Immersion and Linear Progression

by electricpirate , Friday, July 26, 2013, 09:42 (4140 days ago) @ Cody Miller

It's like I link people to a very good i(n fact one of the best) articles about video games and stories, that puts the fundamental problem in a very simple, concise way, and nobody seems to read it. I wonder why.

It's a great article
But that's not really a point about linearity though... I mean you can do great game stories and storytelling that are still linear. Take a look at "The Walking Dead", "Spec ops:The Line", "Little Inferno" or "Hotline Miami". Those all kind of use their interactive elements to focus on emotions that videogames don't do well, and focusses their stories around them (Regret, boredom, loneliness, affection, etc).

Furthermore, we don't know yet quite what the core of Destiny's storytelling will be. I mean, we know that there's a kind of narrative, but we don't know how it will be told and how it will work. Some of the indications are worrying, that Staten was comparing it to Halo's Linear story, and talk of how it sounds like a standard campaign, that's why I put it as the thing i worry most about with Destiny.

However, nearly every interview about Destiny harps on this idea of players telling their own stories. In that way, it hits exactly at what Jaffe is talking about. Incidently, that "Player storytelling" is a huge part of why you need customizable equipment and player investment. These kinds of stories are assisted by a trophy, If you have that cape that can only be found by defeating the hardest of the hard, people will notice.