The Importance of Storytelling in Modern Games

Modern video games have taken the concept of gaming to the next level. While there’s no shortage of nostalgia for retro games and appreciation for their advancements at the time, these games are incomparable when it comes to storytelling.

Not every game relies on storytelling, but an increasing number of titles incorporate some sort of narrative to hook players in. Even before these modern releases, we could see just how storytelling has sometimes been more important than the gameplay mechanics themselves. Even slot machines with engaging themes and fun prizes have historically been much more exciting than those featuring basic fruits, bells, and lucky 7s. When we talk to someone about a game we’re passionate about, we don’t tell them how to play it but rather about the incredible journey they could experience.

So, how important has storytelling become in video games, and why are we seeing this phenomenon?

From Simple Plots to Movie-Like Experiences

Storytelling has come a long way because of technological limitations to some degree, but also because the goal of a story was once to simply back the gameplay. Sure, games like Space Invaders didn’t exactly have an inherent storyline. And although we saw a premise with games like Super Mario Bros., where the overarching narrative was to rescue Princess Peach and defeat the antagonist, Bowser, the narrative was used as a catalyst rather than acting as the core experience.

In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, developers were able to do more with voice acting, better graphics capabilities, character creation, and realistic world-building. These games started to prove that video games could do what films could. Then, we got to where we are today, with motion capture, highly interactive narratives, and hyperrealistic graphics that make it seem like we’re watching a movie and playing a part in it. Move over, Hollywood, because video games have one aspect that films don’t, and that’s player agency.

Giving the Player Agency

Books and movies can be just as cinematic in their own way, but the agency you enjoy as a gamer is unmatched. While some titles revolve around simply being able to move around as different characters and speak to NPCs, others put the narrative in the hands of the player, letting them provide input into exactly how the story unfolds.

We see this in games like Life Is Strange and Detroit: Become Human, where the dialogue and decisions you make impact anything from a character’s reaction to the fate of an entire storyline. In Detroit: Become Human, when you play as Connor, you’re given the choice to shoot another android, Chloe, choosing whether he stays loyal to his programming or joins the revolution to protect androids. Some decisions are obvious, but others are a lot more contentious.

Emotionally Investing in Video Game Characters

The longer we play as these characters or interact with them within the broader narrative of the game, the more emotionally invested we become. We ask ourselves what becomes of them, how they’re feeling, and what we can personally do to make their journey end well. We end up developing a natural attachment, whether parasocial or because we resonate with them on a personal level.

The storyline is what drives this connection, developing the characters and the world around them before our eyes. Throw in the agency we talked about earlier, and we become extremely active in their experiences. Rather than being 8-bit pixels like they once were, these characters look like us, think like us, and act like us (well, to an extent). In The Last of Us, we sympathise with both Ellie and Abby to the point where we wrestle with our own conceptions of morality.

Immersion Through World-Building

To complement the characters and the gameplay, there needs to be a world to immerse in. It’s a key tool in video game storytelling because it sets the stage for, essentially, an alternate reality where the story plays out.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, we’re transported to the Old West, with lush forests in the Heartlands, a living ecosystem with wild animals, detailed settlements, and plenty of elements aligned with the historical and cultural context. The towns are lived in, the NPCs respond to your behaviour, and the weather is dynamic, where snow falls, mud gets messy, and the sun shines in your eyes. When Arthur Morgan steals, gets aggressive with a person in town, or shoots someone, he becomes a wanted man with consequences to answer to.

The world-building is intense, especially in open-world games. Players can explore just about every nook and cranny of it in whatever way they prefer, building a personalised and unique “story” to complement the main events.

When Storytelling and Gameplay Intertwine

When all of these elements work together—character development, world-building, and agency of some sort—the player becomes a true part of it all. We spend hours invested in these fictional characters’ lives but on a much deeper level than in novels. Everything that happens in the game feels as if we’re living it, and these emotions and events remain with us long after we’ve finished playing or turned the game off for the day.

Storytelling in video games is no longer an afterthought but rather an integral part of the gaming experience. And when it’s done right and the positive reviews for a title start coming in, the developers reap the rewards. As for players, we’ve begun to blur the lines between the fictional world and our own, but not in unhealthy ways like non-gamers would suggest. It’s a powerful form of storytelling that enriches our own lives in ways we could have never expected.