How games are changing the way stories are told

Video games used to be much simpler when they were still a new concept. When put into comparison with games that boast stunning visuals and unique narratives like The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, or the Witcher 3, the classics that we all love like Space Invaders, Super Mario, or even Pacman are undeniably bound to be labelled as simplistic. The event which proves this really is the case took place in 2011 when the United States Supreme Court finally ruled that video games were eligible to be subject to the protection of the First Amendment which concerns freedom of speech, suggesting that games are art forms which tell stories in their own way.

The court ruled: ”Like the protected books, plays, and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas—and even social messages—through many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue, plot, and music) and through features distinctive to the medium (such as the player’s interaction with the virtual world).”

Carving your own narrative

Much like other story-telling mediums such as books and movies, video games also have their own uniqueness, especially when it comes to their narratives. For instance, by preserving a text based narrative, readers are encouraged to interpret stories in their own way, thus leaving them with some space for imagination. On the other hand, movies use their visuals to reach their viewers with the more emotional side of narratives. Unlike books or movies, video games allow players to control the narrative in their own way. By being able to control a character, several characters or even the world in which the game takes place, a player can transform a story into their own. The simple ability to personalise the game into what a player wants it to be, a characteristic typically found in Role Playing Games (RPGs), gives video games a certain uniqueness.

Safe to say, it’s not a good idea to let your girlfriend shoot you. Image Credit: Square Enix/Pressxtra

However, in addition to this, a more recent range of games where the player can really shape the story have started emerging. Instead of keeping the traditional linear storyline format that most story-telling mediums use, games such as Life is Strange or Tell-Tale games offer players the unique ability to make decisions for the characters they control, allowing players to not only shape the story of their characters; they’re able to empathise with these characters and to a certain extent, even to become their characters. Thus, the uniqueness of narrative used in video games stems from the level of engagement and interactivity that players have with elements of games which allows them to understand and live in the virtual worlds they are placed into.

Embodying the character

In the final act of Grand Theft Auto V, Franklin, one of the three player characters, is approached by two different groups asking him to kill either Michael or Trevor, his partners in the series of crimes the game centres around. Despite their obvious differences, over the course of the game Franklin develops a genuine friendship with both characters, and is obviously disturbed by having to make this choice. With that in mind, the only real option open to my interpretation of Franklin’s character was the third; reunite Trevor and Michael, and rally together against their mutual foes. For me, doing anything else would have gone against all of Franklin’s characterisation up to that point, as well as the decisions I’d made myself throughout the game. Decision made, I headed to AmmuNation to arm myself to the teeth, and set off to the game’s finale.

Video games are the only form of narrative that offer this level of immersion and involvement. A significant part of this comes from the fact you spend many hours longer with a video game character than their equivalent in, say, a feature-length film, or that you’re in direct control of a character’s actions, rather than watching those actions unfold regardless of your own input.
This isn’t to say that every game offers this sense of its players’ personality; ‘walkabouts’ like Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture or linear FPSs’ like Call of Duty follow a singular narrative that the player can have only limited control over.

If you didn’t pick ‘Deathwish’ as your ending then oh boy did you miss out. Image Credit: Bago Games/Flickr

Open-world RPGs like GTA and Fallout, and immersive sims such as Deus Ex and Dishonoured, on the other hand, allow you to play your character as your character. The beauty of these games lies in the fact that your characters and experiences are entirely unique to you, and your playthrough is something that no-one else can ever exactly emulate.

This means that your character becomes a figure you can directly connect to, and your in-game decisions are driven by your understanding of that character – your choices are their choices, and you become a part of their story. And if you decide to head off on a murderous rampage to let off some steam, your (questionable) morals can become theirs too.

Shattering traditional boundaries

Over the many years in which video games have redefined themselves, narrative seems to have become an increasingly common focus. While 20 years ago, narrative structure was undeniably simple, nowadays games can be overwhelmingly recognised for the quality of their stories. The writer has gone from being an afterthought of gaming to the potential superstar of it.

This said, recent gaming has taken the movie route of storytelling for the most part, with the viewer controlling the protagonist(s) rather than merely observing. There are, however, certain games which tend to take this story focus a step further, crafting narratives which could only be achieved in the form of a video game. In the most well received of these games, the narrative and gameplay become almost synonymous; the game tells a story through how it is played and sometimes even involves the player themselves as a key character in all that unfolds.

If narrative tropes have taught us anything, it’s that cabins in the woods are never a good idea… Image Credit: SCEE/Pressextra

Games such as The Stanley Parable are a prime example of this. The core idea of The Stanley Parable is such: Stanley comes to a set of two open doors in a hallway. The narrator says “Stanley walked through the left door”. It’s then up to the player to decide what route Stanley actually takes. Hijinks ensue with the remnants of the fourth wall lost to the wind.

The interactions between the player and the narrator thus become the main focus of the game itself. While ‘choose your own story’ style novels and comics have tackled the choice-making aspect of many games, this level of interactivity with the narrative and meta-commentary could simply not be accomplished in any form other than that of the immersive, interactive video game. What results is one of the most cleverly written experiences found in any form of media; always hilarious, sometimes tragic, often thought-provoking and surprisingly philosophical, if you dig deep enough into it, of course.

Who would have thought that a story about robo-Nazis could be so emotionally engaging? Image Credit: SCEE/Pressextra

One other game which tells its tale in a way which only video games could achieve is the indie darling of 2015, Toby Fox’s Undertale. This Earthbound-inspired traditional RPG provides some of the most untraditional narrative ever seen in gaming, with common game mechanics such as saving, battling and grinding all being flipped on their heads and tying directly into the narrative of the game. When you reset a game, the game remembers. If you kill a character in a certain run, the game remembers, and if you try to fix prior mistakes by resetting, the game remembers. It’s a story which refuses to be outsmarted by the choices of a player, a story which feels alive, and one which you can interact with in many ways.

This is how games can produce narratives which no other form of media could. The narratives can be built seemingly with their own sense of intelligence, changing depending on the choices a player makes and even seemingly predicting these choices in advance. The last five years have seen such an incredible advancement in gaming narrative that some of the best games of these years have owed their prestige to these narratives. With this being the case, one could only look forward to seeing the next step in the narrative of gaming itself.