Irrational Games shutting down (Gaming)

by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, February 18, 2014, 13:33 (3931 days ago) @ scarab

Narrative games with multiple stories? Isn't that an oxymoron?

He is under a few misconceptions:

1. Game narratives should be anything other than support for the world created, in order to further increase immersion.
2. People played Bioshock Infinite once because it has a fixed story.

With regards to 2, people don't replay Bioshock Infinite because it is easily mastered, and the world is not immersive, but rather a facade. This does not promote exploration, or the desire to remain in the world.

With regards to 1, the best stories in games are not ends to themselves, but rather means to enhance the world of the game. Even in a game like Beyond Two Souls, the multiple narrative paths increase immersion by making you feel like you are effecting the world in ways beyond explosions and death, because that's your primary interaction with the game. In a game like Halo, the story gives you a backdrop and a reason to shoot stuff, enhancing that experience.

When he bemoans that Civ is replayable and Bioshock Isn't, that's because it has a lot to master and discover. Deus Ex is a narrative driven game, but it's 1000X more replayable than Bioshock because it too has a lot to discover and master, both in terms of story and mechanics.