. It got away with it slightly only because the character is a soldier and you could always answer 'b' with - I'm just following orders. I'm currently playing another 10 game in which I couldn't even take a guess as to either 'a' or 'b'. And he doesn't even have the soldier excuse.
That's a serious problem.
In a way, in games, the player becomes both the actor and the audience. So it's all the more important that the stories are told well and players can not just play the game but completely assume the role of the main character.
Games are still relatively new. Games wth 'cinematic' plots are even newer. The films they are trying to emulate are not new and the screenwriting craft has been honed over a hundred years. I can't help feeling that we're at a stage where game devs need to hire proper screenwriters just as many hire proper composers rather than some dude with his C64 in his bedroom. Either that or stick to Zelda-like motivations which are always simple but blindingly clear.
Are these two games the exception, do you think? Does storytelling in games need a kick in the ass? Is it just a recent things with devs reaching beyond their abilities? For example, I can't remember having a problem knowing what I'm doing in an RE game.
What do you think?
I had no idea what was going on.
Where this becomes crucial is in motivating a player to carry out the actions. If you don't know why your character is supposed to be doing what you are told he's supposed to be doing, it can only lead to disconnection. You're just being lead forward by the game rather than thinking, I need to do this, and feeling like you're being proactive.
It was simpler in the old days of gaming - save the Princess! Destroy all invaders! Shoot the other cowboy!
But games seem to be getting much more adventurous and, at the risk of muddying the medium, more cinematic. So there are many more turning points, changes in direction. Your immediate goal isn't always to save the Princess any more. It's the same in film. Character's motivations get very complicated and change from scene to scene and even within the scenes. But if the audience can't answer two questions at any time, they'll be removed from the film and it will die -
a) What is the character doing?
b) Why is he/she doing that?
It's fundamental screenwriting and the reason they are so important for an actor to know is so they can feel the scenes rather than just carrying out the actions blankly. The reason they are important for an audience is so they can empathise and get drawn into the story. And 'if they think hard about it' is not something a screenwriter gets away with even in the most complex movies because the second a viewer has to take time out from the movie, he is removed from the experience. If anything, the viewer needs to arrive at the character's conclusions a split second before the character.
Well, I've recently played a 10 game in which I could answer 'a' most of the time but never had any clue as to 'b'. And the First Play thread was full of similar questions. It got away with it slightly only because the character is a soldier and you could always answer 'b' with - I'm just following orders. I'm currently playing another 10 game in which I couldn't even take a guess as to either 'a' or 'b'. And he doesn't even have the soldier excuse.
That's a serious problem.
In a way, in games, the player becomes both the actor and the audience. So it's all the more important that the stories are told well and players can not just play the game but completely assume the role of the main character.
Games are still relatively new. Games wth 'cinematic' plots are even newer. The films they are trying to emulate are not new and the screenwriting craft has been honed over a hundred years. I can't help feeling that we're at a stage where game devs need to hire proper screenwriters just as many hire proper composers rather than some dude with his C64 in his bedroom. Either that or stick to Zelda-like motivations which are always simple but blindingly clear.
Are these two games the exception, do you think? Does storytelling in games need a kick in the ass? Is it just a recent things with devs reaching beyond their abilities? For example, I can't remember having a problem knowing what I'm doing in an RE game.
What do you think?
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