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[RPSleon]

In games i think your focus is on too many things. I get the same thing. I have to stop and think about whats going on sometimes. You just csnt be in the same headspace as when youre watching a film.

 

[Ogbert]

I actually think games are an awful medium for delivering stories. Pick up a book if you want to dive into your imagination.

What games are incredible at are is creating a world, with a distinctive aesthetic. You enjoy spending time there because it’s fun, not because of the story.

 

[mxbison]

Sometimes stories are just told overly complicated to make them seem more complex/better.

TV shows and movies often do that too, and I find it really annoying. A good story doesn't have to be hard to follow.

 

[The_Mike]

I have this problem with both games and sometimes with movies.

It doesn't help I rarely cares about the stories in games either. There's a very few games where I even cared about the story.

The only story that's been really interesting in is Alan Wake, my god that story is insane. Should've been a movie or a. TV show imo.

 

[sublimit]

Fair enough, it is an unobtrusive way of doing things. Maybe it’s the general story of the souls games that I find so off putting, this mythical lore expressed over the opening cinematic in hushed tones, “the embers of the ancient ones turn to ashes in the infinite flame” or some bullshit.

What are you on about? How do you expect people to engage with that vague, generic, fantasy bilge?

Haha personally i love it but i totally understand what you're saying.

I do think that Demon's Souls story is far more interesting than Dark Souls story though.

 

[Ultra Donny]

Depends on the game. First person shooters I tend to zone out during story segments and cut scenes, don't care about the main characters in shooters. Souls series not so interested in the story either. Last of us and upcoming The medium I try to follow.

 

[sublimit]

Sometimes stories are just told overly complicated to make them seem more complex/better.

TV shows and movies often do that too, and I find it really annoying. A good story doesn't have to be hard to follow.

This so much. They often try to make them complicated just for the sake of being complicated.They think that that makes them seem more inteligent as well. Or maybe their ego doesn't let them cut the fat from their convoluted stories. I think a lot of Video Game writers have serious inferiority complexes.

The irony is that the best and most interesting stories are actually the more simple ones like for example the stories of Fumito Ueda's games.

 

[MasterDerico]

Plots on games are not really more complicated than plots on movies and tv series...

 

[GymWolf]

How is silent hill more complicated to follow than something like fucking rubicon or the wailing?! (And these are not near the really hard to follow stuff on tv)

 

[gunslikewhoa]

Most stories in games are awful and I can't be bothered to pay attention to them.

 

[anab0lic36]

My reaction to stories in video games is akin to when a YouTube advert plays... I roll my eyes and tune out, because its more often than not, low quality garbage that isn't worth putting forth any attention to. Which is why i find it laughable that so many story focused games are constantly in the running for GOTY awards... talk about people with low standards.

The best way to make stories in video games work, is to just give the player enough to get a general sense of whats going on, through various means and then let their imagination fill in the blanks. I think that you are using different areas of the mind when passively consuming vs proactively doing stuff and the later is what we come to this medium for...so it just feels like an annoying interruption of what you really desire from your videogame endevours.

I love a good story as much as anyone but rarely is it to be found in video games. I can count on one hand the amount of games that actually had a story worth my time... and even those pale in comparison to what you will find in good books or movies, so its just not a good use of your time and focus. Your brain probably recongises that and doesnt care enough to commit any of it to memory.

 

[BlackTron]

It's kind of hard for me to pay attention to the story in a game these days. I usually gravitate towards more gameplay-focused stuff and I don't like the idea of playing a game for its story. Usually when people say a game had this amazing story, it would have been a laughably bad movie. When I was 16 I could dig long RPGs for the story, now most seem like vapid cookie-cutter anime crap with lots of repetitive gameplay. Blah.

Sometimes I wonder whether games changed, or I did, I think it's a little bit of both. I loved the characters and dialog in Grandia II when it came out, now I would feel like I'm insulting myself to drudge through it. Modern games, if I attempt to act all into the story I feel like I'm asking my brain cells to start dying, with precious few exceptions.

