Now I want to clarify something. The keyword to take note of in the title of this article is ‘can’. I’m in no way saying that games always tell stories better that books or films, I’m merely pointing out the features that films and books don’t have that enable games to tell stories better.
The main thing that sets apart games from films and books when it comes to narrative, is the players perspective. Unlike films and movies the viewer isn’t merely a spectator, but a participant. The player is directly linked to the events of the plot because they carried them out. Even though it’s technically Link who’s smashing those pots, the player is the one who is pressing the buttons to make Link smash the pots. This gives the player a certain sense of responsibility over actions taken in game. This connects the player to the story in a way that just being a spectator can’t. You connect to the protagonist in a way that films and books can’t. When that huge boss monster you just killed, gets up for round two, the protagonists quips of annoyance are echoed by you.
Spec Ops The Line
Two games come to mind when illustrating this point. Spec Ops The Line and Shadow Of The Colossus (Spoilers will likely be discussed, you have been warned). Both these games use the players participation and the connection that brings to make the player feel a sense remorse and regret. By using the actions the player performs throughout the game and showing the player that they weren’t as good or just as they had first thought, these games make the player feel regret and sadness for events they realistically had no way to prevent from happening. In Spec Ops when Captain Walker commits the initial atrocity, I as the player felt bad because I was the one aiming and dropping the bombs, I felt as if it was somewhat my fault those people died.
This whole sequence would have lost some of its power if it was shown as a cut scene instead of a playable section. The same is portrayed in Shadow Of The Colossus. As you kill each Colossi, you begin to realise that these monsters have done nothing to deserve being slain in this way, and as the player you feel somewhat at fault. Even though it was technically Wander the protagonist who killed the beasts, I’m the one who controlled Wander’s actions. If I had being watching Wander kill these beasts, the same sense of sadness would carry through, but it hits on a more personal level knowing I was somewhat involved.
Shadow Of The Colossus
(Spoiler free zone from this point onwards)
This concept of player responsibility can be further enhanced by giving the player choices. The Walking Dead game by Telltale is an extremely good example of this. It adds to the personal impact on the player by giving the player actual control over the games events. The outcomes of each scenario can be directly attributed to the player. If one of the characters in the group don’t like you, that’s your own fault. From this the player gets so much more involved in the narrative because of the influence they have over the scenarios that occur in game. The Mass Effect series is another example of choice driven narrative. The major thing these games have going for them is the diplomatic and social interactions that take place throughout, truly enabling the player to role play. The Mass Effect games add to this by making the protagonist the creation of the player, enabling the player to project themselves onto the character, further deepening the emotional connection to the choices made.
Games also have the unique ability to create their own stories. The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is a great example of this. When I’m discussing the game with friends, we talk less about the actual story written, but our own personal adventures. The story begins writing itself around the player. I still remember the time I had done a quest for the thieves guild in the city Markarth, and having to run out of the city as I had the whole town guard after me. The creators didn’t need to write that in, it wasn’t a built in plot point, but an organic experience.
Again, I’m not saying that games always tell stories better that any other medium. I can’t imagine The Shawshank Redemption being any better if I was controlling Andy as he crawls through the sewer pipe. However gaming as a medium for story telling has a potential to enforce plot points on an emotional and personal level in ways that films and books can’t. I like to think that the art of storytelling is a trinity: written word, film and games.
