Do you care about the story in a game?


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I was at my college induction this week (I'm doing a games development course) and they kept hammering it into our heads that the story in a game is the most vital part.

I've never really thought about it but it made me realise how much I don't care about story in a game. I can't remember the last time I came out of a game thinking "Wow I loved that game... the story was so good". For me, it's the gameplay that matters over everything else. I go through almost every game I play, having no clue what the hell is going on, just loving the game mechanics/physics/animations etc.

Is this weird? Am I the only one who doesn't give a hoot about the story in a game?

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no I couldn't care less about the story in a game really.

It surprises me that they would say that it's the most important element. I would say gameplay is the most important thing lol.

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Story's pretty important.

For example, I played one of the Final Fantasies on DS. The story made no sense what so ever and was utter ******** so I stopped playing it.

Gameplay's fine. Standard FF nonsense, but the story was just so undescriptive and opened up with too many questions that it just didn't feel like it was worth my time.

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It really depends what the game is billing itself as. An RPG could really use a good story, while something like an FPS can generally get away with solid gameplay instead, especially if it's a multi-player oriented one.

Generally, I see it as gameplay first, with the story a close second.

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There are some games where the story is important, like GTA, and many RPGs. They just wouldn't feel right if there was no point in doing what you were doing.

As opposed to generic FPS/hack n slash/driving games, where you only do one thing, and the game is all about the action. Left 4 Dead could've jumped between levels with absolutely no setup and you wouldn't care.

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It really depends what the game is billing itself as. An RPG could really use a good story, while something like an FPS can generally get away with solid gameplay instead, especially if it's a multi-player oriented one.

Generally, I see it as gameplay first, with the story a close second.

I generally agree with you there. IMO for RPGs I tend to play them for their story and gameplay a close second and vice versa, for action games I play them for gameplay and story a close second. It depends what type of game I am playing really.

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There are some games where the story is important, like GTA, and many RPGs. They just wouldn't feel right if there was no point in doing what you were doing.

As opposed to generic FPS/hack n slash/driving games, where you only do one thing, and the game is all about the action. Left 4 Dead could've jumped between levels with absolutely no setup and you wouldn't care.

L4D is all about the story man! The rich character development, especially. :laugh:.

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Yeah, it's important to me. Especially if it's told properly with good gameplay.

Max Payne is a good example of great story, and good gameplay (and no, I don't think R* ruined Max Payne 3. Especially when I didn't even see a gameplay video of it).

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I was at my college induction this week (I'm doing a games development course) and they kept hammering it into our heads that the story in a game is the most vital part.

I've never really thought about it but it made me realise how much I don't care about story in a game. I can't remember the last time I came out of a game thinking "Wow I loved that game... the story was so good". For me, it's the gameplay that matters over everything else. I go through almost every game I play, having no clue what the hell is going on, just loving the game mechanics/physics/animations etc.

Is this weird? Am I the only one who doesn't give a hoot about the story in a game?

I think they're valid on the story. In the older days, Story didn't really matter much, and it's all about the gameplay. Now, that's changing for most genres. Still, it really depends on some Genres, especially in games like RPGs, Action, Adventures, and FPS for example. Many of the great games are much easier to remember when they have fantastic and epic storyline to the game. Take GTA4 for example.

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Games certainly work better IMO with a great storyline (in single player terms anyway, not so important for multiplayer games). All of the best games like Bioshock, HL1, HL2 Series, Halo series all have an excellent storyline that backs them up, and for me is what sets them apart from more mediocre games.

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Personally, I need it to have a good storyline.

I love FPS's but I've never been able to play more than half a match on Unreal Tournament or similar games. To me it just does not seem right to be killing persons without a cause (as lame as it may be, as long as I like it).

That's probably why I loved Bioshock: The story (to me) was very good and I'm eagerly awaiting Bioshock 2.

Also, some very old games that are favorites of me (the whole King's Quest saga and some from Sierra) I just can play them again because of the story, even if I know it from memory.

All this is taking on account that there can be a story in the game, since I'm sure I played a lot of Pacman, asteroids and the such, and those stories where non existent or pretty lame, but those are arcades.

Of course game play has to be very important too. and I would say they go hand in hand in importance, and maybe yes, game play is a little more important, since a great story and game can just come crashing down because the it's just impossible to play or just pretty difficult.

Rick

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My favorite game is Company of Heroes. The story line, although not needed, adds depth to the game. So, my answer would be no, but a good story line adds more to the game.

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Story is essential, IMO. A game without a well developed plot (which honestly isn't too hard these days. The hardest part is making the decent plot stand out.) is not a complete game to me. A good example of this is Shadowrun. One of my favorite examples for very good hybrid between RPG and FPS elements but it grew stale quickly since there was no real basis for the universe. It was an intriguing idea that was never nourished beyond the aspects of multiplayer. Another good example is MMO's. I'm going to target WoW here specifically since it commits one of the bigger crimes here. WoW has no story for a large amount of the time you play it. The story doesn't really become apparent until around level 40. The rest is redundancy. This is one of the main reasons I couldn't attach myself to the game. I had no idea what the game was really about other than it was an MMORPG with two factions that fought.

