One of the big things that we all hear game developers talking about these days is an emphasis on narrative and story. They’re looking for better ways to convey emotion, bigger ways to connect with an audience and new avenues to tell their grand tales. But has this come at the price of gameplay? David Jaffe, creator of God of War, thinks so.
In his PAX keynote last weekend, Jaffe spoke at length about the idea that many AAA games these days have sacrificed gameplay and mechanics for the sake of trying to tell a story/act like a movie. He argued that it’s the games like Pac-Man, Tetris and the like that will really stick with us in 50 years’ time, more so than the titles that just play like interactive cut scenes.
Jaffe definitely raises some thoughtful points here. As much as I love a story, I’ve long been unhappy with the way that games handle their stories. And really, even the best story can be undone by boring or rote gameplay. The games with great stories that I remember are the ones that were coupled with great mechanics and a style of play I enjoyed.
What do you guys think of this? Do you agree with Jaffe? Are stories getting in the way of gameplay? Does it need to be an either/or discussion? Go!
Source – Gamasutra