Hi Everyone! I'm taking a research course about Game Design in a university. I have chosen the topic of Game Narrative/ Interactive Story-Telling because I hope to one day become a Game Writer or Designer. One of my major tasks in the methodology of my research is gathering people's opinions about the impact of stories in electronic games (console/PC games). I would truly appreciate any responses to the following questions. The more the better. :) Thank you so much for your time and support. 1.) How many hours of game do you play on average per week? 2.) What type/ genre of games do you play? (Ex. RPGs, Action-Adventure, FPS, etc.) 3.) Do you believe that the story element (characters, storyline, background information) in games (console/PC) is very important to the gameplay? Why or why not? 4.) Do you believe that game narrative/story-telling is a major part of game design process? Why or Why not? 5.) Would a game suffer greatly without any game narratives or game story-telling elements, such as character dialogues, FMVs/cutscenes, introduction to story background, and etc? Why or Why not? 6.) What is your favorite game story from a game that you have played, and why? (For example: "My favorite game story comes from the game ICO. I love it because...") 7.) How does game narratives, such as character dialogues, FMVs/cutscenes, or introduction to story background, affect your gameplay? (Consider: Do they encourage you to play the game more? Do they halt our gameplay and interrupt your concentration? Do they annoy you or please you?) 8.) Last Question: [For Game Designers or anyone who has created a game with a GROUP of people ONLY] In the Game Designing Process, is there a person with the specific role of creating the game story, game dialogues, and game narratives? (Ex. Game Writer) If Yes, how much influence does the person have over all other elements of the game design, such as gameplay or mechanics, programming, audio/music, and visual arts? If No, then who writes the game story, game dialogues, and prepare the game narratives--- the game designer? Once again, Thank you for answering. I hope you all have a wonderful day! [Edited by - Lady Haiku on February 21, 2007 5:14:31 AM]

1) 10 hours/week. 6 years ago (and vacations) I used to play 25+ hours/day

2) buy: action, action-adventure. rent/try: RPGs, new geners

2) [you have two 2s -_-] story elements? important to the gameplay?? no because the gameplay should be independent from the story and should not be effected by it. (for example: changing the story shouldn't change the gameplay)

3) no comment

4) depend on the gener. RPGs and adventure games are usually very long (50+ hours of gameplay) so a good game narratives/game story-telling elements/etc.. should keep the player interested. Action games on the other hand are usually short (shor gameplay time, high replay time) so a story isn't as important.

5) "My favorite game story comes from the game Metal Gear Sold [any number]. I love it because..." I like the conspirasy type of stories (personal taste) plus all the objectives (which are part of the story) keeps me intersted in more playing (long gameplay, long replay). The same goes for FF games. There's always something rotten going behind the scene (long gameplay, short replay).

6) All I can say is if you can't have a good story, don't put one at all.

7) The amount of influence the writer have over the game design depends on the inital plan of the team. If the team decides that what ever the writer writes/makes will be add to the game (FF7??), then yes the writer has great influence. If not then no. The story would be a secondary part and the writer will have minimum (if none) influence on the game design.

In the end, a great story is always welcomed in games. But put in mind that a story can also destroy a game.

Thanks for your response, Farraj.

I would truly appreciate other answers too. If you would rather send me your responses via email or private messages, that's fine too. I would like to at least gather more than 10-20 different people. ^__^ Please offer your opinions, friends~!

All I can say about this, is that if you make a story and say " My game storyline is way better than Gears of War." Or " My game storyline is way better than Halo 2." Or any other game that has a story, that meens your story ISN'T better. Infact it would be worse. If it isn't promoted by the people who play it, don't bother.

Peace,
Me

1. Around 10-15 hours a week at the minute.

2. Mostly FPS and RTS games, sometimes RPG's.

3. I don't really know how to answer this one. It can be, but I think it mostly depends on the genre. I think it's important in giving the player a reason for trying to achieve whatever goal the game has set, and in understanding the reasons behind the actions of the other characters. That said though, I'm usually satisfied with just the typical cutscene between levels, explaining what I have to do next. As far as the core gameplay is concerned, a game can often stand on its own without a solid storyline in my opinion, as long as it has some variation to stop me from getting bored.

