I am personally a really big fan of having narratives within video games.  I don’t think games have to have narratives within them to be good games, but I do feel like there are many unique and amazing games that are solely based on a narrative.  Within the article, Video Games Are Better Without Stories, Ian Bogost states “Players and creators have been mistaken in merely hoping that they might someday share the stage with books, films, and television, let alone to unseat them” (Bogost).  I feel like this statement is implying that video games are trying to be just like books or movies instead of being seen as its own separate and unique platform. He mentions that video games will not be able to tell a narrative better than other things, but I feel like he is missing the point.  Experiencing a narrative through a video game is unique on its own.  Instead of passively experiencing a narrative, players are able to be active in the stories that are being told. I believe that this leads to a stronger level of immersion.  Playing a game demands the attention of a player more than a movie demands the attention of a viewer.  A player can feel like they are a part of the narrative instead of just feeling a disconnect and like they are on the outside looking in. I love to watch scary movies and even though I may get scared, I am still able to commit and watch the movie to the end.  However, I find it very hard for me to play certain horror games because it feels like a more intense experience.  The survival or escape of the main character is up to me.  I have to make sure that I don’t mess up or that I make the right decisions or else something bad will happen.  When watching a movie, I know that I have no influence on the events that are going to take place.  I can passively just sit there with little to no energy and experience the narrative.   With books it is the same thing, the beginning, middle, and ending are all written already.  No matter what my personal thoughts or decisions would have been, it doesn’t matter.  With a video game, more times than not I can choose what to do and how to deal with the obstacles.  I believe that all different forms that content can come in should be accepted for what they are.  Video games has its many differences from other forms of media and that should be valued.  The modern version of gaming is still something very new, and the incorporation of narrative is also something very new to gaming as a whole.  I believe that the stories that can be experienced through games will only grow and expand.  The ways in which people can influence a narrative will only grow.  I see a lot of potential in the future of gaming and I find that exciting.

Works Cited

Bogost, Ian. “Video Games Are Better Without Stories.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 25 Apr. 2017, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/04/video-games-stories/524148/.