Back to the main topic of this post - I think that Narrative is a good thing in games, and although its arguable that you are not using games to their full potential, narrative can still be a powerfull force in a game. I love Deus Ex for its story, and even though the main story stays the same, the different experiences in the game are quite different depending on how the game is played. With good game DESIGN narrative works. True, most people play games for their gameplay. But look at how popular final fantasy 7 was. Its opponents called it a movie on a playstation disc. And yet people enjoyed it. So gameplay can be used to supplement narrative, or narrative can be used to supplement gameplay, but in the end, it depends on what you want to do and the game itself. I think narrative in games can be more powerful than in other mediums.
*sigh*
I wish there was a truth in labeling clause for game publishing. Then folks could have their "movie on a disc" and I could get on with playing what I consider games.
But like the blend of fantasy and science fiction on the bookstore shelf, I don''t think this is to be...
-------------------- Just waiting for the mothership...
--------------------Just waiting for the mothership...
For me it does not matter if the storyline is linear, non-linear, AI more processing-hungry than the graphics.
Something that I believe is that games traditionally has been looked upon as a toy. It has been about vasting time, socializing. Then suddenly comes cheap home computers and consoles and suddenly the picture that the elder generation grew up with, -it''s not about only doing these things. It''s about entertaining your self (4 year old, driving around with your car on the floor; toying), edutainment (the games must teach you something, -if morality or critical sensing), sosializing (what else is so satisfying to meet someone in a CivNet or Deathmatch?)
My initial idea is that the medium we are starting to see the pattern of is a medium that is far superior and powerful to be dumbed down into ''deerhunting'', fishing or with twist that ends up with some sort of ''soap-documentary'' game.
For many years to come I think that games has to follow a more or less non linear story line, until we find a system that let players on internet dynamically change the goals and content of the game together. Forget AI, I doubt that it will be able to create a game by itself. To many psychologists has to agree with eachother.
This is where I try to get a better understanding:
With Deus Ex they showed that is possible blend the RPG and FPS genre. With the possible up and coming games there must be more possibilties for such games.
Here is my point of posting in this forum:
I cannot see any different in the creation of the story and the design. They must go hand in hand if you want to express something through a game, and I do not think in an arty way now. The medium must be used for the better.
The academic world do not take gaming seriously even though it outsell films in both areas of distribution. Why is it not possible to make something that even ol'' granny can understand, but at the same time give some meaning. Aaagh...a last scream from a frustrated soul.
I think 25 years for AI is pretty underestimated, even with massive supercomputers the smartest AI we have today is about as smart as a retarded dog ;-)
