How much does storyline matter to you in a game?

Hi guys, how much do you think literature affects your gaming experience? Does it play an important role in your interest towards video games? Or are you okay without any story? I'd like you to fill up my survey form for my research paper and you can share your thoughts in the comments below ^^

Survey form : https://adobeformscentral.com/?f=ErIX81z4yXOpc8Nji2mcKQ

linking system here isn't working atm, so please go there manually. sorry for the trouble

Story is very important, I love a good old tale that makes me think and lose myself.

It all depends on the game

A game like Risk of Rain story is irrelevant but a game like COD, TLOU the story is paramount.

@quatoe: I see. yes I like to lose myself in a good narrative too while playing.

@Jacanuk: Yes I agree that some games like sports and etc don't need much story in them. But what type interests you the most? There are games that I play just to kill a short time. and there are games that I play to enjoy for a long time. Story driven ones fall in the second type for me.

A good story gives purpose to the gameplay, so yes, it is quite important.

Though, not all games need a story.

The games I enjoy most are ones with a great story, I'd say it's pretty important. I'm less likely to finish a game with a weak story.

It depends how a game is structured. I hated MGS4 because story was paramount, it sucked, and the game was a linear, cutscene driven experience. MGS. V is open world and (from what's being said at least) cutscenes will be much less, so I will be able to ignore the awful narrative much more easily and more enjoy the gameplay and freedom.

Story is the main thing I look for in a game, but obviously only certain types like rpgs, fps single player games and open world games.

I don't need a story in a racing, sports, or online shooter game.

Lol yes, I haven't finished some games for that reason :/

Thats what I think too. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. take some time to fill the form please :D

I play video games because of the gameplay. it's an odd question to ask, since, even the so-called great stories I find to be mediocre (tlou/bioware) and the gameplay is still more important. I look at all the games I play and judge their stories and some are good and some aren't so good, but, I play them IF the gameplay is good. I won't find out about the great story if the gameplay stinks. and, even then, a great story does nothing for me.

as well, even games that have so-called bad stories aren't as bad as people make them out to be and, yet, the gameplay is superb.

if the gameplay stinks, then, I no play. gameplay always defeats story and I read books when I want great stories and characters and emotional responses.

depends. it really doesn't matter to me other than in story-based games.

i.e. I mostly play shmups and other arcade games which have no story... just pure gaming bliss. those are the games I typically enjoy the most.

my 2nd favorite genre is the point and click adventure genre.... which is primarily story based. If a P+C Adventure game has a poop story, it drastically affects my experience.

I'm not sure. When it comes to videogames my story expectations are relatively low, since I feel books and films are still much better suited for telling a story (which does not include certain external factors that videogames offer that might make a story have a stronger impact on you, like being able to control a character's actions or to experience the narrative world more directly). Books and films don't have to compete with gameplay and generally offer much more depth and development.

So I would say story in videogames is important (depending on the game, of course), but I do not have the same expectations as with films and books, so on some level it isn't that important. I'm very forgiving when it comes to videogame narratives. But maybe I shouldn't be...

Story is important as it is what draws me in to playing a single player game.

All my favourite games have a great story that immerses me... It's very important.

I don't mind either. I enjoy anything from entirely gameplay-oriented action games to entirely story-oriented visual novel games, and whatever else in between.

It doesn't matter at all to me, be it a single player or multiplayer game. Everything stems from the gameplay.

Basically this, I like a good story but it does absolutely nothing for a game unless the gameplay is great and there is plenty of gameplay, that is why I hate games like Mass Effect 2 or Metal Gear Solid 4.

A lot of 'game'rs need to see this:

https://i.imgflip.com/67bgn.jpg (for some reason, I can't upload images)

I agree with Jacanuk. To answer your question, though, it depends on my mood. But in the long run for as much as I like a game like Ikaruga, gameplay will never leave you "haunted" like a good story can. I've seen movies that were literally nothing but dialog that stuck with me for long after they ended. There is no equivilent in terms of pure gameplay.

-Byshop

Hmm, it depends on the mood sometimes Story games is first for me and i enjoy when i can immerse myself in the game

But other times its just to relax and there a game like Papers please, Risk of Rain or a non-story game like Fifa

Take Dark souls for instance it has very little story at all there's like no cut scenes, all there is is amazing gameplay, so story is not that important if the gameplay is solid. So no matter how good the story if the gameplay sucks ass, it's a deal breaker.

well, as video games let you interact with the story more, I think it does have the potential to be greater than books or movies if it's narrative can be developed properly.

I see your point Byshop. In my case, a game with a rich story pulls be back to play it again rather than game with bad story after completing the games no matter how the gameplay are.

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Bump!!! I need more respondents to the survey please

How much the story matters in a game depends on the type of game it is. Racing games, sports games, fighting games, platformers, strategy and other action-focused games don't really need a story if they have compelling and fresh gameplay, but if it's simple and effective enough it can only help to elevate the overall experience. But in Role-Playing and Adventure focused games, for example, the story can be as important to the experience as the gameplay.
In my humble opinion, if the gameplay is compelling...

game with a really great and meaningful story > game with a simple but effective story > game with no story > game with a weak or badly paced story

Storytelling in gaming has vastly improved in the last few years, with much better voice acting, body and facial animations of the characters, sound effects, camera work, visual effects, orchestrated music and so on... but games with a really great and meaningful story are still a rare occurrence (to me at least), much more so than in movies, books or TV shows, and most of the best action and adventure games have a simple/very simple/very very simple but effective story (or at least give you the option the skip long narrative scenes), that gives enough purpose to what you're doing in the game without ruining the immersion and the pace of the experience.

