This will be a short-lived series as I go through how the people that gave us the experiences of this generation its beef. People love graphics, gameplay, and then clever writing. In the first entry I will go through how writing (which is a MAJOR hobby of mine) makes up our gaming experiences.
It seems as though writing comes as the center piece for every game. No matter how good everything else is a stale story and plot (which then correlates to many gameplay aspects) makes a game. I see the writing world as the one that defines us as people. From manuals to books of love we like a good story, a good fantasy world to gorge on. This is evident in the Elder Scrolls series, as a gaming point of view, and the recently released Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Though reflected heavily in gaming without a good story a movie will fall flat on its butt.
It seems as though we take writers for granted. We see the faces of the company but not the writers. Even the artist are more widely renowned than the writers, though some have taken the spotlight there are plenty more to go around. A story is like a rose, we see it for what it really is up front. It can have its lovely sights and its beautiful smells but if we get to close and to engrossed in its petals we may forget its thorns an get an unsuspected surprise that could possibly hurt or if we see it in time make us laugh as we think back on the possibility that we let it touch us. Writing IS the meet of our experience, though hopefully from beginning to end we remember the rose as we move on the face the rest of what it has to offer...
Some people, that after the adventure is over will pluck the rose from its root and carry it with us for a lifetime, though when we see other roses we will forever have that particular one, and possibly a few more, close to our hearts and minds as so that we do not forget. Then if we come upon a new rose that looks very familiar to another one close to us we are critical of it even more than the last one. Does it live up to the last, does it keep the same features of the last while keeping it fresh, do new thorns still hold the same bite? That my fellow gamers is writing...That my fellow gamers, is gaming. It is what we make of it, and sometimes we are hurt if others are critical of our roses...
I critique a game based off of everything from gameplay to story but as some see a wonderful experience I may see a lacking story with many plot holes. Some people may have a problem with gameplay but I may see a beautiful ride. Its all a matter of perspective as any man or woman on this earth could tell you. Bioshock is an excellent example of this, offering challenging gameplay and mechanics but offering a wild ride throughout and giving you a chance to see things from the wild side of the story perspective. Some entries like Skyrim and Mass Effect spark our imagination into history and what is possible. Do I believe in aliens? Yes... And Mass Effect and Skyrim have helped me along to making my own story projects... They have, in essence, inspired me.
I hope that one day I can sell my books and say that gaming helped me do it, whenever I feel frustrated I play a game for inspiration and then write. No project is truly its own, everyone is inspired by something else. J.R.R Tolkien may be excluded from that though, as Lord of the Rings was what set up the modern world to make modern fantasies. I love to see what people come up with and in my mind I know that there were writers behind the foundation and people like Ken Levine and Todd Howard making the future of gaming behind a desk.
I can't wait to see the engrossing stories that are born out of the current-gen and I can't wait to learn all about them. Thanks for reading guys! At the moment I'm not even sure what topic I will be doing next but I would love suggestions! Don't forget to answer the reader comment below and tell me how I did this time! Thanks guys!
Reader Question: What stories have you enjoyed from last-gen or any console for that matter?