Gamers all over the world have known that the video game industry has been worth more than the movie industry for several years now. Yet, while it is becoming more socially acceptable activity, there is a general perception that playing video games is somehow the pursuit of teenage boys and people who live in their mother’s basement. However, this is an outdated and fallacious one. While many a teenage boy is enamoured with Call of Duty, Counterstrike, and Fortnite (and many a dungeon lord is undoubtedly locked within their sun-bereft cave), the demographic of gamers is not actually representative of this perception. The 2017 report from the Entertainment Software Association found that “women aged 18 and older represent a significantly greater portion of the game-playing population than boys under age 18”.
But why is it that the regard of videogames is growing so that they become more popular within mainstream society?
First, this is arguably because video games, especially as graphics become increasingly sophisticated, they become a really viable form of media that can very meaningfully compete with film and TV.
Second, many games (particularly first person shooters) offer people the ability to join a server with their friends and, with the addition of a headset, spend time ‘with’ their friends for hours at a time.
However, I’m particularly interested in the rise of narrative-based videogames. Not only would I argue that they can at times challenge film and television—and books—in terms of complexity and plot development, but the extent of the worldbuilding they demonstrate is truly immersive. It is therefore little surprise that they are revolutionising the latest generation of video games, but also that they offer a genuine value to those who play them. It means that we are not only fulfilling a task in a way that activates certain centres of the brain (in the way shooting a bunch of bad guys in Call of Duty means you can blow off steam after a long day), but actually tells a story in a truly engaging way.
This article delves into the development of this genre of games in a really interesting manner, but particularly notes that this genre of storytelling makes the player the protagonist, and gives them an agency which is denied in books, film, and TV. In the words of videogame developer Evan Skolnick:
“The player wants to affect the world, and what happens in the story. Many games strive to find ways to give this power to the player, but the fact is that we just can’t afford to do it on a huge scale, in most cases, while still having anything resembling a crafted story. The cost of developing entire game areas, missions, characters, and so on, which most players will never see because they took a different path through the story, is just too prohibitive.”
This comment is particularly interesting, because it hints at the fact that as the limitations of technology expand, so too do the capabilities of developers to create sandbox worlds. These offer the player fewer and fewer limitations on where they can take the character they craft and for whom they make several important choices, which most of the time revolve around appearance, love interest, and skillset.
Mass Effect is a great example of a game which offers the player the capability to tweak the world. Various dialogue options mean that the player can alter how in-game characters react to the protagonist, which in turn can determine how they behave subsequently in the game. Apparently, the latest instalment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, which is slated for release in October, will include a series of dialogue options. These can change the story narrative and in fact mean that there are several possible endings which signals a departure from previous formats.
The ability of the player to affect endings is an interesting element as it not only makes the player feel truly as though they are in control of the events, but also gives them a clear sense of consequence to the choices that they make. Dishonoured does this too, however there are only a few set endings. This is the true differentiator which makes narrative videogames a medium that can only grow in popularity and possibility.
The exception I would note here is Bioshock Infinite. Released in 2013, it simply takes the player through a set narrative rather. The story itself probably one of the most beautifully executed I have ever encountered, not only in the content, but also the consideration inherent to the narrative (don’t believe me, read this review, although do be aware of spoilers in the article).
But moreover, the worldbuilding associated with narrative video games is worth enjoying by virtue of its complexity and detail. Bioshock offered us a stunning world with several interesting ideas (even if perhaps there were a few logical loops within it). The depth of imagination required to conjure a complex world, not only in terms of the societal structure, but in terms of geography and graphic design, speak to tremendous creativity and talent within the team who develop the game. This, when taken with the narrative element—regardless of whether the game offers the player the capacity to control the game’s outcome—means that the future of video games is bright. But this also means they should absolutely be viewed alongside books, television, and film, as a form of media which people can consume in order to pass time.
A list of some recommended narrative videogames by the author: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Fall Out, Horizon Zero Dawn, The Witcher, Assassin’s Creed, Deux Ex, Grand Theft Auto, Mass Effect: Andromeda, Bioshock, and Dishonoured
Are there any narrative-based videogames you would recommend? Tell us in the comments below!
A B Endacott is an Australian-based author. Her first book, Queendom of the Seven Lakes was written while she was playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, to which she attributes a great deal of creative inspiration.
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