Agreed, but again it depends on the kind of game for me. If the game were story driven, but had a terrible story then I'd have little reason to replay it. If the gameplay itself were awesome, however, but I felt the story a bit lacking then I might still be tempted to replay a game or specific sections just to get the thrill of acrobatically flipping through enemy fire while lobbing grenades as the world crumbles around me.

Here's an example: I recently built a flight cockpit with a throttle and stick and a three 27" monitor display. Since I did that, I've put TONS of hours back into Strike Suit Zero and Strike Suit Infinity because they have awesome gameplay that's augmented by the fact that I have a throttle and stick and Eyefinity display. The story is servicable, but mainly acts as a delivery mechanism for the missions. However, I've been playing it over and over because the missions themselves are exciting and fun. So I might come back to a game even if the story is meh if the gameplay is solid.

But if you were to ask me which I value above the other? Story, for certain. The Last of Us and Heavy Rain were games that stuck with me well after I had finished them. Strike Suit Zero is fun, but I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it once I stop playing.

-Byshop

Well, it depends on what the individual wants, I think. Videogames will always have gameplay to compete with (which can be extremely limiting when it comes to narrative options) and while there are a few unique game elements that can enhance the impact of a story, I think the depth and development of the actual narrative (not just of the experience of it) of films and especially books is unattainable in videogames without sacrificing gameplay (granted, this is already happening with certain games). Also, in my opinion the mind is still a stronger imagining device than a videogame, so I think that books can have the biggest impact in that sense, since you can picture the story exactly how you want it. But books also demand much more personal effort in that regard, so, again, in the end it depends on the individual...

And then there's the problem of what the audience wants... How far will the audience allow narrative in videogames to develop...?

Depends on the theme of the game; I'm a sucker for Dark Fantasy storylines and lore (Legacy of Kain, Dark Souls, Planescape Torment)

As for the rest, I like the ones that don't break the gameplay flow and usually contain some story elements in its environment and imagery; a great narrative can also carry a game for me, for example Spec Ops: The Line.

A rare occurrence are video games with great humor whose storylines are so ridiculous that they can be a blast to play, some of which I consider to be masterpieces (Conker's Bad Fur Day, Portal 2)

In other cases, cutscenes and over-exposition can be an absolute annoyance most of the time.

It completely depends on what genre of game you are playing. If it's an RPG, then for me the story is critical. If it's a 2D side scrolling shooter, then I don't care what the story is. I also find that the story is most important with first person shooters. I wish there was a really good single player story driven campaign with Titanfall.

Another one eh :D

But again story is for me absolute key, but not to say a good gameplay cant also make it worth playing, but with limited time i have to spend my gaming time wisely and here well, story just rewards you more.

@Jacanuk:

lol, it's interesting we've got the same reasoning but are on opposite sides of the question! I like good stories, but, if the gameplay isn't good enough i'll never know about it cuz i'll quit playing.

I love a good story! It makes me forget about the outside world and live another life.

@ superdude4669

I don't think thats something a story does. Perhaps you just like letting go.

Some games have stupid stories but have awesome gameplay. These games to me are: Mega Man (Entire franchise X, ZX, BN, etc.), Castlevania, Metroid, and every Mario game that has ever existed. There are a lot more but those are my favorite picks for games that you just play to play and not listen to the story.

Games like Final Fantasy though, you need a good story to carry you through the whole thing. I'd freaking hate going through a game that has turn based combat without a story. I'd probably battle a few times then never touch it again.

@ -ParaNormaN-

Isn't the entire JRPG genre like that ?

You mean turn based? Yeah. I meant that if they were games that didn't really have a story like beat em ups or similar games that I would hate playing them. I need a story to carry me through JRPG's.

Or maybe the gameplay in all RPGs suck. After all, next to visual Novels JRPGs is one of the genres that has a higher percentage of games with good stories, although I doubt its coincidence. I think its an absolute necessity because the gameplay is absolute trash, so trashy that without a good story the really have no choice but to make sure the story is good.. Its just a theory.

story its important for me its a reason buy games

Zero. Characters and gameplay are more important.

Besides Plots and Storylines are not the real issue. Its Narratives and Presentation, thats what games suck at.

Depends on the game.

I actually cannot really play a game without a good story to be fair, I've been playing games since the amiga and alot of these indie games are pretty much the games of old, but with better controls and it doesn't interest me, I love games which grab me and pull me into there world with there amazing stories, I'm also a fan of survival horror games like state of deecay is probably the greatest zombie game ever created.

sports games I don't mind but then again i found myself more into fight night champions because of the good story and i really hope they carry that on or something in sports games because it just showed that there is a medium for that, and i'd love a sports game to have some sort of story element to it.

It matters a lot to me . It is the most important thing whenever I play a story driven game . But let's not forget that I also love games like Total War , where you create your own story . So in the end I would say that story is important but there should be a decent gameplay to drive that forward beautifully as well .

You don't find good characters in a bad story . As for gameplay , yes I agree , it matters a lot more .

@Cloud_imperium:

I create my own story in tes and fallout through gameplay. I don't need developers trying to do it for me. their stories, plots, narratives and presentations are mere cherries on top and not needed.

gameplay.

One word : Variety .

I love both The Elder Scrolls and The Witcher . Both take completely different approach to tell the story and define characters .

Story is almost completely unimportant to me in a video game. If the gameplay or level design isn't good, then there's pretty much no chance a game will keep my interest no matter how good the story is.

I never remember a game for its story. I remember games for the gameplay experiences they give me. That's the one unique thing that video games offer.

@ Pikminmaniac

Appearently you're not the only one. Accordind to gamersutra a whole of people don't remember video game plots the same way they do with books and film.

I'd post a link but I'm fat and lazy :D

@Cloud_imperium:

I may have embellished a touch, lol!