I guess my answer is, yeah, it's hard to follow something you never cared to pay attention to in the first place.

Edit: I still remember the Starcraft 1 story which was epic. Starcraft 2's story was so laughably bad I hardly remember anything, even though I still played through the Terran campaign with fervor because I'm Starcraft fanatic, and watched every cutscene many times. Really, I think game stories are hard to follow because it's just all the same formulaic, widest-possible-audience shtick that may as well have come off a conveyor belt, so who cares?

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Just how many Kingdom Hearts games have you played lately, OP?

Kidding... sorta. Japanese games just love to have lots of foreshadowing and “mysterious” characters and scenes that only make sense 20 hours to 20 years later, when you’ve already forgotten the details and putting the pieces together becomes a chore.

Can’t remember many western games doing this, honestly.

 

[fermcr]

Gaming is like watching porn... nobody is paying attention to the story.

 

[Impotaku]

There's only certain games where the story has been complex and it winds and twists making it tricky to figure out whats going on luckily most stories are of the straight forward kind. Usually can follow them, as i also play games in japanese, it depends on how complex the kanji is getting as some stuff is way beyond my reading ability so i'm left in the dark lol.

 

[Maine84]

I feel like that with cyberpunk

 

[Orta]

In the vast vast majority of cases I couldn't give a toss about game storylines. Even those I do initially follow I lose interest before the halfway point. They're usually dumb as shit with as much intelligence and wit as a school paper written by a 12 year old kid.

 

[Batiman]

Most games are not interesting to follow along with. If I’m interested I’ll pay attention. Getting tired of story driven games as I get older. I just want gameplay when I play games and when I’m done I’ll just watch a movie.

 

[levyjl1988]

Games like Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect 1 is that they set up the story very simply. But whenever there is a sequel like Halo 5, Dragon Age Inquisition which relies on external lore from books and comics. The majority of the audience not invested or read any of that external lore is lost. That’s where the problem leads with sequels, it went too hard with the lore and it dissuades any players from investing towards it.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

I can follow them, but the issue is when play times get spaced out then its difficult to recall whats going on exactly. DQ11 does a great job at catching the player up though as an example.

I also find myself just skipping story/cinematic parts more now because most games’ stories are boring and basic time wastes. Poorly written. Poor VA. Mundane. Repetitive. Filler.

im here to play the god damn game. Fuck your constant shitty story telling moments. Majority of the time you can understand the main premise without even watching the cinematics or speed reading through. Games always have one liners too of where to go and icons of what to do immediately after important information is mentioned, so you really dont need to pay attention to the fluff anyways.

 

[ChoosableOne]

no you just stupid

lol i'm just kidding do i really need to add /s at the end

180 turn just in 3 minutes. Wow, kretos, you are better than Microsoft!

We knew that for some time thouıgh... /s

 

[mnkl13]

so, you're playing different games and it is as if they're just one game but with very different levels, the character just shifts from one to another in a magical way, but the goal continues to be the same and that is to move the character through a series of obstacles looking for an end that never comes?

 

[Toaster man]

Often key information is found in some data log you missed because you went the wrong direction or was distracted by combat.

Same when expository information is given out in the middle of combat

 

[Spaceman292]

Maybe I'm just simple, but most the time I have no clue what's going on in relation to a games plot. I just can't seem to follow along with the story.

Name any popular game, and if I played it I probably couldn't tell you what happened.

Anybody else never know wtf is going on?

Sounds like you're just simple. Unless you're talking about Kingdom Heart or some shit.

Do you often lose your car keys and walk into walls?

 

[Trogdor1123]

Some games, yes. It seems like huge parts are cut out of the dialogue. It's not complex, just huge jumps in logic which are not explained or are explained poorly.

Destiny 1 had that problem as they hid all the damn info which was really dumb and lazy (the information was really cool but nearly hidden! Terrible approach!).

