A Lucid Sense of Action

A small(er) follow up to my previous post-- it looks as though James Paul Gee's views on the stories that video games tell has shifted slightly since his 2007 publication, as evidenced on his blog post from late 2009.  Though he still sees the grand plot of games as "irrelevant" because he can never remember the plot even as he plays, he is now willing to acknowledge the huge advances that games like Uncharted 2, Assassin's Creed 2 and Batman:  Arkham Asylum have made in marrying and integrating "story, environment, cinematographic effects, and game play." He believes that in good games, these elements work together in creating what he calls a "lucid sense of action." Essentially, this means that players know why they are doing what they are doing within the game, and can comprehend what exactly these actions mean in the emotional sense of the story.  When a player takes on a role, they understand the motive of the character, what the actions within the story mean to that character, and can sympathize with that character on a much more personal level than reading would allow for.

Last post, I said that I agreed with Gee's views to a certain level, and I think here is where I have to speak my mind.  I agree with him that games are different, not better or worse, than books and movies.  I agree that the experience is powerful and immersive, and that players can learn more when they dedicate a part of themselves to the character they control in the game.  And I do agree that in portions of games, the overall sense of the story can become lost.  But for him to generalize that plot is altogether unimportant does not sit well with me. While Gee says that he is unable to remember the plot of video games that he has played through, I don't think his own personal experience is enough to make that bold of claim that the story must therefore be irrelevant.

I point to sites that I have already utilized in previous posts to show the error in Gee's logic.  Look at fanfiction.net's Games section of stories, and the thousands of original works that fans have created, keeping in mind that this is just a small fraction of players (specifically those who have no fear of posting on the internet).  These fan renditions, sequels, prequels, etc., were certainly not created because of the game play, and an irrelevant story cannot inspire people to write.  Additionally, there have been several books written based on the stories of video games-- everything from Warcraft to Dragon Age to Assassin's Creed has had published novels that allow the unique story line from the game to cross mediums.  Again, if there were no intricate narrative to be found in these games, why would there be any reason to publish a book?  No, these are the stories that interest players, and by taking on the identity of the protagonist within these good games, it allows them to experience the story in a hands-on manner unparalleled by any other medium.

That's not to say that there isn't room for improvement.  David Cage, producer at Quantic Dream, the company responsible for creating Heavy Rain, has expressed frustration with how few games there are that "leave an imprint and leave you with something to think about" in the market today.  When asked by Joystiq.com whether video games have reached the same level of emotional storytelling as movies, here was his response:

Certainly not. We are really, really far away. We are light years away to be honest. And this is because we don't dare stop doing what we have been doing for 15 years. I mean, let's stop making games for kids and teenagers. Let's ask ourselves the real questions. Let's change the way we see interface. Let's change some of the traditional game conventions that we have had for 15 years that we take for granted, like, you cannot make a game if there is no ramping, if there is no game over, if you don't progress in difficulty, etc.

Who cares? You want to play a game that is interesting and that is an emotional journey. It is the story. It is what you feel playing. It is not that it gets more and more difficult until to the point where you just leave the controller and say I don't want to play that anymore. I spent $70 to buy this thing and I don't want to play it because it gets too difficult at some point. I don't want to play it anymore.

Who said the game has to be more and more difficult as your progress? Who said that? I mean, there is no reason for that. I mean, you just want to create a real journey, something that you experience and you are happy to be playing. That is it. I hope that more and more games will aim to leave an imprint and not just be toys, but be a real creative experience.


I agree wholeheartedly with his answer here for two main reasons:  1) We need to stop making the same game again and again where superhuman takes on the entire world just because the mainstream market consumes it.  Games like Heavy Rain, which Cage headed, break down the walls and bring the medium to new, respectable academic territories. I wish I were more versed in the history of film, because I am left wondering what the popular, moneymaking films were when the medium first arrived, and how long it took for Citizen Kane (which received scathing reviews when it first came out) to take a chance, and ultimately bring about serious analysis.   2)  The story is what you feel while playing, and we want it to be both interesting and emotional, just as we want the characters within that story to be interesting and realistic.  The game play serves to enhance the experience, but ultimately, we want a real journey that we can experience, remember, and relate to, which can only done with a plot that motivates the player to continue pushing forward.  Yes, there is a lucid sense of action that keeps players invested in the emotional economy of the story, but the overarching plot is what we come away with in the end when playing through a genuinely good game.  

 I think that's enough ranting for this Saturday afternoon.  For those reading, what do you think?  Are you one of those players who just hits the button to skip the cutscene and get to the next boss fight or shoot out?  Can you remember your favorite plot from a video game, or is it merely a formality to include story to get from one challenge to the next?