Goals and Storytelling

[Kman]

If all games put gameplay first and put story on the back burner, then they'd never progress or make any more use of the medium than what's already been done. Sure the technology for them will become more advanced and such, but it'll still be the same basic concept of simply giving you a fun time. Why do you think there've been twats saying that "games aren't art" for so long? Because since they first came out little progression has been made in what can be done with them past just giving you a fun time. When the idea of gaming first came out this was acceptable, the technology wasn't great at all and was constantly changing, meaning that trying to give you an experience past that would most likely be futile. But it's been a few decades now, and still very few developers have tried pushing the concept of gaming into new realms, realms past just creating a game that's fun or challenging, but a game that makes you feel real deep emotions and have a stronger connection with the game, and the only way people are going to achieve this is through focusing on story. This is why I love FG so much, cause they're one of the few developers that have tried to do this.

You see dark side, if all you ever want in a game is gameplay, then you're going to end up wasting so much potential with the medium. Books and movies can't physically put you in the middle of the story and actually make you feel like you're part of it, but games can, and that's something that's really special I think. Because of this it opens up a TON of new room for creating stronger emotional connections, more immersive experiences, etc. and you're going to be missing out on all of that if you only focus on gameplay.

The most memorable games for me are the ones that are able to create this sort of experience. Take for example To The Moon, I will most likely remember that game for the rest of my life, and not because it had gameplay that was revolutionary or blew me away, but because it was able to give me such a strong emotional connection with the characters in it through the story, stronger than any movie or book had ever made with me. Now take for example TF2, while I still love that game the most it's ever made me feel is maybe joy and occasionally rage, but that's about it. Story based games, because of the medium they're in, can transcend past the parameters of not only gaming in general but story telling in any medium, and to me that's something really unique and something I hope to see a lot of in the future.

Now, I'm not saying that I hate all gameplay based games, in fact I love quite a few of them, but more story based games is the most logical and natural progression in gaming at the moment and I think it's the only way we're going to see any major leaps forward in what's possible in gaming anytime soon.