Immersion in Video Games

[BreakABone]

Originally Posted by TheGame

I don't think the movie pausing to ask you where to go next is the same thing. If you really hate cutscenes in games that much though, that's unfortunate. haha

I think its the exact same thing.

You get it in your mind that whatever is happening will continue to happen, and then you are thrown for a loop (you have to stop watching your movie/playing your game)

I think cutscenes add life to a game that is impossible to achive through smashing buttons. It gives the world life, gives the characters personality, and gives the player motivation to keep moving.

If you don't understand the cutscenes I can see how it can kill the flow, but if you like the story it adds so much more to the game. If you like the story it doesn't even feel like the cutscene is something unnessicary or extra in the game.

But you are making it seem like cutscenes are the only way to add story to a game.

Look at Prince of Persia or Uncharted, they were able to add lots of story by just having the main character react to the world around them, not gonna say they didn't have cutscenes, but a lot of what you learn about the characters and your enemies come from comments made during the game.

I'm sure when you played Zelda OoT you didn't stop to question how long the scene where you first met the princess was, or the part where you move through time. The way I see it, as long as you're only watching dialogue and not actual fights your main character is involved in, in cutscenes.. then there shouldn't be an issue. It would only feel long if you could care less about the story.

So I guess I don't care about the stories then, not that many video game stories are all that special.

Originally Posted by Angrist

Sometimes I'm already annoyed by the cutscenes in Super Mario Galaxy, where I'm getting launched to a new planet. I dislike losing control over Mario.

Those aren't really cutscenes, more like transitional effects since you can mostly still interact with the world around Mario. Sure mostly to collect those gems, but you have some controls.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by BreakABone

I think its the exact same thing.

You get it in your mind that whatever is happening will continue to happen, and then you are thrown for a loop (you have to stop watching your movie/playing your game)

Nah its different. The only difference between a video game and a movie is that you control a lot of the action in a video game. There's not many video games rated above 90% on average where you control 100% of the action all the time. Its normal for a game to have cutscenes, its abnormal for a movie to have you make decisions.

Thus, its different.

But you are making it seem like cutscenes are the only way to add story to a game.

Look at Prince of Persia or Uncharted, they were able to add lots of story by just having the main character react to the world around them, not gonna say they didn't have cutscenes, but a lot of what you learn about the characters and your enemies come from comments made during the game.

Both of those games have cutscenes, which kills your own point.

So I guess I don't care about the stories then, not that many video game stories are all that special.

You probably don't.

I care about stories in games a lot. If a game has a good story its more immersive to me, and cutscenes is a good and widely used tool to help accomplish telling a good story.

[BreakABone]

Originally Posted by TheGame

Nah its different. The only difference between a video game and a movie is that you control a lot of the action in a video game. There's not many video games rated above 90% on average where you control 100% of the action all the time. Its normal for a game to have cutscenes, its abnormal for a movie to have you make decisions.

Thus, its different.

Just because something is normal doesn't mean it has to be accepted.

Both of those games have cutscenes, which kills your own point.

I stated that both of these games have cutscenes, it doesn't kill my point.

My point was that there are other ways to tell a story without cutscenes, not that they don't have it, but the stuff they do outside of the cutscene is a lot more interesting and better helps develop the characters and the world than their actual cutscenes.

You probably don't.

I care about stories in games a lot. If a game has a good story its more immersive to me, and cutscenes is a good and widely used tool to help accomplish telling a good story.

I don't care about story in games.
Give me a weapon or a goal and point me in the right direction.
I'm good to go for like the next 10-20 hours.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by BreakABone

Just because something is normal doesn't mean it has to be accepted.

That's a part in how highly rated video games are made these days. On some level or another, the vast majority of games that are considered to be "good" and have have a storyline... have cutscenes too.

I stated that both of these games have cutscenes, it doesn't kill my point.

My point was that there are other ways to tell a story without cutscenes, not that they don't have it, but the stuff they do outside of the cutscene is a lot more interesting and better helps develop the characters and the world than their actual cutscenes.

There's a way to tell a story without cutscenes, yes.. but cutscenes add to the effect and get people more immersed in the game. Thus why pretty much all the highly rated games that have a half decent story have some cutscenes.

I don't care about story in games.
Give me a weapon or a goal and point me in the right direction.
I'm good to go for like the next 10-20 hours.

I like both games with stories, and pick up and play games. I just get more immersed in games with a story personally.

[BreakABone]

And just so we are clear here, its not that I dislike stories in game (though for the most part are generally nothing to write home about), its that I loathe cutscenes in games.

Especially ones that are long-winded (most RPGs and MGS come to mind) or ones that shift the game out of your hands.

[TheGame]

Originally Posted by BreakABone

And just so we are clear here, its not that I dislike stories in game (though for the most part are generally nothing to write home about), its that I loathe cutscenes in games.

Especially ones that are long-winded (most RPGs and MGS come to mind) or ones that shift the game out of your hands.

And MGS is my favorite game series, and RPGs is one of my favorite genres. So yeah we're complete opposites on this subject.