I won't say that EVE necessarily does this better, but the thing about EVE is that its story lends to ignorance and the world of EVE operates very well without much information. But WoW is PvE driven, not PVP driven (although a good portion of it is PVP). An example of good story is WAR, which puts you into the lore straight away. I didn't play it as long as WoW, since I had a fewer number of friends to play with and they got bored with it quickly leaving me alone in the game, but I enjoyed it far more since it tossed me into the story from the start.

To me, all the elements of a game are important. If the story isn't decent then usually the gameplay isn't enough to keep me playing. The only time gameplay ever keeps me is when its purely multiplayer, but even then I get annoyed with half assed basis' for that arena's existence (Tribes for example). Some of my favorite games lack any MP at all (Bioshock, Prince of Persia series, Mass Effect, Devil May Cry series, Dead Space, etc). While MP games can create a large following, single player stories that people can enjoy and connect with create a much more sincere fanbase.

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Story is important, but it is how it is told that makes it important.

If the story is in small cut scenes, outside of game play, I could care less, and normally skip those.

When the story is told through game play, that is when everything really comes together nicely. It does not cut the flow of the game, it sort of puts you into the story, instead of just watching it, and helps to not break the immersion that all games go for.

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Some game styles benefit more from an engaging story, like RPGs. If you look at Baldur's Gate vs Icewind Dale, the main difference is that IWD's story is less involved, and as a result, these games have known less popularity than Baldur's Gate. However, stuff like Team Fortress 2, Doom 3, etc., don't really need a story, all I care about is that the action is fun.

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I would say that it depends on the genre. I'm a huge WipEout fan, but I don't know the first thing about the game's backstory (or whether it even has one). In games that are designed for competitive play (racing, fighting, online FPS, etc..), the storyline is pretty irrelevant. Some of those games need a storyline, but purely for the sake of completeness (i.e. a fighting game, where every single storyline revolves around a tournament of some kind).

In an RPG, I need a good story, though (or at the least, characters that I care about). If I don't have any motivation to go through dungeons and level up my characters, I tend to lose interest pretty quickly. I suppose that in a competitive game, the motivating factor (i.e. improving my skills) is built in to the experience, whereas in RPGs (or similar games), the motivation needs to be supplied.

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Story is surely important. It's the games with great storylines that get carried on for years.

Of course, as others have stated already, certain games don't really need much of a storyline. Puzzle, racing, fighting, multiplayers, and such. MMO's, RPGs, single-player FPS, strategy games, and such could surely use elaborate storylines. Gameplay is also important, but you can't really have too much of only one. MGS4 was a great game, but probably too much story and not enough gameplay. I mean, you play for a little bit, and sit back to watch a movie. Having a balance really helps.

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Story is very important to me. All of Bioware's RPG's that came out in the past few years relied on story and not on gameplay alone. Another example is the Call of Duty series. It would have just been a great shooter that felt very responsive with great graphics if there was no story that allowed people to have a personal connection with all the soldiers. The personal connections made the fps stand apart to me from the rest of the military shooters out there. All my favorite racing games even have a story line, even though it can be cheesy, like Need for Speed: Most Wanted or Carbon. It set the games apart from other arcade racers and convinced me to buy them.

Story is one of the most important things to me as a gamer. It makes or breaks for my wish to buy the game. The only games that solely rely on gameplay and unique graphics are multiplayers like like Team Fortress 2 or Fat Princess.

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The story is extremely important me. I won't buy a game unless the story is great, it makes you really a part of the experience.

Why are games who are so great and won numerous awards the ones with superb story lines? Get my point?

1. God of War (mythology, a man becomes a god)

2. Halo series (The story is what drives the game)

3. Call of Duty series (all amazing stories and immersive experiences)

4. Drake Uncharted

5. Bioshock

etc etc..

I won't play a game anymore (with the Battlefield exception) unless it has an award winning story anymore. Graphics are really the last thing on the list but these days it's pretty important they are ok as well and not spoil the story telling.

A good example of a game without a strong story line but terrific gameplay is X-Men Wolverine. This is a game that you want to play 15-20 mins a day and that's it. It's really not something that ties you to it. Sure, storyline games will make it a one time experience, but the one you'll remember. The games without storylines are the ones where you just play for playing sakes. The only time i would play a game like that if it's a terrific multiplayer. Other than that, major fail.

The latest game I'm playing is Call of Juarez and I like it a lot. Good story and it feels like a real western movie.

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Story is very important

Depends on the game. most games have retarded stories.

I got into it on F.E.A.R a little bit, and was starting to get into it on Bioshock, but got stuck so i gave up on it.

I think i was kinda into the story on Half life 2 as well, but its been 2004 since i played and beat the missions, and i dont remember too much.

for me games are much much more fun if they have a nice story line, it's like a movie that you're playing out yourself.

Dude, replay hl2 and get HL2 Episode 1 and HL2 Episode 2! great story, great games.

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Two games that are solid proof that an FPS can contain both groundbreaking gameplay+multiplayer and an awesome story are CoD4, and Halo (series).

No other games have executed both so expertly to create such an awesome combination.

Although if you want story, play a Bioware game. If you want gameplay, TF2 is great.

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