Now that we’ve covered the history of the near story-less video games, we can take a look at Pong’s more evolved successors. It is important to note that in the 1980s and ‘90s video games began to evolve. 1987’s Final Fantasy helped establish a near genre of storytelling through an extensive series of role-playing games through which the player roamed vast, interactive worlds as the main characters themselves. 1988 saw the popularity of Nintendo’s Super Mario Brothers’s classic tale of one plumber saving a kidnapped princess as it became a mainstay in popular culture. The ‘90s challenged players to train imaginary monsters called Pokémon to become the best trainer in the game’s competitive regions, and Sonic the Hedgehog emerged as an iconic speed demon. Needless to say, kids in the ‘80s and ‘90s were swimming in the crystal clear waters of amazing storytelling through gaming. What these titles do best is present fleshed-out worlds perfectly curated to incite wonder and imagination within the player. Paired with ever-explorable environments with something new to discover at every turn, it is no wonder how video games have become a staple in the lives of so many.
See, video games offer stories through the eyes of imaginary characters in the hands of the player. With this, the player has the power at their fingertips and freedom of choice to forge their own paths and create their own destinies. One example of a game that I feel offers such an interesting twist on the player’s sense of agency is Chrono Trigger. In this game, the main character (and, by extension, the player) literally bumps into a seemingly unimportant non-playable character, causing her to suddenly drop her necklace. If you interact with the object instead of talking to the character to help her up, you will be tried in court as a thief, and a different branch of the story plays out than had the player helped this character to her feet out of the kindness of their heart. As it turns out, this necklace belonged to Princess Merle, and what seemed to be an insignificant event ends up drastically affecting the story. Agency is an element of storytelling not present in plays, books, or painted artwork. Instead of being an idle bystander, as all movie-goers are, gamers are tasked with choosing which path they go down, which is a beautiful concept in and of itself.
Another such example of agency in video game storytelling is Dragon Quest III’s introductory personality quiz. Here, the player’s character meets “she who watches over all,” who will ask a series of yes/no questions to “teach [her] what manner of person [the player] is” to start off the journey. The player’s name and birthday are requested by the goddess, making this game a personalized experience catered to the individual. Answering the questions truthfully allows the goddess to gain a sense of the player’s (NOT the character’s) character. After the quiz, the player is put through a simulation that tests morality, after which she assesses the player’s true virtue:
“You are a firm believer in individuality… In travelling the path less trodden… You try to be, and succeed in being, a tough, independent individual… An all-round cool customer, if you will… Even with close friends, you keep a certain distance, and always remain aloof… This may lead others to feel that you are difficult to relate to… And you yourself may feel lonely at times… But then, isn’t everybody lonely deep down…? You will undoubtedly come to this realisation eventually… And when at last you do, there will be no one there to comfort you… For you are a lone wolf, destined to walk alone…This is your spirit… Your soul… The essence of your character…”
Opening a game solely focused on the player’s heart is a unique feature of gaming that no other art medium can accomplish. How cool would reading a book be if theoretically it were to, say, adjust its characters’ dialogue to speak to its readers’ more empathetic attributes as opposed to appealing to the readers’ logic. This, of course, is not possible, as books cannot be altered very easily after having been written. However, gaming introduces alternatives to the story that cater to the player and allow for the agency that traditional storytelling otherwise lacks.
Click the link below to watch Dragon Quest III’s introductory personality quiz.
This sense of agency does not stop with 1988’s masterpiece Chrono Trigger, though, and it definitely only becomes more of a theme in more modern games. In his TED Talk, game designer David Cage delves into the tools video game storytellers utilize the notion of agency and choice to allow players to create and tell their own stories. Here, Cage covers the opening act of Detroit: Become Human (2018), a game centered around humanoid robots finding their place in a futuristic dystopia. Players are tasked with making crucial time-sensitive decisions on morality through the eyes of these humanoid robots, all of which massively impact the branching possibilities of narrative in unique ways. The story is an amazing example of how storytelling with modern technology has evolved to include the audience’s moral compasses, opinions, and viewpoints. Thus, video games are not stories in the traditional sense. Where viewers of a play passively witness the events one after another, video games introduce players to sweeping worlds that are theirs to explore, theirs to make the decisions in. Video games provide players with the tools to become their own favorite storytellers and create a sense of wonder and fulfillment when completing different chapters of the story.
Click below to watch David Cage’s TED Talk.
Video Games as Literature 