The Art of Storytelling in Gaming
This article was really trying to focus purely on how video games story telling is different and why it can't be/ trying to be the same as that of a film or other types of media. They explain how 'Games have done more work to pioneer best practises in interactive and participatory storytelling than any medium since the ancient theatre traditions' which is a very big claim but showed me just how big the industry is. They also explained how video games are often escapes for many people to get away from reality and don't have to deal 'the burden of the social dictate to be empathetic' which is why it is hard to create empathy within video games as there typically isn't that realistic connection and failing to do so will distance the gamer even further. The article got together many different storytelling experts from someone who made BioShock, to someone who made house of cards, to a film writer and even a theatre play writer and this allowed them to share techniques to make a story grow. When I am coming up with my own storyline I now know that I have to dig deep into the characters I create and if I do so and plan them well then the story should start evolving itself and the characters will start talking to me in their own voices rather than me trying to mould everything specifics. Additionally they talked about the fact that gamers are predetermined just like films or plays such as Romeo & Juliet and so a lot of the time the audiences don't feel guilt when they die... However, with a deep storyline I would be able to make cross roads or make it seem like there are cross roads in the story line that actually only end up with one outcome to make the gamer feel like it was their fault by facing them with a decision and outcome. They started to discuss setting on the last quarter of the article and they explained how having a location is simply not enough, you need to realise yourself how it got to that stage through human choices, supernatural occurrences, a jump in time or whatever it maybe and this will help to develop it and make it come into play more frequently with my storyline. Finally, in order to create high stakes and value in my game I need to give the gamer a sense of that value by realising how hard it might be or how easy it is to get certain things and so by completing actions and getting big rewards at stake then the gamer will be more likely to be immersed. These rewards must also develop as they used the analogy 'what was a reward as a child is not one as an adult'.http://www.sundance.org/blogs/program-spotlight/the-art-of-storytelling-in-gaming
Are Video Games of the Future of Storytelling?
This article delves into the new era of games which are heavily based around storytelling to the point where he uses the game 'Gone Home' and explains how it is less of a game than we would recall and more of a visual and virtual fiction. He says how as the game progresses you start to find out more and more about the storyline as usual but do so by finding out about the history and piece together facts and information. It shows how detailed the game goes as it explains the significance of certain details such as 'Though there are nods to conflicts outside the home, the game’s primary
territory – the map you light up as you play – is the human heart.' This links to the games actual meaning of love but also made me realise that when I'm coming up with ideas I need to really think about how it all links together and comes back round like story's in a book always end up tying all the lose ends and nothing is left unturned. One key point I got out of this article is that Ander Monson (the author) told me that a game doesn't shine through from graphics or having the most spectacular effects its all about its intimacy!
Video games are becoming increasingly anticipated due to the new advancements within technology
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/parade.com/301954/camayak/the-evolution-of-storytelling-in-video-games/amp/?client=safari
'Games and Narrative' by Diane Carr in Computer Games: Text, Narrative and Play editied by Diane Carr, David Buckingham, Andrew Burn and Gareth Schott.
These sources are fairly reliable due to their status within the video game comminity, a lot of these articles online however are just other peoples blogs and so although they may seem valid there is no clear roof that what they are saying is 100% ture. Furthermore the online articles are going to be very opnionated as a result of who is writing them being video game critics ect. Although I do feel like the book has a lot of validity as the person who wrote it has spent a lot of time and backed up their points by references.
Secondary research is valuable as it is a fast and efficient way of utilising the internet as a resources for information that has already been collected and reviewed by other individuals and so I personally don't have to spend the time and money doing it myself or at least on such a wide scale. By reading articles on storytelling in video games I am able to save myself lots of time and for a small company like slide, money, as if I had to look through hundreds of games to find a few specific examples I can simply gain a few from the internet. It also gives the opportunity of backing up arguments or justifying decisions to change my game.
Secondary research is valuable as it is a fast and efficient way of utilising the internet as a resources for information that has already been collected and reviewed by other individuals and so I personally don't have to spend the time and money doing it myself or at least on such a wide scale. By reading articles on storytelling in video games I am able to save myself lots of time and for a small company like slide, money, as if I had to look through hundreds of games to find a few specific examples I can simply gain a few from the internet. It also gives the opportunity of backing up arguments or justifying decisions to change my game.
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