Randomly Mine #14

An Album

There’s been discussion over the years on what form of storytelling suits video-games the best. This naturally stems from our inspirations. Creators will watch a film or show and think “Wow that was amazing! How do I make something like that in a game?”

For certain experiences, I believe there isn’t a way to recreate it in a game. Films like to Kill a Mockingbird, or Pulp Fiction don’t really suit the mechanical drive of video-games, even the most story-focused and dialogue heavy titles.

Currently, I believe it’s not controversial to say that film structure doesn’t fit most releases. The average game regardless of genre is going to be longer than two hours, and it’s far more challenging to do things that in film are basic. Perspective or character shifts, the three act story structure, and pacing of action. After copying everything from film and putting it into games, most realized the thing to take from film is its elegance and polish. Things like smooth transitions, good cutting, and sound mixing, is more valuable for games to replicate than the pacing or lack of control.

More recently, what’s been copied is TV. Some games like Battlefield: Hardline committed to this path so much, they even copied Netflix’s menu.

In certain aspects, games and shows have more communalities, mainly in their length.  Serials have one long narrative that runs over the course of several seasons, with a few standalone episodes. The same way a forty hour RPG has a main plot to follow, with side-quests.

There’s been plenty of successes with this inspiration, but I want to talk about another art form which I believe doesn’t get enough credit.

The album.

Like many of my generation, I grew up listening to single-songs in an eclectic playlist. Mixing together all sorts of genres, moods, and instrumentation.

But as I got older, I began to understand the value and beauty of the album.

An artist who puts together music that flows so elegantly, you can listen to one group or person play their heart out for an hour, taking you on a roller coaster of emotions that are able to hook you in seconds.

As with Film and Television, I don’t believe video games should just copy albums entirely. I don’t even really see how that would be feasible. Certain games like The Witcher 3 for instance wouldn’t really work with this either.

What I have in mind is better for 5-10 hour experiences. 

Things like action-adventures, first person shooters, or stealth games.

Because what a great album does is have an artist showcase their craft consistently, while simultaneously exploring it in-depth. Run the Jewels, Nine Inch Nails, or Portishead don’t only present an atmosphere that hits a single emotion, they take you on a journey.

One track can be boisterous, arrogant, and ridiculous, and two songs later, through effective pacing and connection, can become heart-breaking and somber.

In the same way a great album juggles emotions and instrumentation, a great linear game fully explores its mechanics and world.

Half Life 2 I believe is the go-to examples. The way it manages to change up its levels and pacing is just like an album switching instruments and mood, while retaining a connective tissue that runs throughout the experience.

Obviously, there should be exploration about telling stories in an entirely unique way with video-games. Methods that don’t take inspiration from music, movies, or shows. But we’re curious creatures, and we’ll always be echoing works of the past. In that case, might as well consider every option and highlight the most viable.

Mountain View

Having played Steep for a few hours last night, I was rather shocked to find what my take away from it was.

“I’m playing it.”

There wasn’t a poorly connected story done for the sake of giving the marketing department more shots for trailers. No constant interruption of exploration or events. No pestering of what I could be doing instead. No jarring change in tone.

I just played the game.

And I kept playing the game in order to play more of the game.

I don’t know if Steep’s enjoyment is something that will last me for dozens of hours, but at least in the early stages, it’s been one of the purest games I’ve played in sometime.

And it makes me think about how Ubisoft’s open-world formula isn’t inherently busted or broken, it just needs a shift in atmosphere and gameplay with each title. Something like Ghost Recon could be a hardcore open-world experience, while Steep could be the casual experience.

Licensed Soundtracks

Playing lots of Need for Speed recently has actually highlighted why I believe licensed soundtracks are something that’s faded away over the years, or at least, how they used to be done in the past.

Today, games with official songs – Grand Theft Auto, Forza Horizon, etc – they typically have multiple radio stations with an hour or more of music each. Whereas soundtracks from the PS2 generation typically consisted of about two hours or less of music that the player will hear repeatedly over the fifteen to twenty hour experience.

Let’s just say that when you’re feeling like you’ve done the same race, track, and challenge, the last thing you need to hear is a playlist on repeat #5.

Inspiration

I’ve recently found myself watching Angry Video Game Nerd episodes again. Honestly, I’m not laughing too much, as then novelty of swearing obscene profanity isn’t much of a novelty in my life anymore. Yet I still find James’ videos to be compelling in a way and it occurred to me why.

I’ve unknowingly taken some inspiration from him in terms of history.

His videos almost always paint the setting, atmosphere, or story behind whatever he’s covering. Just like SuperBunnyhop, he didn’t write his reviews as “reviews,” he wrote them like you would a story. Have the audience ask questions, throw them off guard with surprises either from the game or the Nerd himself.

And I really give James Rolfe credit for this, and his film inspirations really shine through in his work. While I might not be hooked to his work like I used to, I respect it in a way I never did, and was even inspired by it without even realizing it.