Post by Morreion on Sept 3, 2010 9:54:45 GMT -5
Player Perspectives: MMOs and Storytelling
In this week's Player Perspectives column, MMORPG.com's Jaime Skelton talks about the importance of storytelling in any game. But do MMOs tell the story in a way that leads players to discover things on their own, to feel like they are truly immersed in the story? Find out what Jaime thinks in her compelling article.
Looking forward to GW2. LOTRO's epic book quests were often storytelling done in instances- I liked this because after playing so many games, quest box storytelling is pretty bland.
In this week's Player Perspectives column, MMORPG.com's Jaime Skelton talks about the importance of storytelling in any game. But do MMOs tell the story in a way that leads players to discover things on their own, to feel like they are truly immersed in the story? Find out what Jaime thinks in her compelling article.
While many game writers have mastered the art of script writing, and help make NPCs tell convincing stories, the very fundamental of “show don't tell” in writing is violated by the very nature in which stories are told in MMOs. How can the town be harassed by gnolls if they never appear in town and no evidence shows the contrary? Why should I believe Jed wishes to deeply profess his love to Faye if they never even cross paths, or when they do, he doesn't even blush, sigh wistfully, or try to get up the nerve to walk over and say hello? It isn't that games need to go to the other extreme, and create constant cut-scenes to pull the player into the story. It's that the story rarely takes place around the player, and much of the story-telling takes place in a special little box.
I'm referring to the quest dialogue box, and this is the secondary problem in MMO story-telling. The story of a game is heavily tied into its quests, and quests are now heavily tied into a progression reward system
I'm referring to the quest dialogue box, and this is the secondary problem in MMO story-telling. The story of a game is heavily tied into its quests, and quests are now heavily tied into a progression reward system
One game looking to change that is Guild Wars 2, with its dynamic event system and personal story system. The dynamic event system essentially lets the story of the game play out before a character's eyes, by creating events that respond to the interactions of players.
Looking forward to GW2. LOTRO's epic book quests were often storytelling done in instances- I liked this because after playing so many games, quest box storytelling is pretty bland.
