In a recent interview with PC Zone Magazine, Laidlaw (lead writer for Bioware's Jade Empire), said that games have just gotten to the point where movies were when they went from silent to sound.
Which I don't think he quite literally- pc games have had sound for some time now- but more in the sense that story, like sound for movies, is the last layer to be added. And, like sound, it is the most powerful yet unappreciated layer.
I'll use Gears of War as an example. Fantastic look. Every stage was a beauty of design and code. The game had good ai, and the rendering was very smooth through out.
But the story kinda blew.
Not that it was poorly written, it was just really, really, really short. I and two other friends beat that game in one weekend. I know it was really designed to be a halo killer, but I think there should be more story here. I should care about the characters, where they are going, and what their goals are.
I should want to get to the end of stage, even if it is 3 am and I have to get up for work in three hours. Not be able to hand it off to my buddy at midnight so he can clear the level. I liked Gears, but I didn't love it. It was a good game, but no where near great.
And a story can make a game great. We've gotten to the point were beautiful graphics with smooth game play is almost the norm. But what isn't the norm is the story that keeps you riveted to the screen.
Think about your favorite game. Go on, I'll wait.
Got it firmly in mind? Now, what's your favorite part? Was it when you cleared level 52? Was it when you got the green card to open the blue door? Was it when you defeated three of that new type of enemy?
No, it's not. It probably is an epic battle that was hard fought. But why do you remember it? Because it was important.
It's those moments when the story has you in its grips. When you discover, as you have suspected, that you were really the Evil Lord with amnesia. When you finally cornered the
guy who blew up your family. Stole your dog. Shot your buddies. When your girlfriend turned evil and tried to destroy the world.
And why is that your favorite part? Because the story lead you there. Because the emotional tension was built, part by the game but mostly by you, so that way you really wanted to take down the boss. You really wanted to defeat them in their lair.
It's why Lunar: Silver Star Story has been ported across so many different game platforms. And it's why they don't make games like Paper Boy anymore.
And that's what Laidlaw meant about silent film and sound. Movies really took off in their power to move people emotionally when they added sound. Finally they could have the music swell at just the right moment. The actors could deliver stirring speeches instead of mouthing words at the camera and waiting for the card to pop up.
And that's where games are now. The last layer, the sound layer is being mastered. We will have stories that take advantage of the medium in which they are being told to deliver powerful sagas passionate epics that are not just narrated to us but told by us as we interact with them.
Now when we whip out the BFG, it will mean something real to us. It will be because we want to put the world right. To save the princess. To stop the destruction of all that we have come to hold dear.
It will be that way because we are emotionally invested in the story. Because we need to pull it out to win, and not because the explosion will be pretty.
Which I don't think he quite literally- pc games have had sound for some time now- but more in the sense that story, like sound for movies, is the last layer to be added. And, like sound, it is the most powerful yet unappreciated layer.
I'll use Gears of War as an example. Fantastic look. Every stage was a beauty of design and code. The game had good ai, and the rendering was very smooth through out.But the story kinda blew.
Not that it was poorly written, it was just really, really, really short. I and two other friends beat that game in one weekend. I know it was really designed to be a halo killer, but I think there should be more story here. I should care about the characters, where they are going, and what their goals are.
I should want to get to the end of stage, even if it is 3 am and I have to get up for work in three hours. Not be able to hand it off to my buddy at midnight so he can clear the level. I liked Gears, but I didn't love it. It was a good game, but no where near great.
And a story can make a game great. We've gotten to the point were beautiful graphics with smooth game play is almost the norm. But what isn't the norm is the story that keeps you riveted to the screen.
Think about your favorite game. Go on, I'll wait.
Got it firmly in mind? Now, what's your favorite part? Was it when you cleared level 52? Was it when you got the green card to open the blue door? Was it when you defeated three of that new type of enemy?
No, it's not. It probably is an epic battle that was hard fought. But why do you remember it? Because it was important.
It's those moments when the story has you in its grips. When you discover, as you have suspected, that you were really the Evil Lord with amnesia. When you finally cornered the
guy who blew up your family. Stole your dog. Shot your buddies. When your girlfriend turned evil and tried to destroy the world. And why is that your favorite part? Because the story lead you there. Because the emotional tension was built, part by the game but mostly by you, so that way you really wanted to take down the boss. You really wanted to defeat them in their lair.
It's why Lunar: Silver Star Story has been ported across so many different game platforms. And it's why they don't make games like Paper Boy anymore.
And that's what Laidlaw meant about silent film and sound. Movies really took off in their power to move people emotionally when they added sound. Finally they could have the music swell at just the right moment. The actors could deliver stirring speeches instead of mouthing words at the camera and waiting for the card to pop up.
And that's where games are now. The last layer, the sound layer is being mastered. We will have stories that take advantage of the medium in which they are being told to deliver powerful sagas passionate epics that are not just narrated to us but told by us as we interact with them.
Now when we whip out the BFG, it will mean something real to us. It will be because we want to put the world right. To save the princess. To stop the destruction of all that we have come to hold dear.
It will be that way because we are emotionally invested in the story. Because we need to pull it out to win, and not because the explosion will be pretty.
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