by mlepage » Nov 2, 2004 @ 6:19pm
I don't believe story is absolutely critical. Further, I think it depends on the game.
Tetris has actually added a story line these days. Does it make the game any better? Not to me.
It is true that you can be immersed in story. But you can also be immersed in game play. I can play Tetris or Quake and be immersed in game play, and I could care less about the story. For those types of games, I wish less development effort was put into cinematics and more into game play.
But that could be just me. I'm sure others will disagree.
Having said that, I do in fact appreciate a good story when it is appropriate. And of course some games are all about story, where it is paramount. Compared to a game play game, it's a whole different ball game.
Now, regarding story in PDA games. This is influenced to a great extent by the nature of the device.
Consider the reading material you get in waiting rooms. You don't see any great novels of literature there. You see magazines. There is a reason for that. You don't have the time or the mindset while waiting to see a medical practioner, to be absorbed into a detailed story. Instead, you want pictures and short news, gossip, stories etc.
In some ways the PDA is the same. Even if you could have a full-blown story gaming experience (e.g. Zelda) on a PDA, is that a good idea? Maybe. For most, probably not. For a PDA, Tetris is a more appropriate game. Or even Quake, where you can drop in and play a round or two of deathmatch, then leave.
I think it's important to consider the qualities of the platform. The PDA is small and humble, has a stylus, and is typically used on the run. So games should fit into that mold. Of course they should still be quality, and have great game play and story as appropriate. That's what is important, I think.
A great PDA game will not necessarily be the same as a great console game. And this really makes sense. Do we compare a great sitcom episode to a great epic film? Do we compare a great trilogy to a great television series? Only superficially, because when you get down to it, there are different standards and sensiblities involved. And that's how it should be.
An 86 minute movie is simply not going to have the story and character development that a 10 part miniseries will have.
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