Story Vs. Gameplay

[Snow Queen]

I've been reading various forums, and I've been seeing that people value story over gameplay. This makes no sense. If you don't care about the gameplay, then go read a book.

Anyways, do you value story or gameplay more? Why do you value this more than the other?

 

[Salem]

I always value gameplay over story, but in some cases I think story is AS important as gameplay, this usually when the gameplay isn't supposed to be too action-based and stuff, for example Adventure games, and perhaps some simple console-style RPGS, to some extent.

 

[misskitten]

They are two different elements that make up a game and both need to be good in order for the game to be enjoyable. If the gameplay isn't fun, then it doesn't really matter how good the story is, you'll be bored out of your mind. If the story is bad, but the gameplay is good, you'll enjoy playing the game, but you'll also have plenty of issues with it.

 

[Mercedes]

I think these 2 things are the most important part of any game. Interactivity of course defines what a game is, though there is no standard to how much interactivity there needs to be for it to be 'a game', but it does not define 100% of the enjoyment a game offers. Modern videogames are advanced with many things that offer pleasure to the player, not just the gameplay itself, otherwise all games would still be like Pong and Tetris, story-less games you do nothing but play, where the sole thing they offer to a player is gameplay. We've moved past that now. Games like Walking Dead are more story than gameplay and yet that was one of the greatest games I've ever played, easily.

I find that stories keep you engaged, they draw you in and immerse you into the game, and immersion is a big thing for me, and probably many other players. I like choice in my games because I like to be immersed and imagine I'm there, that it's my story, and that's why I like them more than movies. So I find both of those things to be equally prevalent in making me love a game. Gameplay is a necessity whereas story isn't, sure, but that doesn't mean I like gameplay more than story on that notion alone. Equal!

 

[Wolf Sage]

Gee. I've nearly run out of things to say about this topic, as I have already gone over it over 9000 times. Let's just say that in order for me to properly escape from my real life story, which sucks arse, I'm going to need a darn good 'fake' story. I helps to be given a reason to give a damn about the characters I play as in [Action-]Adventure games and RPGs. I want to feel really motivated to defeat the villain who killed the main character's parents, or to help the orphaned main character find the value in his existence. I want and need believable, relatable characters and awe-inspiring, immersive settings: the perfect escape. All of these things can only be delivered in a great plot. Though it also helps if the story isn't entirely cliché or too predictable; that'd just agitate me to no end.

However, while a great story is important, it isn't the 'be all, end all' in all of gaming; gameplay is equally as important, for me personally. In order to enjoy my escape ("fake story"), I need my player characters to be responsive to the controller inputs. I need to be able to interact with the various in-game environments, puzzles, and characters properly. I don't want to mistakenly cast Fire on a Fire Elemental because of some odd, roundabout, and/or clunky input scheme. This is why a great control scheme is really important, especially in Fighting games. Gameplay in general tends be to extremely important in Fighting games overall.

To put it simply, I need the two aspects—gameplay and story—to go hand-and-hand in order to enjoy the great escape. This is exceedingly important in two of my favorite genres: [Action-]Adventure and RPGs, the latter of which is kind of designed to be plot-driven. So there's no "Story Vs. Gameplay" here. In Fighting games, however, gameplay trumps story, but a great story mode is always a welcoming bonus (thanks Blazblue).

 

[Akuhime-sama]

I've been reading various forums, and I've been seeing that people value story over gameplay. This makes no sense.

Totally Agree.
That's what games are for.... to PLAY.
I think the most important thing about a game is its gameplay. Aside from that, a good story is just a really nice bonus.

I guess I have experience in this field when it comes to Kingdom Hearts. Man, I LOVE the story, (even though sometimes it gets insane and hard to follow xD), But I really got bored of the gameplay years ago. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying that I have over played it, and actually PLAYING the game is a pain in the *** for me. With the exception of Chain Of Memories. Believe it or not, but I PREFER to play with the card system, over the fighting in KH1 and KH2. I don't know, I think it's mainly because of the requirement for more strategy. (And simply because I've over played 1 and 2)

But yeah, with KH1 and KH2, I'd rather just watch the story, not having to play myself. with Re:CoM, oh, I could play that endlessly.

 

[Clank]

Personally, I think that gameplay is basically the structure of the game and story is the fluff. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that story isn't important, rather that it isn't gamebreaking.

You can have a decent game with little to no story or a story that's bad (as long as it has skippable cutscenes), but I've yet to find a good game which has little to no gameplay (well, I mean that's basically a movie, so yeah) or really bad gameplay. It sounds like I am belittling the role of story, I'm not trying to, rather I'm trying to make a point that a game can be enjoyable without a good story, but a game without decent gameplay is nothing.

Story however adds a ton of value to a game with decent gameplay, it's what turns decent games into great games, it just can't do much if it doesn't have much to work with.

But hey, maybe that's just the way I play games.

 

[Mamono101]

I agree that there should be a good balance between both gameplay and story but when it comes down to it, genre plays a big role for me in how I feel a game should be delivered. So there are of course some instances of story>gameplay.