 

[TonyK]

and personally i have trouble learning/remembering names, so if they are talking of "jack whatever" that i've never seen in the game (or i have seen 20 hours of playtime ago), i have no idea who they are talking about.

I have this problem with AC Valhalla. It's impossible for me to remember those names. I only remmeber Eivor, because he is the main character, and Fulke, because it remembers me to "fuck". That's it.

 

[Amory]

Yeah, I do. Probably because the story isn't really being told while you're playing the game, and you spend a lot more time playing than watching cutscenes. Plus you don't play a whole game in one sitting, so it's all very broken up

I just finished Halo 3 and by the midpoint of most of the missions I was never really sure what my overall goal was. Just shoot more dudes

 

[GustavoLT]

easy to fallow:
GTA
RDR
Uncharted
Last of Us
Spider-man

not a clue:
Metal Gear Solid
Souls Games

 

[Elektro Demon]

Yeah I have this problem too. Some of the plots seem overly complicated thesedays in games. But I also think it may have something to do with content overload. I play a shit ton more games then I used to when I was a kid.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Games are better with stories, wouldn’t you rather have a game with a story than none? Go to NES and play a game without a story than report back. It’s how the media is today, develop legendary stories (Odyssey, Evil Within etc.) everything you want is in tale, or story.

 

[Pejo]

Despite my best efforts, I could literally not follow the story in Kingdom Hearts. Mostly I find myself skipping stories altogether now because they're either too much chaff or trying too hard for the medium they're in. I thought Metal Gear Rising was a good game story. Kinda weird, a little unexpected the first time, goofy, not taking itself super seriously. It was mostly just a break from the gameplay just long enough to set the stage for the next bit of gameplay and provide some character development/interaction.

 

[Aesius]

I beat AC Unity recently and have no idea what happened in that game.

 

[fart town usa]

OP must be playing RE6 or RE:Revelations.

 

[kyussman]

Generally no,but it can be an issue sometimes in big open world games....do a main mission,fuck around in the open world for 20hrs....do next main mission,uh what's going on again?

 

[Twinguistics]

Just read about the symptoms... Being implusive, urge to talk, easily stressed...



Nah man, I'm just a classic day dreamer. Always have been. And I generally have troubles liking something. For games this means I enjoy playing them but hardly find any I really get into. But when I ocassionally do, I'm REALLY into those.

Fair enough man, shame you have trouble liking things. I'm generally the opposite and then I don't have enough time to fit it all in!

 

[ItsTheNew]

Video game writers want to inject nuanced storytelling that doesn't fit the game they are going for.
If im playing AC for example, quest givers spend a ton of time telling you where to go, but their motives behind the quest are usually optional at the end of the conversation and they look like this:

Exposition 1
Exposition 2
End conversation

Really a "quest" should have the motives front loaded and quickly introduced (after all, npcs are talking to a mercenary/hero).
I don't know why ANYONE wants audio logs/notebooks/environmental story telling in a fast paced game OR an RPG where theres always bullshit to pick up and you get tired of collecting/running out of room etc and start skipping optional (but vital) story.

If you want gamers to listen and be invested, it's more about the characters delivery and motives vs what the quest is. The Mass Effect series has quests that are interesting and easy to follow without really being groundbreaking just because of the brisk pace that they are introduced, set up, and you see the payoff.
Why should I invest in a quest if my "payoff" is a thank you and a small amount of gold?

 

[ButchCat]

That's a sign of poor story telling. If you can't follow the story then that's on the game dev not on you.

 

[crozier]

I made a vow to follow ESOs story and two weeks later I haven’t a clue. I’m the same way with books. It just won’t imprint on my long-term memory.