4. I guess it probably is most of the time, as it usually defines how the game is going to progress from start to finish.

5. Most of the time, yes, unless the game is just pure fun to play. Still, a good story will always add to a game, sometimes a little, sometimes a lot.

6. I think I'd have to say Fable, just because it had some pretty memorable plot twists, and there always seemed a valid reason behind the missions you could do. Also the players choice between the good or evil endings of the story.

7. I don't mind really, as long as they don't drag on and are relevant. An introduction cutscene is vital in my opinion, between levels not so much. A rewarding ending cutscene is always good too.

8. N/A

1) Around 6-7, my real life seems to be cutting into my gaming time

2) Turn-based strategy, Real-time strategy, RPG, FPS, I've done some table-top RPG stuff in the past

3) 'Very' can mean many things in the context, it's all a balancing act, some games can get away with little or no story, like the 'Arena' type FPS games. Others, like the Final Fantasy series tends to emphasize story at the cost of somewhat repetitive gameplay. When it comes down to it however, these are games, and gameplay is always going to be more important. That said however; a good story can make the gameworld more immersive, there's a big difference between playing an anonymous Quake soldier and JC Denton nano-enhanced super-spy (yeah I don't play many new games), the story supported Deus Ex and added a realism that went beyond polygons (which is good since the engine was dated even then). So, to avoid rambling any futher, story exists to support gameplay.

4) I think establishing the game universe is important, there needs to be a logic to what's going on. This is where EV Nova failed, I can put railguns on certain ships, but not others, why? These rules were arbitrary and it hurt gameplay. So once again, narrative/story is important if it supports gameplay.

5) Depends on the game, does a zombie-killing rampage really demand cut-scenes? It just distracts from the action, however an RPG without a story would have a difficult time (though MMORPG's seem to get away with it quite frequently). The games would suffer from lack of story, but the severity would depend on the gameplay mechanics.

6) I liked the story of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, the whole issue of trying to survive in an environment that was actively trying to reject you, and then of course the other humans trying to bump you off.

7) I think cut-scenes can be pretty disruptive to gameplay, pretty much any time the player loses control of the character is a bad thing.

8) N/A

1. 20
2. RPG, arcade
3. Very, because it can help a player immerse in the game.
4. Narrative/story is a major part since the game might feel pointless without. You need some kind of motvie for the players actions.
5. Not necessarily. Story can be told through graphics as well. No story at all is hard to imagine.
6. Diablo 1 and 2, because is is really well told in fantastic cut scenes.
7. All depends on how good they are. Too long interruptions though, is never good.
8. Depends on how large the group is. In a group of five I doubt one person should do only that. In a small group it could be game designer/level designer/game writer all in the same person. In a large team there could be one person, but then s/he gets less influence on other parts of the creative process.

I'm very impressed with all the findings. Hurray! Thank you so very very much, everyone. Everyone's opinions are very helpful. After this quarter ends, I'll present the general information I've collected.

If there are anymore, I would truly appreciate your time! ^__^ Please don't hesitate to offer your opinions~!

1. These days, probably 14 or so during the usual work week.

2. Anything but adventure.

3. No, gameplay is completely independent of story. Gameplay by definition is the rules of the game which provide choices to the player. Story is created as by content.

4. Depends on how game design process is defined. It's a major part of the high level design of what people want their game as a product to be. It's not a major part of gameplay design and balancing.

5. Not most games. Gameplay is independent of its content. If the gameplay is fun, it'll be fun irregardless.

6. Dunno. Probably Planescape's.

7. Usually they dilute my gameplay because I'm not playing when hearing/seeing a story. Not that such things can't be pleasurable in and of themselves, but...

I'm sure you all noticed already, but that link posted above is obviously suspicious, take a guess at what the poster is trying to do from the url.