Task 1, Stories in Games
Stories in games
Stories have been told since humans began to communicate with each other, the earliest record of stories being those told in cave paintings and hieroglyphics. Since these times, story telling has developed through fables and legends, written text, paintings, performances, voice recordings and motion pictures. One way to tell a story that is becoming increasingly popular is through games, and more specifically, computer games.
The gaming industry is one that is ever growing with the constant development of technology and the release of new consoles and new ways to interact with those consoles. There are all sorts of different types of games, from simulators and puzzle games to FPS and survivals, but the thing that makes a game stand out above the rest is its story. The story is used to add emotion to the game; it’s a way to entice you into playing the game for longer, a way to keep you interested with a developing story that unfolds as you play the game.
In 1962, Spacewar was created. A two player game where each player would control a spaceship with the purpose of shooting the other player but with the added struggle of fighting against the gravity of a nearby star. This game was to be the first of a legacy of computer games, however it was not long until the public wanted more from their games than two small triangles whizzing around a pixelated star. This is where the game with a story comes in.
In the late 70’s, a text based computer game called “Zork” was created. Zork was purely text descriptions on screen, explaining where in the virtual world your character is and what is around to be interacted with. The player then types commands to which more text appears telling you what is happening and what has changed. Although this may sound rather dull compared to what can be done in a video game now in 2015, in the 1970’s this was a completely new way of playing. It didn’t matter that there were no moving pictures on screen because what the game lacked in visual aspects it more than made up for in exciting stories, the fact that there was only writing on screen meant that the user could use his/her imagination to create their own world that is completely unique and therefor ever player gets what they want from the game. If you don’t like what the surroundings of a modern game look like, you can moan about it to your friends and hope that the sequel is better. As you are using your imagination to build the world of Zork, there is no way you could imagine a world that you don’t, yourself, find interesting.
Today game designers continue to use stories to enhance the gameplay of all kinds of games. Whether it’s a survival game or a simulator there is often a story to keep the game interesting. For example, a simulator like a racing game will often have a story between each race. Usually shown in a basic format with just a slide of writing and pictures to represent the story, the user will normally have to get a certain position in the race or a certain amount of point to progress to the next stage of the story. A Survival game like Silent Hill game uses the actual gameplay to tell the story. With the user in complete control of the main character and what they are doing, the gaming experience is different for each person, adding a sense of emotion to the game. With the same objectives of meeting certain checkpoints in the game, the experience for each person doesn’t differ too much, That’s where multiple outcome games come in. Recently, games with multiple outcomes are becoming more popular, with different checkpoints to be reached in different parts of the game with sometimes a completely different ending. This type of game makes for a completely unique experience for each user. Another type of game is a Real Time Strategy, with less of a set story RTS games use objectives, which the user must meet but this can be done in numerous way. An example of this is Rise Of Nations where the player controls a country that grows and goes through stages of discovering, fighting and controlling other countries. This can still tell a story but rather than one that is set to the game it completely depends on the users strategy to how the game unfolds.
These examples show how important stories are in games, right from the beginning and undoubtedly way into the future of games.
Mountain Pilot
The game I wish to create is an objection-based simulator based on the dangerous mountain flying flown by rookie pilots in Indonesia.
The user starts off as a trainee pilot and works through the ranks to become a chief captain.
Routes get harder with the progression of the game and with the addition of weather, traffic and aircraft maintenance.
The open map allows for multiple options in flying the route and gives each player a unique experience.
Some specific destinations and cargo earn more points than others with each location presenting an animation with a different story, linking to the progress of the pilot. Some locations include mini games/challenges within the game.
There is potential for sequel games including “Bush Pilot” based on rookie pilots in West Africa, and “Sea Pilot” based on the river routes flown with amphibious aircraft in Turkey.
One game that influenced my choices was “Sky Gamblers- Storm Raiders”. It was the actual gameplay that intrigued me with the ability to fly throughout a map without limits and land wherever you like. My map will consist of various airports each with the objective of flying to it. The player can choose which order they fly to the different airports and will have to work out the best way to complete the objectives, considering weather, fuel and cargo, to increase their pilot points.
