The Need for Complex Narrative is Growing

Last week in my blog, I discussed the evolution of narrative through gameplay, as in games that let the player discover or create their own story are starting to become the next part in video game evolution. This week I found an article written by gamer-journalist Daniel Clark, who discusses how his need for a complex narrative in a game is starting to trump other facets of gameplay and how this need is starting to become a universal need for many gamers.

Clark notes that the more freedom and the more realistic the outcomes can be such as decisions that are made have consequences, and actions are based in a cause and effect manner. He notes that there is a distinctive change in the styling of narratives in games, "in game design, has seen a distinct shift away from a purely active response (e.g. kill everyone in the room), to more complex webs of cause and effect. Players are given far more choice in what type of order is restored (e.g. selfish gain versus community well-being), and by what means these conditions are met (e.g. through might or diplomacy)."  

Just like all facets of technology, our expectations for games are growing, and with that is the expectation that the line that we put between games and reality is starting to blur. The more that games can mimic and become like real-life, the more we are interested and engaged in them.  At the beginning of this blog series, I asked why narrative was important to the function and success of games, and Clark answers that by saying that narrative adds a break in between modes of mechanical gameplay, and allows a game to not seems to repetitive, boring, or intense. But he also says that narrative is also more than that, "The rise of narrative in gaming has been exactly that – stories created under the auspices of game design, like any other component, tailored to the experience intended."  I think it is interesting to note that it seems that narrative is an integral part of experience.

Clark ends by saying "The fact is, our lives are intricate portraits of human desire; its satisfactions and frustrations, both negligible and immense. When games mimic the agonies and ecstasies of our time on this planet, the depth of experience equals those inspired by any art form."  I think that this is definitely true. There is a rise in popularity of games that allow more free-roam, more human-like interaction within a fantastical or unable to be experience setting? Call of Duty or Elder Scrolls, they appeal to us because we have experiences that would in no other way be possible.