That's right.
Nonlinearity has been a growing trend in gaming for years, now found heavily in most western RPGs and RPG hybrids (Fallout). Apparently, gamers love to "craft their own stories" by wandering around large, empty areas with no specific goal or task in mind.
First of all, there is no such thing as "freedom" in games. Everything you're doing is done within the preconstructed framework designed by the programmers beforehand. If there are two choices presented to the gamer, both had to be scripted and designed separately, and yet you (barring replaying the game for a second time, which is a ridiculous thing to expect the player to do) only get to experience one, which could have been a better one if the developer had simply decided to sink their full resources into a singular focus. Moreover, most games shepherd the player to a particular climax or two, so very few choices have any real consequences. Who the fuck cares if you killed or saved the little sisters in Bioshock? It had almost no long-term effect on the gameplay, and both endings sucked.
Moreover, the whole "point" of nonlinearity is to let the player "decide" things, and have more control over their experience. In the end, however, players are not storytellers. They lack comprehension in plot construction, meaningful character interactions, pacing, and most other things that make a story enjoyable. I am content to see the visions of the designers of this game, the leagues of artists and writers who worked on this singular goal, and I am intrigued to see where they take me.
In the end, the only true "freedom" in constructing your own gaming experience is an open code editor and a blank, white screen. Nonlinearity in gaming should go the way of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novels...the firepit. Is anyone else out there in agreement? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!
(Disclaimer: I refer to nonlinearity in a story/game direction sense, not in a gameplay sense. Branching skill trees rock.)
Nonlinearity has been a growing trend in gaming for years, now found heavily in most western RPGs and RPG hybrids (Fallout). Apparently, gamers love to "craft their own stories" by wandering around large, empty areas with no specific goal or task in mind.
First of all, there is no such thing as "freedom" in games. Everything you're doing is done within the preconstructed framework designed by the programmers beforehand. If there are two choices presented to the gamer, both had to be scripted and designed separately, and yet you (barring replaying the game for a second time, which is a ridiculous thing to expect the player to do) only get to experience one, which could have been a better one if the developer had simply decided to sink their full resources into a singular focus. Moreover, most games shepherd the player to a particular climax or two, so very few choices have any real consequences. Who the fuck cares if you killed or saved the little sisters in Bioshock? It had almost no long-term effect on the gameplay, and both endings sucked.
Moreover, the whole "point" of nonlinearity is to let the player "decide" things, and have more control over their experience. In the end, however, players are not storytellers. They lack comprehension in plot construction, meaningful character interactions, pacing, and most other things that make a story enjoyable. I am content to see the visions of the designers of this game, the leagues of artists and writers who worked on this singular goal, and I am intrigued to see where they take me.
In the end, the only true "freedom" in constructing your own gaming experience is an open code editor and a blank, white screen. Nonlinearity in gaming should go the way of Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novels...the firepit. Is anyone else out there in agreement? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills here!
(Disclaimer: I refer to nonlinearity in a story/game direction sense, not in a gameplay sense. Branching skill trees rock.)
