Topic: The evolution of story in video games

"The princess is in another castle"

That was pretty much the story to the first Mario game. The princess has been kidnapped (damn you Bowser!) and you, as Mario, must travel through various lands and castles before rescuing her.
But back in those early years of video games, stories like that were fine.

But now as the success and popularity of these games become more and more, and also the technology side of it getting increasingly better, do we expect more than just a game to play?

Games like Bioshock, Heavy Rain and LA Noire for example have shown us that they are not just mindless video games that we supposedly waste hours playing, but are in fact well written stories with huge intricate plots that some films in Hollywood cannot even compare too. The game play is secondary, as the story is what is driving the player forward and you carry on just because you want to find out what happens next.
Sometimes I even forget that I am playing a game, especially during those fantastic cut scenes and plot twists that happen at important points, one of my favourites being in Bioshock, the moment you find out that the character, Atlas, who has been helping you, has actually been manipulating you with a hypnotic phrase 'Would you kindly?' It's hard to explain if you haven't played the game, but it was one of those jaw dropping, 'Oh my god', moments that you usually see in the movies. It's still to this day one of my favourite video game moments of all time.

Of course, it also helps with the improvement of graphics, motion capture and the amazing voice actors that they get, like Troy Baker & Nolan North. But also with the major popularity of games, even Hollywood actors are jumping on board. And with the right scriptwriting matched with the voice talent, it becomes truly magical.

Deep down for me, as much as I buy a game for the gameplay, the story is really important. I like to be fully immersed in the plot and be entertained. Heck, even Grid 2 which is essentially just a racing game even has a sort of story to it. And truthfully, I think it makes it better. Plus at the end of the day it has become another form of entertainment and has every right to be up there with movies, TV shows and books.

Thanks for reading and if you would like to discuss further or tweet me your favourite video games which you feel had the best story: @Brutal_Atlas

B_A