An Analysis on Video Game Narratives

New Stories are born everyday through this interactive medium. Why is that so? 

Stories have been told for countless generations in different mediums. They have been told in books through narrative writing, showed in movies through extensive camera work and scripting, portrayed in plays by various interesting characters and talented actors and drawn in comics by creative and aspiring artist and writers. And the same thing will be done for video games.

Or will it?

                There’s a significant difference between the mediums that I mentioned and video games and that is the nature of the mediums themselves. Books, films, plays and comics are usually passive in the sense that they relay information to you and that information cannot be change directly, a reader may have a different interpretation of what he read but he did not change the content of the book in anyway same goes for film and comics although there are notable exceptions like Make-your-own Adventure books and interactive movies.

                Video games on the other hand are active, they put you in the shoes of a character of the world he/she inhabits. You are a part of that world and you can change that world to your liking, only restricted by the rules and boundaries of the games themselves. This is a huge difference as you are constantly immersed in the game making you more susceptible to emotions. A game can make you excited by dangling and promising a reward for you and it can also catch you off guard by introducing a new mechanic or enemy and it can also give you a real tearjerker by killing off a character that you grew a special attachment to. This immersion makes it a powerful tool of storytelling as it gives the player a visceral –almost primal experience as the barriers to fantasy and reality are at its thinnest.

                Video games present you with choices and dichotomies even when it’s not obvious, it allows you to choose your own playstyle and the pace at which you play the game.


Hell, you can even create your own stories with open ended games like Minecraft and Skyrim, where random adventures might give you moments worth telling to your friends. Creating those dynamic and surreal moments that you will remember forever.

        I feel that the medium is at its best when it marries the use of mechanics and storytelling into a delicious blend of game, this is done by not making the mechanics a way to get to the narrative, but a part of the narrative as well. Games like Undertale do this stuff all the time in addition to subverting player expectations to surprise them and make them feel emotional impacts.

The possibilities of storytelling with this medium is endless and now with the development of virtual reality new doors will be opened. I cannot wait to see what’s in store for us gamers.