Immersion in Video Games

[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.

[BreakABone]

Thought of another good example of a game that adds story/character without forcing too many cutscenes.

Batman: Arkham Asylum, you learn a lot about the characters and the history of the Asylum through various interviews and tapes you find. And the best thing about it IMO, is that the tapes will continue playing even while you beat up baddies.

And yeah, we are on opposite ends of this spectrum it seems.

[TheGame]

I didn't get to play that game much, but I downloaded the Demo. Just seems like a button-smasher beat-em-up game to me. It didn't really pull me in enough to buy it.. questioning if I should even rent it.