Stories have been told since humans began to communicate with each other, the earliest record of stories being those told in cave paintings and hieroglyphics. Since these times, story telling has developed through fables and legends, written text, paintings, performances, voice recordings and motion pictures. One way to tell a story that is becoming increasingly popular is through games, and more specifically, computer games.
The gaming industry is one that is ever growing with the constant development of technology and the release of new consoles and new ways to interact with those consoles. There are all sorts of different types of games, from simulators and puzzle games to FPS and survivals, but the thing that makes a game stand out above the rest is its story. The story is used to add emotion to the game; it’s a way to entice you into playing the game for longer, a way to keep you interested with a developing story that unfolds as you play the game.
In 1962, Spacewar was created. A two player game where each player would control a spaceship with the purpose of shooting the other player but with the added struggle of fighting against the gravity of a nearby star. This game was to be the first of a legacy of computer games, however it was not long until the public wanted more from their games than two small triangles whizzing around a pixelated star. This is where the game with a story comes in.
In the late 70’s, a text based computer game called “Zork” was created. Zork was purely text descriptions on screen, explaining where in the virtual world your character is and what is around to be interacted with. The player then types commands to which more text appears telling you what is happening and what has changed. Although this may sound rather dull compared to what can be done in a video game now in 2015, in the 1970’s this was a completely new way of playing. It didn’t matter that there were no moving pictures on screen because what the game lacked in visual aspects it more than made up for in exciting stories, the fact that there was only writing on screen meant that the user could use his/her imagination to create their own world that is completely unique and therefor ever player gets what they want from the game. If you don’t like what the surroundings of a modern game look like, you can moan about it to your friends and hope that the sequel is better. As you are using your imagination to build the world of Zork, there is no way you could imagine a world that you don’t, yourself, find interesting.
Today game designers continue to use stories to enhance the gameplay of all kinds of games. Whether it’s a survival game or a simulator there is often a story to keep the game interesting. For example, a simulator like a racing game will often have a story between each race. Usually shown in a basic format with just a slide of writing and pictures to represent the story, the user will normally have to get a certain position in the race or a certain amount of point to progress to the next stage of the story. A Survival game like Silent Hill game uses the actual gameplay to tell the story. With the user in complete control of the main character and what they are doing, the gaming experience is different for each person, adding a sense of emotion to the game. With the same objectives of meeting certain checkpoints in the game, the experience for each person doesn’t differ too much, That’s where multiple outcome games come in. Recently, games with multiple outcomes are becoming more popular, with different checkpoints to be reached in different parts of the game with sometimes a completely different ending. This type of game makes for a completely unique experience for each user. Another type of game is a Real Time Strategy, with less of a set story RTS games use objectives, which the user must meet but this can be done in numerous way. An example of this is Rise Of Nations where the player controls a country that grows and goes through stages of discovering, fighting and controlling other countries. This can still tell a story but rather than one that is set to the game it completely depends on the users strategy to how the game unfolds.
These examples show how important stories are in games, right from the beginning and undoubtedly way into the future of games.
Mountain Pilot
The game I wish to create is an objection-based simulator based on the dangerous mountain flying flown by rookie pilots in Indonesia.
The user starts off as a trainee pilot and works through the ranks to become a chief captain.
Routes get harder with the progression of the game and with the addition of weather, traffic and aircraft maintenance.
The open map allows for multiple options in flying the route and gives each player a unique experience.
Some specific destinations and cargo earn more points than others with each location presenting an animation with a different story, linking to the progress of the pilot. Some locations include mini games/challenges within the game.
There is potential for sequel games including “Bush Pilot” based on rookie pilots in West Africa, and “Sea Pilot” based on the river routes flown with amphibious aircraft in Turkey.
One game that influenced my choices was “Sky Gamblers- Storm Raiders”. It was the actual gameplay that intrigued me with the ability to fly throughout a map without limits and land wherever you like. My map will consist of various airports each with the objective of flying to it. The player can choose which order they fly to the different airports and will have to work out the best way to complete the objectives, considering weather, fuel and cargo, to increase their pilot points.