 

[Teh Chosen Juan]

man, 1000% agree! hahaha thought i was the only one. for years people talk about these amazing stories in games, and i'm like, ummm ok? it's always just like "words words words" and then back to the action. even a game like TLOU or Uncharted series. i understand the gist of it, but as far as a deep storyline, couldn't tell you. AC games. Destiny! just tell me where the marker is on the map to go to, and i'm off! i've thought about it, and i think it has to do with the fact that we're JUUUUUUST almost there with realism of in game characters/acting. it's hard to get into the story with stone faced animation and weird jaw graphics. yes, SONY has been the best at it, but it still doesn't do it for me. great example: Witcher 3. like, what? words words words triss marigold, words, magic, words now run across the map to this city. it's too much. but feel free to call me an idiot.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Plots on games are not really more complicated than plots on movies and tv series...

Killer 7 really is piece of work with its story telling.

 

[JSoup]

Depends on the game and when it's played.
I sort of followed FF7 when I first played at 13 or so, half paying attention.
Replaying it now, even just hammering through the text, all I can think is "....there's nothing to understand, this is a plot of extreme convenience and little else".

 

[buizel]

I don't see how that is possible unless you are playing the Souls games or similarly told narrative structures.

 

[JimmyRustler]

Fair enough man, shame you have trouble liking things. I'm generally the opposite and then I don't have enough time to fit it all in!

Well, the flip side is that is that I barely don‘t like anything either. Be it books, music, movies, food... I mean I could literally go from an opera to a metal concert. I would enjoy either. Not love it but... enjoy it.

So I guess I at least have that going for me.

 

[GrayFoxPL]

I'm just not invested most of the time.

 

[LazyParrot]

In terms of narrative depth and writing quality, most video games are comparable to 80s Saturday morning cartoons. Even games that are widely praised for the quality of their story and dialogue are, for the most part, on the level of a mediocre sci-fi or mystery paperback. Thankfully, the simple fact that they're interactive more than makes up for this in many cases.

If you're having a hard time remembering a game's story, then it's probably not because it's too complicated, but because it's generic, forgettable, and of no real consequence to the gameplay.

 

[gypsygib]

Some games have very convoluted storylines or major plot holes, but most I can follow along with if I care to. Problem is that so often the story is bad so I don't, despite story being a major selling point for me for most games.

 

[RPSleon]

Call of duty be like:
"viktor salavandor mircheckovich, weapons dealer and drug lord, has threatened code 842 against our countries closest ally, whom we believe to be plotting against us to find nukes in france who is a major player in the financial steaks of the usas biggest oil companies run by one Geoff Phelenko, who says he has intel on chinas experimental gas distribution system that could get in to the hands of korean warlord lei jung. But ignore that because now youre playing as a child and have to plant a tracker on the car of a clandestine group of people trafficers who have also taken your mother. Not the childs mother, the mother of the character you played as in the prologue, one you wont play as again until the end of the game, about the kidnapped daughter of an arabian prince who turned out to be your brother."

Mission one.
14:45
12/06/1976
The Moon.

"Hey rookie, melee with your knife and switch to your other weapon, its faster than reloading! Run the course!"

 

[WoJ]

I struggle with this in some games. Primarily because of how I consume content in general. I need subtitles to be on. I just don't consumer dialogue well without them. I am currently playing the original Assassin's Creed and had to look up details on the plot to better understand what is going on because without subtitles it was hard for me to pick up.

I also think a lot of it has to do with how content is delivered. Mass Effect is my favorite game series of all time and I think one of the reasons why was because of how the gameplay loop worked. Set missions followed up by a low key period on the ship talking with ship mates learning about them and the world. In a lot of games it feels like information is dumped on you without much time to really process because games are obviously driven by their gameplay.

I have found that games that have a period of "slowing down" for to consume the narrative and use environmental storytelling for their lore and world are the best for me in terms of how I consume the narrative.

 

[existensmaximum]

Well, game stories these days are often unnecessary convoluted I think, even if the plot is kind of simple. I totally agree with you, and when there's tons upon tons of dialogue and cutscenes I kind of zone out sometimes or just become impatient. I think often less is more.

 

[lachesis]

I am also "in-the-moment" type of person. I do follow the plots and all, but what's happening at the moment is more important.
Long stories and all, I tend to forget what has happened rather easily during my 40-100 hr playthru time in many RPGs....