The Many Ways Video Games Tell Their Stories

Written by Jacob Butler

Thumbnail Photo by Branden Skeli on Unsplash

Video games can be an incredible platform for telling a story. Much like how movies, through the use of visuals, acting, and music, can help make an audience more immersed in a story than if they were to simply read it, video games allow players to physically interact with the world and characters of whatever game they play. Because of this interactivity, video games can take stories one step further, allowing players to become not just observers but active participants in the ways they  play out. Video games have a lot of narrative potential, and many game studios have started to realize this. Story-centric games like The Last of Us and God of War have become critically acclaimed for their narratives and are known by many as some of the best games of all time.

Photo by Naught Dog via IGDB

So why doesn't every game contain a similarly in-depth story? Well, video games still have one factor holding them back: the expectations of their audience. Most people don't play games for their story, and while they likely wouldn't mind if a strong narrative found its way into a game they liked, they would much rather engage with a game that has fun and unique mechanics and, more often than not, games with a focus on the story end up having to sacrifice certain gameplay elements for it.

This doesn't mean telling a strong story in a game is impossible. There are plenty of ways to create an excellent game while creating a fantastic story, as long as developers and players know the many ways to tell a story in video games, their pros and cons, and how to use them to create the best overall experience. 

Dialogue

Photo by SIE Santa Monica Studio via IGDB

Dialogue between characters is the simplest and most common narrative device in video games. Having two characters talk is an excellent way of expressing themes, plot elements, and worldbuilding, all while making players feel more engaged with the game. Dialogue is so impactful as a storytelling device that it's led to the development of thousands of choose-your-own-adventure games where the only gameplay is deciding what to say to another character. Games like God of War have Kratos and his son regularly discussing things while the game is being played to reinforce their relationship, and it makes both of them far more endearing to players while still allowing players to engage with the gameplay fully.

Despite all of these strengths, there is still some risk with the use of too much dialogue. While good dialogue in games like God of War helps to make the characters more likable, poor dialogue can ruin an audience's perspective of the character and further disconnect them from the game. On top of that, it can be hard to properly program dialogue in certain games, leading to dialogue cutting out randomly or getting drowned out by in-game sounds, which can damage a player's investment. While dialogue is an extremely useful storytelling device, it can be incredibly harmful to a game if used poorly and should only be used if handled with extreme care and skill. 

Cutscenes

Cutscenes are one of the easiest ways to convey a video game's story to an audience. Cutscenes are simply a break in the game where players are shown the story through video clips. Cutscenes can sometimes serve as a short introduction to a game's mission, explaining to players what they are expected to do in a particular portion of the game. However, story-driven games tend to use these scenes to show players the plot, world, themes, and characters as if they were watching a movie or TV show. 

Cutscenes are incredibly efficient and effective at providing players with all the context necessary for the story, yet they have one major flaw. Cutscenes completely remove any sense of agency and control from the player, making them unable to interact with the game for however long the cutscene lasts, which can ruin pacing and turn players off the game. Certain games like Gears of War have tried solving this problem by creating in-game cutscenes. In-game cutscenes give the player a menial task, like walking from one place to another, while the story happens around them. This gives the player a small sense of control and agency while allowing the game's narrative to progress. Unfortunately, breaking from the typical gameplay to have the player perform some menial task can be just as damaging to the game's pacing and the player's investment in the gameplay. 

Video “Halo Reach: Epic Cut scene” by GameComentaryDotCom on Youtube.

While cutscenes can be used to convey information to the player, developers must be wary of the threat it imposes on a player's level of interest and accommodate for this, whether by making the cutscenes skippable or by giving the players something exciting and fun to do while they're engaging with the story.

Environmental Storytelling

Environmental storytelling is a technique many games use to tell a story without interrupting gameplay. Environmental storytelling describes the use of many forms of game design, like character design, level design, and sound design, in order to allow players to infer details about the broader world, the events of the story, and the overarching themes the game is going for. One game that does particularly well in this respect is The Binding of Isaac. 

Photo by Edmund McMillen via IGDB

The Binding of Isaac introduces the character of Isaac through a narrator, depicting him as an impressionable child with a big imagination so that when the game begins and Isaac has to face horrific monsters and collect grotesque items, the player understands that these things are all  part ofIsaac's imagination. The player gets to experience Isaac's life as he sees it and consequently comes to realize that Isaac is a very traumatized young boy. Through the game's nightmarish depictions of Isaac's mother and certain religious features in his  life, the game encourages players to understand his perspective on the world and engage with themes of spiritual and familial trauma, all without having to spend time interrupting the gameplay. 

The main risk with relying on environmental storytelling to convey a narrative is that developers depend entirely on players inferring the story from the details provided. While some players are very good at using the provided contextt to create a story in their heads, many can completely ignore the game's more subtle details. As a game developer, it is essential to provide enough hints to make the story clear while not giving so much away that you distract from the gameplay. Using environmental storytelling properly can be extremely difficult, but games like The Binding of Isaac show just how effective it can be. 

While there are many different ways for a game to convey its story, each method must be handled with respect and care. The only way for narrative games to continue evolving  and thriving  is to have  game developers understand how to tell a strong story and have gamers  watch out for and support games that handle their stories well. We need to truly appreciate the hard work and skill that comes with telling a good story if we want to continue seeing these great stories develop in future.