I definitely prioritise gameplay over story when it comes to platformers and puzzle platformers. When I play a platformer, I'm looking for some sort of innovative tool that makes it stand out from the others that I have played and they often seem to have a very simple story or no definitive story, which is left to the player to infer from the game and the world around you. (Braid, Limbo, The Bridge, The Swapper).

With adventure games and (J)RPGs I can forgive gameplay flaws, both major and minor, if I get lost in the story. What I want overall in a videogame is a satisfying conclusion to the last 12-50+hrs (depending on game) of my life that I just sunk into it. I feel almost as if the gameplay should be nothing more than the mechanic by which we manipulate the game into delivering us a fluid, visually interactive story experience which is why the gameplay needs to be kept interesting and fresh but should not eclipse the overall themes and message of the game.

With FPS and third person shooters, I have no real opinion as I am not too big a fan of this genre due to the stories being mainly war-centric. Games in these genres that have broken that mold for me and made me excited to play it were those that dared to be different in their approach to the way that they tell the story of the game (BioShock series, Resident Evil 0-4+Code Veronica, Dead Space, F.E.A.R., Metroid Prime series).

EDIT: I guess I only answered half the question...

Why do you value this more than the other?

When I play a game, I, like Wolf Sage, am after escapism. It's the same reason why I read books and watch movies. And, as depressing as it sounds, I want the perfect story to unfold in front of me. I want to be so caught up in the story that I forget that I am who I am. I've never thought of these mediums as anything other than an escape into the unknown, into some fantastical world in which I am able to not be me.

 

[Dio]

Depends on the game. Soulcalibur, my favourite fighting series, is a gameplay series, the story is quite minimal but i love kicking peoples ***** at it. It's a competitive thing, it takes tme to become more skilled and when you become more skilled it is rewarding. It does not really matter to me what the story is, it's nice to have a bit of story to the chracters though.

Zelda on the other hand is an action adventure RPG. Any games like this where I put in 20+hours I need a story to drive me forward. It is that story that sets the goal of what you are trying to do. The better the story, and the more immersive it is makes these types of games enjoyable. If there is no story there, then there is no point in playing. You know I actually completed Final Fantasy 13 (a game of which i found the gameplay tedious and boring) just because i liked the story and characters. I wanted to experience their adventure rather than watch videos of it so I kept playing.

The best games generally have a good balance of gameplay and story. Which is more important depends on the game itself and there is not definitive answer to your question.

 

[Dan]

You can have a decent game with little to no story or a story that's bad (as long as it has skippable cutscenes), but I've yet to find a good game which has little to no gameplay (well, I mean that's basically a movie, so yeah) or really bad gameplay. It sounds like I am belittling the role of story, I'm not trying to, rather I'm trying to make a point that a game can be enjoyable without a good story, but a game without decent gameplay is nothing.

I recommend you try out some of Telltale's recent games, The Walking dead comes to mind, there isn't much in the way of game-play apart from moving the protagonist around, and some quick time events. The walking dead fully immerses you into its story, it's captivating, has interesting and diverse characters. I've never played a game quite like it, and wasn't sure if I was going to like it, the only reason I decided to pick it up was to see what all the fuss was about, needless to say I was hooked.

The Walking dead is one of those games that proves story can make a game without game-play.

Make sure you pick up this one, and not the terrible AMC's Walking dead game. ;p

 

[Shadow Blade]

You need both to make a good game but I've always valued story over gameplay, games that focus primarily on gameplay and lack story elements often compensate with other mechanics such as online gameplay not all games do this but some yes, personally I avoid games that have too strong of a focus on online gameplay and lack a strong story, some of my favorite games have a great balance of gameplay and story while others tell the story through gameplay, while I value story over gameplay I believe a good game should have the right amount of both as they are very important to the games overall structure.

 

[Maikeru]

For me, it depends on the game. Some games do really well in the story, but not so great in the gameplay department. Others have awesome gameplay, but a subpar story. Others can actually do a pretty good job at having both.

For instance, I like Catherine because I enjoy both the gameplay and the story. The same could be said for Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

However, some games I prefer for one or the other. For gameplay, I consider Dynasty Warriors and Mario Kart fun, regardless of story. On the other hand, games like Asura's Wrath or Dante's Inferno get my attention because of their story.


For me, it's all about if the game succeeds in entertaining me based on what I'm in the mood for.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

if i'm playing a game,i'll be expecting to play it through b/c i like playing the game
if it's a story driven game but the gameplay is very subpar,then i'll just stop playing and watch all the cutscenes on youtube or something; so if it's going to be a story based game that's great,but the gameplay has to be at least ok or i'm gonna loose interest in playing it

Zelda on the other hand is an action adventure RPG.

can we not

 

[Deleted member 14134]

I don't believe a story can make or break a game but it definitely does have its impact on it. A good story in a video game is like a good story in a book, it can keep you interested and wanting to find out what happens next. Mixing this with good gameplay has the potential to make a game outstanding. But I agree with you about books, the best stories come from well written and developed novels and not from video games. I'd rather play an amazing game with a mediocre story than a average game with a great story.

 

[Musicfan]

I value the story more, and to your coment about reading a book. Would you rather read about a war and the deviation it had or read about a war and the devistation it had with some sence of scale and effect you get to see an artists imagination of what it looks like and you get to have even a little bit of control over it.