A'elie
Acolyte
Now, I haven't been on this forum for long but I would like to get your opinion on this. I know that fantasy writers tend to be big consumers of video games, as they love to take glimpses at alternate worlds that are different from our own and indulge in those places.
I personally feel that Video Games are a great medium but they do not qualify as literature. They are driven by their mechanics instead of their plot. The story of many "Great" rpgs like Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic seem can be made "optional" unlike that of a book. One can feel attached to the characters but that is more akin the cherry on the top when it pertains to the "ice cream cone" of gameplay.
I don't have many resources to spare but I made a video that "casually" discusses this issue.
https://youtu.be/19VzpQ2ntfk
Stardusklp, an American who lives in Germany, discusses one of the recent story-driven rpgs with another user. The reason I am showing this video is because of how they discuss the story. I just wanted to show another view on this issue.
[video=youtube_share;zTkYiuQwmgo]https://youtu.be/zTkYiuQwmgo[/video]
What is more interesting is the comment by one of the users.
I played and beat this game recently; i explored every area, did countless requisitions, did every side quest that wasn't bugged, found every landmark, found every shard, did every astarium, killed 9/10 dragons, crafted overkill gear for every party member i cared to use, leveled up to 25 as a warrior, etc.
in the end very few story beats stuck with me, the high points were probably: romancing cassandra, the empress ball, and the very first 2 hours... the villian wasn't memorable and the main story wasn't memorable either, the final boss fight and ending felt more like they ran out of money
also the combat was lifeless and had very little strategy and there were too many desolate empty (but pretty) environments, i thought Val Royeaux was too small and there were too many side quests you thought would lead to interesting missions but were resolved at the war table with a text bubble
Even in a heavily-story driven rpg, gameplay is still king. One can strip out the whole story and what we have is a highly-advanced pacman game. It may be enjoyable, but that isn't literature.
Honestly, this medium should away from theory. It should be about entertainment along with storytelling but I think we shouldn't try to have the public read video games like they read Shakespeare, Byron, or Alcott.
I am open to agruements to for the other side but I think video games should try to not be "serious" and just do what they need to do: entertain the player.
I personally feel that Video Games are a great medium but they do not qualify as literature. They are driven by their mechanics instead of their plot. The story of many "Great" rpgs like Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic seem can be made "optional" unlike that of a book. One can feel attached to the characters but that is more akin the cherry on the top when it pertains to the "ice cream cone" of gameplay.
I don't have many resources to spare but I made a video that "casually" discusses this issue.
https://youtu.be/19VzpQ2ntfk
Stardusklp, an American who lives in Germany, discusses one of the recent story-driven rpgs with another user. The reason I am showing this video is because of how they discuss the story. I just wanted to show another view on this issue.
[video=youtube_share;zTkYiuQwmgo]https://youtu.be/zTkYiuQwmgo[/video]
What is more interesting is the comment by one of the users.
I played and beat this game recently; i explored every area, did countless requisitions, did every side quest that wasn't bugged, found every landmark, found every shard, did every astarium, killed 9/10 dragons, crafted overkill gear for every party member i cared to use, leveled up to 25 as a warrior, etc.
in the end very few story beats stuck with me, the high points were probably: romancing cassandra, the empress ball, and the very first 2 hours... the villian wasn't memorable and the main story wasn't memorable either, the final boss fight and ending felt more like they ran out of money
also the combat was lifeless and had very little strategy and there were too many desolate empty (but pretty) environments, i thought Val Royeaux was too small and there were too many side quests you thought would lead to interesting missions but were resolved at the war table with a text bubble
Even in a heavily-story driven rpg, gameplay is still king. One can strip out the whole story and what we have is a highly-advanced pacman game. It may be enjoyable, but that isn't literature.
Honestly, this medium should away from theory. It should be about entertainment along with storytelling but I think we shouldn't try to have the public read video games like they read Shakespeare, Byron, or Alcott.
I am open to agruements to for the other side but I think video games should try to not be "serious" and just do what they need to do: entertain the player.