Storytelling In Games

As a gamer i find storylines to be a very important aspect in video games. Although not all games need storylines, genres like RPG's, 1st person shooters and action/adventure games always benefit from a good story. They encourage players to continue playing in order to find out how the story progresses but they also allow players to become more emotionally involved with the game.

David Freeman- who has had years of experience writing for games- says that the storyline should take the player on an emotional journey through the game. He suggests that the story should encourage the player to identify with the character that they are controlling as well as allow the player to establish bonds with other key NPC's.

There are of course many games that need little or no story at all; sports games, racing games, puzzle games etc.

In games such as Zelda or Final Fantasy, players are rewarded with the satisfaction of watching the story unfold through frequent cinematics as long as they keep progressing through the game. The first time i was noticably persuaded to play a game based on the story was when playing Capcom's futuristic shooter PN.03. I found the game itself very repetitive and unrewarding and the storyline was at first virtually non-existant. It wasnt until I reached the first actual cinematic (about a third of the way throught the game) that I felt the desire to continue playing. The cutscene showed the protagonist, Vanessa, enter a room and find an excact replica of herself in a large glass tank "Is it a clone of me, or am I a clone of it?" she says... This did finally get my real attention and I continued playing through the dreary, repetitive levels in the hope that a significant, interesting story would unfold....