Telling a Story

Amy Ogan's talk on Tuesday got me thinking about narrative (in games and in general). And I'd like to talk a little bit more about this at the next meeting.

I often find myself playing a game "just to see the ending" and I sometimes even reduce the difficulty just to progress through the story at a faster clip. In this case, I think narrative is a detriment to the "game in the game" because I end up being more concerned with watching rather than doing. So is this a flaw in the design of the game or merely a personal preference?

I think it would be cool to discuss the types of narrative that we encounter in games and how they affect the way we play or don't play them.

Here's an interesting example of a game that is quick and will hopefully get you thinking. It's The End of Us and I won't say anything more than it's in space. Check it out and mull it over for a minute or two. I was surprised by my reaction to it, and maybe you will be too.



Another great game to check out is Digital - A Love Story. If you were ever into text-based adventure games then this is a great game to play. It's amazing what you can do with just text and a simple interface.



I'll try to address both of these games as well as some others that I think do a great job of telling a story in one way or another.


Cheers,
Russell