Somebody has a problem with stories in games

Instead, Wright shopped his project, called "Bar Karma," to television studios.

"Games are not the right medium to tell stories," Wright said in a recent interview. "Video games are more about story possibilities."
 
What do you guys think? Even though I'm not big on stories in games, saying games are not the right medium, however.....err, I don't know about that.

Well considering nothing he's done in the games industry (which is a lot, mind you) has never focused on narrative and instead allowed the player to build their own narrative (if they wanted to), I can't say I'm surprised by his comments.

What I don't get is when people say films are the correct medium to tell stories. ~2 hours is no where near enough time to tell a good story, or convince me the characters we are watching are worth caring about. Whereas 20+ hour video games definitely are the correct medium. Well saying that, 8 hour videogames are i.e. Metal Gear Solid.

Books will always be the best medium to tell a story.

What do you guys think? 

"

" opinions  "

For the time being I kinda have to agree.
My opinion will change the day I play a game that has a truly incredible story.

" Books will always be the best medium to tell a story. "

I would kinda agree. If you have a specific story that you want to tell, then video games probably aren't the best medium to do so. If you look at all of the games that are considered to have great stories, the stories require player interaction. Stuff like Mass Effect or GTA IV all have the player influencing the story. Which is great, it really brings the player into the experience. BUT, if you're a writer, and you have written a specific story that you want told in that specific way, a game isn't the way to do it.

I would have to agree. I rarely come across any game that has some specific story the creators were obviously trying to put out there. Games are too flexible for that, or at least most are. Also, I've been watching "Bar Karma" and there's no way in hell that could have been a game... or I should say a coherent game.

I disagree >:( I love games with a good story. Now I wanna fight

I think games have great potential to tell stories but I think the industry is still how to do it properly and when they do figure it out games are going to tell stories in a unique way, very different from the other storytelling mediums out there. Given the kind of stories Wright wants to tell and the fact that video games are still trying to evolve as a storytelling medium, I think Wright made the right move with Bar Karma.

I disagree entirely.  Silent Hill 1 and 3, combined, are pretty much one of my favorite stories in any medium.  Also, the Legacy of Kain series was amazing excluding some of Blood Omen 2.

It works, but is not the best way. 
Personally I feel like a well written story in a game is a bonus, as long it dosen't have way too long cutscenes or similar things that interupt the game.

Only certain stories can work in a video game. You're not going to see a romance story in a video game, for example. But Metal Gear Solid has proven that a masterpiece of a story can be put within a series of video games. The MGS series is a masterpiece when it comes to its plot. At the same time, some games just don't give a shit about the story. Killzone 3, I heard, has a story that is awful, but the gameplay is good.

I beg to differ. Just because his games don't have any kind of story whatsoever, that doesn't mean that games are "not the right medium".

" http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/02/18/will.wright/index.html?hpt=Sbin
 
The video game legend, who created "The Sims" and "SimCity," would surely have had no trouble selling his new idea to Electronic Arts or any competing game publisher.

Instead, Wright shopped his project, called "Bar Karma," to television studios.

"Games are not the right medium to tell stories," Wright said in a recent interview. "Video games are more about story possibilities."
 
What do you guys think? Even though I'm not big on stories in games, saying games are not the right medium, however.....err, I don't know about that.

"

People who defend games as storytelling medium are those who like putrid,incoherent,empty blabber such as Metal Gear Solid. Just verifies what a shitty taste our community has.

" @X19 said:

" Books will always be the best medium to tell a story. "

I have always thought this as well. "

Y'know what's never going to be beaten as a story-telling medium?  Books.  Kind of off-topic but whatever.

Games will get there eventually. They haven't really been around long enough for people to crack the code and tell a proper story with them. I can't see the future but I assume at some point somebody will figure it out. 

"Metal Gear Solid has proven that a masterpiece of a story can be put within a series of video games. The MGS series is a masterpiece when it comes to its plot."

"People who defend games as storytelling medium are those who like putrid, incoherent, empty blabber such as Metal Gear Solid. Just verifies what a shitty taste our community has. "

" @Aetheldod:  You know full well that the genres of video games are named third-person-shooter, first-person-shooter,RPG, plattformer  and not phsycological thriller, drama or comedy, right ? "

" @JeffGoldblum said:

" @X19 said:

" Books will always be the best medium to tell a story. "

I have always thought this as well. "

No .... there is no better medium to tell a story , the only difference is how you tell a story , what elements can be used and what type of stories you can make , but non is better than the other . "

" @JCTango:  Drama-comedy is tacked onto Debbie Does Dallas. "

Judging from most things I've seen so far, I kinda agree with him.

" @JCTango:  You mean lame games ? "

" @Aetheldod:  No,those are VIDEOGAME genres. My car has snow tires, it's a Jeep. What is the car ,a Snow-Tire-car or a Jeep ? "

" @JCTango:  Exactly, when you are getting Gears Of War, you know you are getting a third-person-shooter, and not tragedy-drama. "

" @JeffGoldblum said:

" @X19 said:

" Books will always be the best medium to tell a story. "

I have always thought this as well. "

No .... there is no better medium to tell a story , the only difference is how you tell a story , what elements can be used and what type of stories you can make , but non is better than the other . "

" @JCTango: Labels which non-fiction-books and movies share, but videogames don't. Just as Queensryche's Operation Mindcrime is a progressive metal album and not political drama. "

" @JCTango:  Survival Horror is neither a movie nor a non-fictional-book genre. "

" @Aetheldod:  Videogame is an audiovisual-mechanical medium, not audiovisual. "